The City Planning Commission review session on Aug. 10, 2026 examined a Department of Citywide Administrative Services (DCAS) application to grant Con Edison a permanent subsurface easement under the eastern playground of PS 307 (Daniel Hail Williams Elementary School) in Vinegar Hill. The easement would allow a 7-foot-wide micro tunnel more than 50 feet below Hudson Avenue to carry new underground electrical feeders tied to Con Edison’s Brooklyn Clean Energy Hub; a public hearing on the disposition was scheduled for Aug. 12, 2026. Source: https://youtu.be/cJYS9sAhryw&t=5014
# What’s happening
– DCAS filed to convey a permanent subsurface easement under PS 307 to Con Edison. Source: https://youtu.be/cJYS9sAhryw&t=5014
– The easement would permit a subsurface micro tunnel carrying new electrical feeders. Source: https://youtu.be/cJYS9sAhryw&t=5105
– A public hearing on the disposition was scheduled for August 12, 2026. Source: https://youtu.be/cJYS9sAhryw&t=5014
# Why it matters
– PS 307 students, users of the eastern playground, and nearby Farragut public housing residents are affected. Source: https://youtu.be/cJYS9sAhryw&t=5014
– Construction of the underground tunnel will alter subsurface access and require community mitigation measures during work. Source: https://youtu.be/cJYS9sAhryw&t=5105
# Key details
– Location: PS 307 (Daniel Hail Williams Elementary School), 209 York Street, Vinegar Hill, Brooklyn. Source: https://youtu.be/cJYS9sAhryw&t=5014
– Tunnel specs: approximately 7-foot-wide micro tunnel more than 50 feet below Hudson Avenue. Source: https://youtu.be/cJYS9sAhryw&t=5105
– Easement area: the eastern playground of PS 307; no above-grade construction proposed. Source: https://youtu.be/cJYS9sAhryw&t=5014
– Additional work: agreements under negotiation for a micro tunnel shaft within nearby Farragut Houses grounds near an existing basketball court. Source: https://youtu.be/cJYS9sAhryw&t=5105
– Review timeline: application certified May 11, 2026; Brooklyn Borough President held a hearing July 8, 2026 and recommended approval with conditions. Source: https://youtu.be/cJYS9sAhryw&t=5105 https://youtu.be/cJYS9sAhryw&t=5184
– Community Board 2 conditions include signage, a construction traffic plan coordinated with DOT, stakeholder engagement, and continuity of recreational space. Source: https://youtu.be/cJYS9sAhryw&t=5105
The City Planning Commission (CPC) review session revisited a DCAS disposition application to grant Con Edison a permanent subsurface easement beneath part of lot 7 at PS 307. The easement would allow Con Edison to route new underground electrical feeders through a micro tunnel that cannot turn from Hudson Avenue onto York Street. Source: https://youtu.be/cJYS9sAhryw&t=5014
**New York City Department of Citywide Administrative Services (DCAS)**
– Role or jurisdiction: City agency managing city real estate dispositions.
– Action taken or responsibility: Applicant requesting authority to convey a permanent below-grade easement.
– Relevant numbers or dates: Application certified May 11, 2026; public hearing scheduled Aug. 12, 2026. Source: https://youtu.be/cJYS9sAhryw&t=5105
The micro tunnel design requires the tunnel to continue beneath the school’s eastern play area because it cannot make the required turn from Hudson Avenue to York Street. Project materials presented at the review session state the micro tunnel is roughly 7 feet wide and runs more than 50 feet below Hudson Avenue. Source: https://youtu.be/cJYS9sAhryw&t=5105
**Con Edison**
– Role or jurisdiction: Utility company constructing the Brooklyn Clean Energy Hub and associated feeders.
– Action taken or responsibility: Proposed recipient of the subsurface easement to install and maintain underground feeders and the micro tunnel.
– Relevant numbers or dates: Connected to the Brooklyn Clean Energy Hub project under development in Vinegar Hill. Source: https://youtu.be/cJYS9sAhryw&t=5014
Presenters told commissioners no above-ground construction is proposed on the PS 307 site; the requested city disposition would convey only the below-grade portion of lot 7 for a permanent subsurface easement. Source: https://youtu.be/cJYS9sAhryw&t=5014
**PS 307 — Daniel Hail Williams Elementary School**
– Role or jurisdiction: Public elementary school occupying the surface of the project site.
– Action taken or responsibility: School grounds include the eastern playground proposed for the easement area.
– Relevant numbers or dates: Property address given as 209 York Street; eastern play area is the easement footprint. Source: https://youtu.be/cJYS9sAhryw&t=5014
Brooklyn Community Board 2 recommended approval with conditions on June 17, 2026, asking for posted signage during construction, sharing traffic plans after DOT consultation, ongoing engagement with local tenant associations and the Farragut senior center, and measures to preserve basketball-court availability during work. The Brooklyn Borough President held a public hearing July 8, 2026 and provided a favorable recommendation noting the easement’s subsurface nature would avoid permanent impacts to the playground. Source: https://youtu.be/cJYS9sAhryw&t=5105 https://youtu.be/cJYS9sAhryw&t=5184
Presenters and commissioners said additional agreements are being negotiated for a shaft within nearby Farragut Houses grounds close to the existing basketball court, and that project agreements should incorporate deadlines and compensation measures between NYCHA (referred to in materials) and Con Edison. Source: https://youtu.be/cJYS9sAhryw&t=5105
In earlier coverage of the Brooklyn Clean Energy Hub (outside the Aug. 10, 2026 CPC review session), DCP materials and reporting described the hub as a Con Edison facility intended to integrate offshore wind, solar, and energy storage into the local grid; some presentations noted the hub could accommodate large future renewable energy capacity. That material is from prior meetings and reporting, not the Aug. 10 session. Source (earlier coverage): https://youtu.be/2oloWsg1kv4&t=2015 https://getlocalpost.com/2026/05/12/brooklyn-clean-energy-hub-approved-a-game-changer-for-local-power-and-jobs/
Commissioners asked for Con Edison’s participation at the public hearing so the record would include more detail about what the Brooklyn Clean Energy Hub will serve and whether there are specific benefits to nearby public housing. Presenters confirmed they anticipate Con Edison will be part of the applicant team at the hearing. Source: https://youtu.be/cJYS9sAhryw&t=5256
Next steps in the public review process include the scheduled public hearing on Aug. 12, 2026 and subsequent commission consideration; presenters indicated the disposition will return to the commission for a vote following the hearing. Source: https://youtu.be/cJYS9sAhryw&t=5014
If you want, I can summarize or pull the specific community board conditions and Borough President recommendations into a one-page handout for residents, or extract the precise transcript lines and timestamps where the micro tunnel dimensions and NYCHA shaft were discussed.
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