Climate change is accelerating, and in New York City, officials are investing heavily in solutions they hope will meet the urgency of the moment. A $100 million initiative at the Brooklyn Army Terminal aims to transform the historic site into a hub for climate innovation, workforce development, and community engagement.

Once a military supply base, the waterfront complex in Sunset Park is being reimagined as “BATWorks,” a center where climate tech companies can test, build, and scale their ideas. The project is led by the New York City Economic Development Corporation in partnership with the Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator and the Cambridge Innovation Center.

“It’s never been more important. It’s urgent,” said Nse Esema, Senior Vice President of the Green Economy team at NYCEDC. “We’re able to begin really deeply engaging with community, deeply engaging with innovators who we believe are building the climate solutions.”

Inside the sprawling campus, developers envision a space where startups can pilot new technologies in a dense, urban environment - an opportunity that’s often difficult to replicate elsewhere.

“That’s a program that allows multiple innovators each year the opportunity to test and deploy their technology on this campus, which is an incredible, dense urban environment opportunity for a startup to validate their technology,” said Alex Mitchell, Senior Vice President of BATWorks with the Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator.

City officials say the project is about more than just innovation, it’s also about economic impact. The initiative is expected to create roughly 600 jobs, support emerging companies, and generate an estimated $2.6 billion in revenue for the city.

“Success for this project is really inclusive,” Mitchell said. “Economic growth, including really spurring both the development of green jobs in the community and scaling climate solutions that are so desperately needed.”

Leaders also emphasize the importance of education and early exposure. At the Brooklyn Army Terminal, programs are already being designed to connect young people with hands-on learning opportunities in sustainability and clean technology.

“We hope BATWORKS can be a place we’re young people can be inspired to become innovators - a place that will expose young people to the different types of climate solutions that they can be a part of,” Esema said.

BATWorks is expected to open its permanent facility in 2028. In the meantime, city officials plan to host an open house next week in Sunset Park, offering the public a first look at the future of climate innovation on Brooklyn’s waterfront.