Downtown Brooklyn Partnership Exec Headed To State Development Corp.

Big changes are afoot in Downtown Brooklyn—and we're not just talking real estate.

Joe Chan, head of Downtown Brooklyn Partnership, will step down from his post after years of overseeing the neighborhood's transformation from a underutilized outpost to a thriving retail and residential center.

Chan, a resident of Fort Greene, leaves DBP to become vice president of development at Empire State Development, the agency overseeing some of New York's biggest construction projects, including Atlantic Yards.

A source with knowledge of the transition confirmed that Chan was on his way out and would be replaced on an interim basis by DBP chief operating officer Michael Burke.

Chan's departure came as some of the partnership's chief goals seemed on the verge of being met. That list includes a recently approved sale of and the Metropolitan Transit Authority's announcement Monday that it had put 370 Jay St.——on the market.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg created the partnership five years ago to oversee the neighborhood's rapid development. Since then, Downtown Brooklyn has evolved into one of the city's fastest growing residential centers—one poised to become .

In his new position, Chan will be based out of ESD's offices on Third Avenue in Manhattan.