The New York City Council gave final approval today for the long-awaited transfer of the six-acre Admirals Row site at the Brooklyn Navy Yard from the National Guard to the City of New York, which owns the 300-acre navy yard. The approval comes after a five-month-review process by city officials and the conclusion of talks between the guard and the non-profit Brooklyn Navy Yard Development Corp. (BNYDC), and it allows for the redevelopment of the historic site.

Redevelopment of the site, expected to begin next year following the site's transfer to the city, will include construction of a 74,000-sq-ft supermarket, 79,000-sq-ft of retail space, and 127,000-sq-ft of industrial space. The project is expected to create hundreds of construction jobs, says BNYDC, which oversees the navy yard. BNYDC says it will issue a request for proposals for the site's redevelopment before year-end and that a designated developer will have a long-term lease for the site.

Admirals Row was built in the 19^th century and has remained under federal control since it was vacated in the mid-1970s. It contains historic structures that have severely deteriorated and are in need of emergency repairs, according to several groups and lawmakers including U.S. Senator Charles Schumer who pushed for the federal government to allow the city access to the site for emergency stabilization of certain structures and to expedite the property transfer.

The groups have long fought for the preservation of at least two of the 12 buildings on site: a timber shed built in 1853 that is the last remaining one of its kind in the U.S., as well as Building B, a free-standing house. Earlier this year it was agreed that those buildings would be saved.