Sen. Gounardes, Brooklyn Electeds, Local Residents Celebrate Closure of Columbia Waterfront Concrete Recycling Facility 

The facility’s closure comes after months of advocacy from local elected officials and neighbors

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: JULY 11, 2025

Brooklyn, NY — Senator Gounardes joined other area elected officials and local residents in celebrating Mayor Eric Adams announcement today that operations at the Department of Transportation’s Concrete Recycling Facility on the Columbia Waterfront will cease by this August and the site will be closed by the end of the year.

Over the last year and a half, the rock-crushing operations at the facility have created serious air quality, noise pollution, and traffic congestion issues for neighbors on the Columbia Waterfront. On windy days, dust emissions from the site have spread across the neighborhood, making it hard to breathe.

State Senator Andrew Gounardes, along with Council Member Shahana Hanif, Congressman Dan Goldman, Assembly Member Jo Anne Simon, and Brooklyn Community Board 6 District Manager Mike Racioppo have supported residents in their fight to close the site and have it moved to a non-residential location. Previous actions have included multiple protests, a joint elected letter to the Mayor, and a petition signed by hundreds of neighbors. 

“We’ve been working toward this moment for a long time, and I’m thrilled our community’s voices have been heard," said State Senator Andrew Gounardes. "As I've said time and time again: there are ways to recycle concrete that don't involve forcing Brooklyn residents to breathe in toxic dust. We should never have had to choose between sustainable recycling and the health of our communities. Now, we no longer have to. Thank you to DOT for doing the right thing, and to all the neighbors and fellow elected officials who worked to get us to this moment.”

“The closure of the concrete recycling facility is a testament to the power of local organizing,” said Council Member Shahana Hanif. “Neighbors and elected representatives came together and delivered this overdue win for the Columbia Waterfront. The facility’s closure will help improve air quality, reduce truck traffic, and ease noise pollution in an area that has borne environmental burdens for far too long. It’s particularly important that we won this outcome outside the context of the Brooklyn Marine Terminal Vision Plan proposal. The health of local residents never should have been used as a bargaining chip.”

“I’m grateful to City Hall for listening to the community and the coalition of elected officials and advocates urging the closure of the disruptive and hazardous concrete facility on the site of the Brooklyn Marine Terminal,” said Congress Member Dan Goldman. “I look forward to building on this progress by revitalizing the Marine Terminal to further benefit the neighboring communities."

“After over a year of community advocacy, it is gratifying to see the City finally acting on the promised relocation of the concrete recycling facility to an alternative site,” said Assemblymember Jo Anne Simon. “This decision will bring long overdue relief to neighbors who have endured toxic dust, noise, and truck traffic for too long. This relocation cannot happen soon enough. Thank you to the community for never letting up, and to my fellow elected officials for working together to make this change a reality.”

“The closure of the facility is long overdue, but it’s undeniably welcome news,” said Mike Racioppo, Brooklyn Community Board 6 District Manager. “It is encouraging to see City Hall respond to the many dedicated voices that have advocated for this outcome for so long. This marks a victory for the community and represents a step toward a cleaner, healthier future.”

“No one should have to fight this hard just to breathe clean air,” said Leah Carroll, Columbia Waterfront District Resident. “We lived for 2 years in the shadow of toxic dust, unheard and unprotected, unable to open our windows. This shutdown is a victory for public health and for every neighbor who refused to stay silent. Now the city must ensure this closure is permanent—our community has sacrificed enough.”

“Having this promise from the Mayor’s office that the concrete plant will be shut down, finally provides some long overdue peace of mind for those of us whose lives have been so negatively impacted by its presence,” said Molly Pearson, Columbia Waterfront District Resident. “It means we can open our windows again. It means we feel safe to breathe the air in our neighborhood. It means our buildings won’t literally shake from the weight of the trucks and crack from the vibrations caused by the work they are doing. It means we won’t have to run our air purifiers twenty four hours a day. It means our kids won’t film swirls of concrete dust on windy days, asking us if it’s safe outside. Over these two years, I have grown close with many neighbors of mine, who I never before knew - we’ve been united in our tireless efforts to get this plant closed. It is shameful that it has taken this long. We really thank those of our elected officials who validated our concerns, and who fought for us to live in safe conditions, and to move this plant out of a residential neighborhood.”

Press Contact:

Billy Richling

Communications Director

State Senator Andrew Gounardes

billy@senatorgounardes.nyc

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