Community Corner

Future of Shirley Chisholm Office Building In Doubt

Elected official sounds alarm on possible relocation of state agencies.

State Sen. Velmanette Montgomery, D-Boerum Hill, warned Brooklyn residents that they may have to travel a bit farther to contest a tax bill, file a disability claim or apply for workers compensation.

According to Montgomery's office, the state Office of General Services intends to sell the Shirley Chisholm Office Building. Located at 55 Hanson Place in Fort Greene, the facility houses branch offices of several state agencies catering to children, the disabled and elderly.

In a questionaire inviting residents to indicate which offices they frequent at the building, Montgomery wrote that a possible sale "continues the wasteful pattern of selling state buildings and then renting space from state offices to private developers."

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In an email, a spokeswoman for the state agency responsible for the facility, Heather Groll, denied that 55 Hanson was for sale.

"As part of the administration’s ongoing effort to reimagine state government operations, we have been developing a strategy to manage all of our real estate assets statewide, including this building," Groll wrote. "Our goal is to maximize the use of space, and minimize costs for New York State taxpayers."

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According to OGS, the building is part of a statewide strategy to save taxpayers $9 million in costs on owned and leased buildings.

Still unclear was whether the state planned to move or consolidate offices such as the Department of Financial Services, Tax Appeals and Workers Compensation Board to another facility.

Montgomery claimed that resident may have to visit the next closest state facility, the Adam Clayton Powell Office Plaza Building in Harlem, if plans to sell or reconfigure 55 Hanson move forward.

The building was dedicated to former Rep. Shirley Chisholm in 2010.


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