Greenpoint Neighbors Speak Out Against Dust, Pollution, and Noise Caused by DKN Ready Mix

In the 28 years that Jens Rasmussen has lived in the industrial part of Greenpoint, he’s never had an issue with the lot next door. Businesses have come and gone, but none ever left a big impression. That is until a concrete batch plant moved into the lot at 270 Green Street last fall.

“It’s not like we’re not used to having industrial neighbors, but all of those neighbors operated within the law and human decency,” says Rasmussen, a community activist and a founding member of North Brooklyn Community Boathouse.

270 Green Street is part of Greenpoint’s M3 heavy industrial zone, as is Rasmussen’s building next door, which he shares with his wife Maria Aparo and their toddler. Their building, which also serves as the home for several arts nonprofits, is protected under New York City’s Loft Law.

Before DKN Ready Mix moved from Maspeth Avenue to Green Street, neighbors shared their concerns with Greenpointers, worrying that having a concrete batch plant closer to a residential area might detrimentally impact the health of our already heavily polluted neighborhood. Now, some of those fears have been realized, much to the chagrin of those who saw it coming.

“It’s very frustrating that the tools that are available seem so flaccid, so ineffective,” Rasmussen says about the lack of oversight into the opening. “Especially with a company that has shown itself to be a bad actor. Why do they deserve the benefit of the doubt?”

Rasmussen and Aparo say that living next to DKN has negatively impacted their health and well-being. The concrete batch plant causes issues with noise, dust, pollution, and poor air quality.

It was the noise that came first. The couple had been monitoring the construction process at 270 Green Street since it started in 2022, but things took a turn once DKN finally opened in late 2023. “Immediately, we noticed an uptick in sound pollution. It became impossible to even speak at a normal level in the kitchen of our house,” said Aparo. 

The noise from the work next door forced them to relocate their toddler’s bedroom to a less noisy part of the apartment. One instance was intense enough to crack their building’s exterior wall. Ironically, the City’s Department of Buildings cited their landlord for the violation. 

“Because of the activity next door, our building is falling apart: new cracks constantly appear in walls, floors, and ceilings,” a downstairs neighbor, who asked to remain anonymous, told Greenpointers. “I often wake up to find artworks and framed photos in a heap on my floor with a nice sprinkling of loosened paint chips on top.”

As the weather got warmer and windows stayed open, the dust and air pollution became all the more noticeable, even infiltrating the apartment. 

“Everybody in New York, you open a window and get some dust. But this is different,” says Rasmussen. “Because it’s cement dust, if you wipe it up with a wet rag, it doesn’t go away. It starts turning into cement and makes this slurry—it’s really gross.”

Aparo concurred. “I’m dusting every day, at least. It coats your clothes, it’s coating our bedding, couches. It’s atrocious,” she said.  

The heavy accumulation of dust has even prevented the building’s residents from using the roof deck. But the dust represents more than just a loss of an amenity—it has caused adverse effects on neighbors’ health.

“Ever since DKN started their operations, I am experiencing the following on a daily basis: coughing up phlegm, puffy eyes and a burning sensation in my chest,” the neighbor shared.

Rasmussen, Aparo, and their toddler have also experienced symptoms commonly associated with cement dust exposure. 

The local nonprofit North Brooklyn Neighbors started monitoring the lot earlier this summer as part of their Air Quality Monitoring program. This program allows residents and businesses to install sensors on their property and provide real-time air quality feedback. The program monitors track the presence of PM 2.5, tiny inhalable particles that the EPA classifies as one of the five major pollutants that contribute to air quality, alongside ozone, carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide and sulfur dioxide. The small size adds to the dangers of these particles, as they can get deep into the lungs and even the bloodstream.

The EPA has set a standard of 9 µg/m3 for a yearly average, meaning that even with spikes, such as the ones seen at DKN, as long as the average is below 9 µg/m3, the air quality should be relatively healthy, including for sensitive populations such as asthmatics, children, and the elderly. During a 24-hour period, the average should be below 35 µg/m3. During the rough month and a half or so that NBN has had an air quality monitor installed, the PM2.5 readings near the DKN Ready Mix have averaged 16.3 µg/m3. That average might fall within acceptable bounds in the short term, but the cumulative effect must be considered. While there is not enough data to establish a yearly pattern for DKN Ready Mix, a high monthly average indicates that they might not be on track to meet this standard.

The Air Quality Index shown in the screenshots below is derived from the PM2.5 readings. These AQI readings from DKN have shown spikes in poor overall air quality. Anything above 100 is considered unhealthy, above 300 is considered a hazardous emergency situation; a reading from PurpleAir has even shown a spike of 551.

