Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce Relocating to Industry City
By Celia Young July 6, 2021 6:15 pm
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The Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce is moving to 10,200 square feet at Industry City — the sprawling Sunset Park, Brooklyn, campus that it supported in a rezoning battle.
The chamber will move its headquarters, after more than a century of operating in Downtown Brooklyn, to the 16-building property on the borough’s waterfront, Crain’s New York Business first reported. Asking rents at the 6 million-square-foot campus — owned by developers Belvedere Capital, Jamestown and Angelo Gordon & Co. — usually range from $15 to $40 per square foot.
The deal closed in mid-June, according to a representative from Industry City.
“Industry City is truly an economic engine for Brooklyn, and its diverse tenant mix of manufacturing, retail, hospitality, tech, fashion, design, and [minority and women-owned business enterprises] reflects our business community,” Randy Peers, president and CEO of the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce, said in a statement. “Plus, its vibrant, amenity-rich environment is strategic for attracting top minds and talent to the organization.”
The chamber — which is currently located at 335 Adams Street — will join fashion brand Loeffler Randall, beauty brand Package Free, post-production firm KMH Audio-Video Integration, payment application company Square, and online fundraising platform Fundraise Up at Industry City in mid-July.
The new lease represents a 30 percent increase in space for the chamber, which will host its 2021 in-person annual meeting and trade show at the campus. As part of the move, the chamber is expanding its small business staffing service, and allowing Industry City tenants to attend its networking and promotional programs.
The Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce previously supported a rezoning project and expansion for Industry City that would have created more than 1 million square feet of new commercial, retail, academic and industrial space, Commercial Observer reported. The proposal was controversial among activists and politicians, with four Brooklyn members of Congress coming out against the plan, saying it would displace residents and gentrify the area. Industry City CEO Andrew Kimball — who also serves as a board member on the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce — said the anti-development climate was one of the reasons for pulling the rezoning application in September.
Celia Young can be reached at cyoung@commericalobserver.com.
