A major hurdle in the way of the Pier Six development in Brooklyn Bridge Park has been toppled.

A letter by Empire State Development Corp CEO Howard Zemsky to the BBPC says it lacks the authority to block the Pier Six project.

This comes just weeks after the state body publicly said it would refuse to approve the project on the grounds that conflicts of interest between one of the developers and the de Blasio Administration were being investigated.

The letter comes as the BBPC’s board of directors voted to sign a land lease with RAL Development Services and Oliver’s Realty Corp, the developers behind a plan for a roughly 300-unit market-rate and affordable development at the southern end of the park.

BBPC president Regina Myer tells Crain’s the approval green-lights the development, which will be a major funding source for the $400M park that is “enjoyed by millions and envied across the globe.”

Local opposition to the development has been robust, and a lawsuit has already been filed by Richard Ziegler of the Brooklyn Heights Association. The suit will ask that a judge annul the BBPC’s vote to approve the development. [Crain’s]