BAT undergoes renovations

Real Estate Weekly, April 5, 2000

Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani recently disclosed that the City will renovate an additional 434,000 square feet of space at he historic Brooklyn Army Terminal (BAT) in Sunset Park, Brooklyn. Approximately 2.6 million square feet of space in Buildings A and B have been renovated to date and are almost fully leased.

The Phase IV renovations are planned for approximately one-third of the space on floors three through nine in Building A. The renovated space will have an occupancy rating for light manufacturing. The New York City Economic Development Corporation (EDC), which manages BAT, will oversee the project on behalf of the City.

"Since it first began leasing in 1987, BAT has been a model for successful adaptive reuse of a military facility," said Mayor Giuliani. "BAT also has been a catalyst far economic development in Sunset Park. Before BAT opened, Sunset Park's industrial vacancy rate was about 40 percent. Today it is around five percent."

LZA Associates has been selected to design the $30 million project. The New York City-based firm was chosen from a Request for Proposals process based on its experience with similar projects, including rehabilitation of the 1.2 million square-foot Federal Building 2 in Brooklyn and restoration of the facade of BAT Building B.

"BAT's excellent location, quality maintenance, security services and functional layout, coupled with the abundance of qualified workers in the Sunset Park area, make it an excellent location for industrial businesses," said deputy mayor for Economic Development and Finance Robert M. Harding.

BAT is located on 97 acres on the waterfront between 58th and 63rd Streets in the Sunset Park section of Brooklyn. In addition to Buildings A and B, the facility includes several ancillary buildings and a public access pier. There are 2.2 million square feet of space in Building B, all of which have been renovated. Of the 1.8 million square feet in Building A, approximately 400,000 square feet (floors one and two) have been renovated. BAT is also home to award-winning BATKids, the first day care center in the City to be established in an industrial facility.

EDC president Michael G. Carey said, "Approximately 72 companies and 3,000 workers are currently located at BAT. This phase of renovations will provide over 400,000 square feet of much needed, quality space for new companies seeking to move in and to accommodate the expansion plans of companies already located there."

The BAT complex was designed by Cass Gilbert, who was responsible for numerous other NYC landmarks, including the Woolworth Building and the U.S. Court House. Constructed in 18 months in 1919, BAT served as the main point of embarkation for War World II, when over 55,000 military personnel and civilians worked there and 3.2 million troops passed through the facility.

This phase of renovations is scheduled to begin in early 2001 and will take approximately 16 months to complete.