The CEO of the New York City Economic Development Corporation expressed strong support on Wednesday for Mayor Eric Adams and Gov. Kathy Hochul's plan to revitalize the Brooklyn Marine Terminal.

Speaking on "Mornings On 1," Andrew Kimball praised the move as a long overdue step toward rejuvenating the neglected maritime port.

"The headline here is you have a mayor and a governor unafraid to challenge the status quo and to unlock projects that have been long stalled. And in the case of this project, you're literally talking about decades," Kimball said.

Adams announced on Tuesday that the city took full control of the 122-acre waterfront, with a goal to modernize the port and establish a mixed-use community hub. As part of the agreement, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which previously controlled the Red Hook hub, assumed control of the Howland Hook Terminal on Staten Island.

"The jurisdiction over it—Port Authority, city and state—has led to inaction for many, many decades, meaning a lack of investment. This project will right size roles and responsibilities, put the Port Authority in charge of a Staten Island facility—Howland Hook—and the city squarely in charge of Red Hook," Kimball said.

The revitalization plan includes an $80 million upgrade to piers 7, 8 and 10. Hochul also announced a $15 million commitment to a future cold storage facility at the marine terminal.

Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-Manhattan) however, raised concerns Tuesday about increased trucking and a potential environmental impact, but Kimball stressed the urgent need for investment.

“There are piers that are collapsing today because of the lack of action. That port receives about 1.4% of all the containers that come into New York Harbor. Now that is still an important 1.4%. That's 30,000 trucks off of the highways and bridges, but we think we can do so much better by investing," Kimball said Wednesday.

He also said he believed that container capacity at the port will not be compromised by the addition of housing and community space.

“There is a significant amount of space around the perimeter of this site that is already non-maritime and can be used for better uses. But again, we're not going to prejudge this master planning process,” Kimball said.