The closure of Kent Peaker Plant and the construction of new towers continue Williamsburg waterfront’s massive transformation.

One of the most significant changes coming to the Williamsburg waterfront has to do with compliance with New York’s Build Public Renewables Act, a 2023 state law that, among other environmental measures, mandates the replacement of the six peaker plants (natural gas turbine electricity generating stations) in the city with renewable energy systems. One of them is Kent Peaker Plant at 49 River Street, scheduled to close in 2030.

In March, Brooklyn Downtown Star first reported that the real estate developer Two Trees Management proposed a $56 million plan for replacing the Kent plant during a Brooklyn Community Board 1 meeting. The proposal, sent by Two Trees to the New York Power Authority (NYPA) consists of a ground-level battery storage facility with a 1.3-acre public park on top at a gradual upward slope of tentatively 10 feet, according to the details shared in the presentation.

Two Trees representatives highlighted that the energy system would be designed by energy experts chosen by the NYPA. They also said they would collaborate with the Fire Department and that their proposal could become a pilot project for other neighborhood battery storage facilities across the city.

Two Trees’ proposal has received full support from multiple CB1 committees, including the Joint Land Use, the ULURP & Landmarks Subcommittee; the Environmental Protection Committee, and the Parks and Waterfront Committees. City Council Member Lincoln Restler also supports the initiative.

The board voted unanimously to send a letter of support to Governor Kathy Hochul and the NYPA for the hybrid park and energy storage. The company hopes these endorsements will help the when NYPA decides which developer will take charge of the project. (Greenpointers has requested information from NYPA about other proposals from renewable development companies and investors that met the RFQ requirements and will update this article if they respond.)

If selected, the new green space would be next to Two Trees’ River Ring development, currently under construction.

Other developments reshaping the waterfront along Kent Avenue in the near future are a 36-story twin residential skyscraper at 280 Kent Avenue and a 17-story mixed-use building at 289 Kent Avenue.

The twin skyscraper was designed by REX and developed by Two Trees, according to New York Yimby. The development is expected to be completed by 2030. The site published photos of the preliminary rendering and the area under construction.

The 17-story mixed-use building, designed by FXCollaborative for Web Holdings LLC, will include 280 rental apartments—70 of them affordable—as well as commercial, retail and community space. However, the project merits a rezoning before it can move forward;