
Nyc proposal would transform floyd bennett field into a community to house cops, firefighters, ems
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It takes a village to house real heroes. A Brooklyn Law School grad wants to transform the 130-acre, federally-owned Floyd Bennett Field into “Hero Village” — a 20,000 unit -community for
city cops, firefighters and other emergency workers. Noah Martz was inspired to draw up the master plan for the development, where he said every street would bear the name of a fallen first
responder, after seeing how prohibitively expensive city real estate had become for working class people. “New York City is becoming increasingly unaffordable and it’s especially hitting the
men and women who serve New York,” Martz, 26, told The Post. “They’re not able to live in New York City anymore.” The plan, which Martz posted on his X account earlier this month, resembles
a small town complete with stores and a rail line linking the proposed community to the city’s subway system. The design is “inspired by President Trump’s vision to build beautifully
again,” Hero Village’s promotional video states. “Mr. President, it’s time for New York to truly back the blue,” the video concludes. Hero Village would include a monument to honor those
killed in the line of duty, said Martz In March, the head of the Department of the Interior and the Department of Housing and Urban Development announced a joint task force to unlock federal
land for residential development. EXPLORE MORE Martz, who graduated law school last week, is hoping they’ll consider FBF “as a candidate.” “So it would be up to the federal government
looking at this proposal and agreeing with it and then it will probably require collaboration with the state or city,” he said. Bringing the project to life on the flood-prone site that,
until January, was home to a controversial migrant shelter, would be no small feat. So far no politicians have publicly taken an interest, but Martz is hoping to catch President Trump’s eye,
referencing the commander in chief in a promotional video. The White House didn’t return an email asking if they’d support the plan. Floyd Bennett Field is run by the National Park Service,
which also didn’t return a message. Martz has been flooded with queries from interested city workers, he said. “I’ve been getting tons of emails from current firefighters and paramedics
and NYPD officers asking if they can sign up on the waitlist or when this project is happening,” Martz said. “So there’s definitely tons of interest to live in the community.” He’s also
getting criticism from “cop haters,” he said. “I’ve been definitely hearing negative reactions, especially online, like ‘Why do cops deserve housing?’ Anyone who’s anti-cop, anti-EMT or
anti-firefighter,” he said. “I don’t get it, but there’s always going to be hate online from that type of people.” The architecture of the proposed village was inspired by Brooklyn Heights,
Carroll Gardens and Cobble Hill, during his time in law school. “When I was designing Hero Village, I wanted to make sure it would be a safe and comfortable place for families,” he said. “So
I didn’t really want to build this mega-structures you see in Manhattan.” It’s not the first time someone has proposed a development for police officers. “They’ve been talking about a ‘Cop
City’ since I came on the job,” a retired NYPD detective said. “Can’t see it.” Added a longtime police union consultant: “That’s a nice idea if you live in outer space. But it’s never going
to happen here. Can you imagine cops living at Floyd Bennett Field?” Council Minority Leader Joann Ariola (R-Queens), who represents much of the Rockaways across the nearby Marine Parkway
Bridge said: “In theory, this is a great idea. We absolutely should be looking out for our heroes. The location, however — not so much.” “The area is prone to flooding, and the kind of
development proposed would leave people constantly swamped. It’s also pretty isolated, and something like the Cybertrain mentioned [in the plan] would be an enormous undertaking on its own.
Bottom line, nice idea, but completely unrealistic.” Neither the White House nor the National Park Service, which operates the site, returned a request for comment. _Additional reporting by
Rich Calder._