Concrete batch plants are, by nature, a loud and messy operation, with heavy materials constantly scooped up, dropped, and moved around. The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation exempts concrete batch plants from air permitting and registration requirements as long as they have the required controls. A spokesperson for the DEC shared that while DKN has these controls, “the inspectors observed emissions from the bulk storage area,” as well as “dust exiting the baghouse filtration system” during a June 25 visit to the facility. “DEC inspectors issued a warning notice to the Facility and will conduct a follow-up inspection to ensure that the emissions are properly controlled,” the agency told Greenpointers. 

The dust problem has also been noted by the citywide environmental agency, the Department of Environmental Protection; in 2024, DKN accrued two violations for the release of dust.

If improperly mitigated, cement dust can be a health hazard. It can cause irritation to the respiratory system, skin damage, and potential silicosis and lung cancer due to the presence of silica in some cement. 

DKN’s issues in the neighborhood date back nearly a decade. In 2015, at the previous facility on Maspeth Avenue, DEC records show that part of the Newtown Creek shoreline collapsed and material from DKN spilled into the Dutch Kills tributary. The company apparently did not take corrective action until a third party discovered the breach. In 2016, DKN was caught letting runoff into Newtown Creek; the order states that “DKN pumped or caused the pumping of concrete-laden stormwater through a three inch (3″) hose into Newtown Creek, causing a visible turbidity plume in the water.”

The DEC ultimately issued a fine of $90,000 to the site’s landlord, part of which was designated to go to a program at the North Brooklyn Community Boathouse. 

During the construction process for the Green Street facility, DKN accumulated violations for working without a permit and failing to provide pedestrians with a walkway; locals maintain the latter issue still presents mobility challenges on Green Street. As they worked on the new Green Street facility, pollution continued at the Maspeth Avenue facility. In April 2023, sediment and cement that had accumulated near DKN’s cement mixing trucks ran into a stormwater catch basin near Newtown Creek, which discharged directly into the body of water. The DEC fined DKN $25,593 in May, giving them 30 days to implement best management practices at their Maspeth Avenue facility. The DEC confirmed Greenpointers that DKN complied with the order.

A recent violation presents a more foundational challenge to DKN’s ability to operate at 270 Green Street. Records from the City’s Department of Buildings show that DKN is illegally operating contrary to the site’s current Certificate of Occupancy. The current certificate designates 270 Green Street as “a vacant lot for use sale of used cars, metals, iron, and parts.” The City’s Office of Administrative Trials and Hearings issued a summons for DKN to appear at an August 7 hearing. If found liable, OATH could issue DKN a penalty of up to $6,250.

The DOB told Greenpointers that DKN has not submitted any application for a new Certificate of Occupancy.

DKN stressed that they are a family-owned business with ties to the local community, having first set up shop in Long Island City in 2008. 

“Any runoff is 100% accidental, and we get our guys on it right away,” said Nick Macchio, operations manager of DKN.

DKN pointed Greenpointers to several safety efforts undertaken to mitigate dust exposure, including sprinkler systems, dust collectors, and regular sweeping (the DEC noted the presence of these controls during a recent visit). They plan to install a 20-foot fence to prevent further dust exposure, which they promised they would implement “as soon as humanly possible,” and claimed that delays at the DOB currently prevented them from doing so.

A spokesperson for the DOB said they have no record of DKN submitting an application for a new fence. However, they noted that DKN recently submitted a preliminary filing for a new structure at the property. DKN could not confirm that this was the fence in question and said they were waiting to hear back from their architect. The preliminary filing for this new structure was submitted on July 18, days after DKN assured Greenpointers that the project was already in the works. 

DKN’s current construction fence was first permitted in 2021 and expired on July 23 of this year; the DOB has now issued DKN a violation, as well as a violation for the failure to maintain a pedestrian sidewalk.

Concerning the runoff that made it into Newtown Creek last year, DKN said they did not realize the discharge emptied into the catch basin. They complied with DEC requirements to implement best practices at their Maspeth Avenue facility, but already this year, DKN’s runoff once again made it into a catch basin, for which New York City’s Department of Environmental Protection issued a violation.

DKN denied that any movement from their facility would have caused the crack in Rasmussen and Aparo’s building, stating that they had documented cracks before construction. The DOB issued the violation in May 2024, months after DKN first opened. 

Rasmussen and Aparo recently formed a community action group, DKN Cement Dust Action, to spread awareness of the issue. A recent meeting brought together the offices of local elected officials, North Brooklyn Neighbors, and other community members.

As for the situation’s next steps, the DOB tells Greenpointers that they plan to audit the current issued permits at the site “due to the applicant’s failure to file an application for a new Certificate of Occupancy.”