The scene today contrasts sharply with the one envisioned three years ago, when city officials lined up to announce plans for a $14 million redevelopment of the 50,000-square-foot drill hall in the 2.3-acre complex, also known as the 23rd Regiment Armory. That ­moment came after years of effort. Ultimately, both the City Council and the Brooklyn borough president's office kicked in money and threw their political weight behind the project.

In 2012, the EDC sent out a request for proposals to developers. At the time, possible uses included a recreational climbing facility, a concert hall or even an ice-skating rink, such as the one approved by the City Council in 2013 for the Kingsbridge Armory in the Bronx.

Several developers dutifully responded to the city's RFP, but nothing happened. Instead, the armory remained a homeless shelter, and the dreams of an attractive new community space for a neighborhood undergoing rapid change withered. Business and community leaders began to wonder why the project appeared to be mothballed.

After inquiries by Crain's, city officials revealed that they had quietly shelved plans for the armory in December after discovering that the massive drill hall could play a crucial role as an evacuation center in the event of natural disasters and that the city still needed all those shelter beds.

"The Bedford Atlantic Armory site remains important to those seeking shelter services, and it is also a critical emergency-response center for Hurricane Sandy-type situations," a spokeswoman for the Department of Homeless Services said.

In the end, the armory's cavernous open space and its location above Brooklyn's flood zone simply rendered it too vital to change. Oddly enough, although the property saw use as a temporary shelter during Sandy, it does not show up as an evacuation center on the city's most recent flood-zone map.

But developers may bear some of the blame for the canceled project as well. After the city made it clear that the armory would be needed for future emergencies, the developers balked, declaring the project's requirements "financially unfeasible," according to the city. In December, the EDC quietly notified respondents that it had pulled the plug.

Nearly a half-year later, the $14 million allocated for the redevelopment project still sits in the city's budget, a powerful incentive, ­perhaps, for a new plan to take shape at some future time.

"DHS is committed to work with residents and stakeholders to evaluate options incorporating community use for this site," said the department's spokesman.

In hindsight, Marty Markowitz, the former Brooklyn borough president who championed both armory projects, said the plans for the Bedford Atlantic Armory were troubled from the start.