Community Board 18 held a meeting with local officials, community members, FDNY officials and stakeholders to discuss a lithium-ion battery plant headed for Marine Park. Brooklyn-based energy company NineDot is in the process of building the plant on Flatbush Avenue in Marine Park. The energy company says it chose the location for a variety of reasons, such as where energy surges are needed, where they can connect to the Con Edison grid and more. The meeting was tense, and people say there are not happy about it being in a residential area. People like Assemblywoman Jamie Williams tell News 12 they wish they were consulted before the company bought the property. "We're here tonight because we're concerned it's in our backyard. You know what if you want to do such things and have these lithium places it needs to be in a real industrial place," said Williams. NineDot previously told News 12 it acquired the property early in 2024 and had to go through a finalization process first.

NineDot says sites are certified by the FDNY and that it has a set of standards constantly monitored by experts, and there is a plan in place if a fire were to occur. Neighbors whose houses will be right behind the plant, like Claudia Greco, are concerned. "My property is separated by NineDot only by a backyard fence. They have no way of putting out a chemical fire, which is what is going to be happening," said Greco. NineDot says the project would finish up in roughly a year.