Brooklyn becoming beacon for tech companies

Slide over Silicon Valley. Brooklyn is experiencing a technology boom, according to City Council Speaker Christine Quinn.

“With such incredible resources and top talent, the greater downtown Brooklyn area is primed to become a hub for technology-focused economic growth,” Quinn said.

The Brooklyn Navy Yard, the downtown area and DUMBO form the three points of what has been dubbed the Brooklyn Tech Triangle.

On March 9, at the Polytechnic Institute of New York University’s Leadership Forum and Innovation Think Tank, Quinn announced the launch of a two-week long online survey at www.brooklyntechtriangle.com

The survey – which ends on March 23 — is a precursor to a 10-month, $100,000 study of the area the council has funded for the summer, the preliminary results of which will be available in 2013.

“I am proud to announce today that the council will fund a comprehensive planning study that will provide a blueprint for the growth of the Brooklyn Tech Triangle,” Quinn told the crowd. “Over the next six months, we will work with our partners at the Navy Yard, the DUMBO Business Improvement District, and the Downtown Brooklyn Partnership to study existing conditions in the area and develop a strategy for growth.”

According to the city council, there are currently over 100 technology and digital companies in DUMBO. Councilmember Stephen Levin feels the study is the next logical step to launch Brooklyn into the forefront of the tech industry.

“The Brooklyn Tech Triangle is the new tech hub of the East Coast,” Levin said. “By continuing to invest in this growing center of 21st century jobs, it is only a matter of time before we will be the first place people think of when they think of high tech.”

Borough President Marty Markowitz, also on hand for the March 9 announcement, agreed that Brooklyn has what it takes to can become a national technology leader. He feels it’s only a matter of time. Markowitz applauds the City Council study as money well spent.

“I have no doubt that one day Brooklyn will rival Silicon Valley in terms of high tech ingenuity and the creation of technology sector jobs, and funding the Brooklyn Technology Triangle is yet another step toward getting us there,” he said.

According to Quinn, the major areas of concern in terms of maximizing the value of the Brooklyn Tech Triangle include designing practical public space, linking the three areas with public transportation and attracting new businesses. But she points to the preexisting technology bump in two of the triangle’s three areas as proof of the area’s potential.

“DUMBO and the Brooklyn Navy Yard have become so popular among tech companies, the vacancy rate in both of these areas is just above zero,” Quinn said. “I believe we can expand that success to downtown Brooklyn.”