Brooklyn city councilmembers look to silence Navy Yard’s noisy raves

Tensions are escalating between the Brooklyn Navy Yard and its neighbors, who complain of noise from large parties and raves on the property that often continue into the early morning.

In a letter, city Councilmembers Lincoln Restler and Crystal Hudson have asked Lindsey Greene, president and CEO of the Brooklyn Navy Yard Development Corporation, to stop holding such events. The letter is the culmination of years of frustration among residents, Restler said.

“I don’t want to sound like some curmudgeon,” Restler, who represents neighborhoods spanning from Brooklyn Heights to Greenpoint, told Gothamist. “But I don’t find these events to be consistent with the core mission of the Yard.”

Greene said in a statement the Brooklyn Navy Yard will “continue to listen to concerns and make changes where needed.”

She added the Navy Yard has launched an event hotline, placed more trash cans around event spaces and changed exit procedures to minimize disruptions for its neighbors.

The Navy Yard corporation redeveloped the city-owned waterfront space starting in 2011, with the hope of bringing more businesses and manufacturing into the space. Since then, about 550 businesses have created more than 13,000 jobs in the space.

The ongoing redevelopment included the opening of multiple massive, warehouse-style concert venues that regularly bring tens of thousands of patrons to their raves and concerts.

But these events often end close to dawn, according to Restler. The bass rattles the homes and disrupts the sleep of the Navy Yard’s neighbors, Restler added. Some residents have posted flyers in an effort to mobilize against the Navy Yard’s management.

Restler and Hudson wrote in their letter that their offices received “hundreds of complaints over the past few years.” They said events like Kokofest and Tequilafest started with loud music around 6 a.m. and lasted late into the night. The events also brought excessive traffic and trash, they said.

Restler said he’s concerned about a multiday rave scheduled for the fall.

“When they have large events, people can’t sleep,” he said. “It is pounding in their homes.”

If the disruptions continue, however, Restler said he and Hudson, who are authorized to appoint two members to the Brooklyn Navy Yard Development Corporation’s board, will take additional action.

“The Navy Yard is essentially a city agency,” he said. “If we don’t see improvement, we’re going to push to see these events discontinued.”

Ryan Kost contributed reporting.