Skip to main content

Featured Post

Atlantic Yards/Pacific Park infographics: what's built/what's coming/what's missing, who's responsible, + project FAQ/timeline (pinned post)

Does the Barclays Center help local businesses? WNYC says it's mixed (and IBO says city numbers fuzzy)

On WNYC today, Questions Linger on Whether Barclays Is Good for Brooklyn Businesses, Julia Longoria sifts the evidence and finds it mixed. (Do listen to the whole report, which is not reflected in the accompanying text.)

Some are happy, like the marketer in town for the All-Star Game buying a donut at The Doughnut Plant. The manager of El Viejo Yayo on Fifth Avenue says business has improved, but it doesn't keep up with rising rents.

Landlord Michael Pintchik, who turned down McDonald's and Hooter's, think things will get better. His daughter Tess says, "we're going for Park Slope meets Meatpacking [District], a well-cultirvated group of tenants."

WNYC said several restaurants prudently avoiding comment, while Regina Cahill of the North Flatbush Business Improvement District says "It's all positive, but it's gotta be stroked in a way that it's got to help everybody." And that's unresolved.

Here's the most interesting part, from the text associated with the article
The city said Barclays pumped up to $251 million into the community and $14 million in city tax revenue in its first year, but Deputy Director of New York City's Independent Budget Office George Sweeting says it's still unclear what the city figures mean.
In other words, maybe that October 2013 article spoon-fed to the Daily News remains fuzzy.

Also note that, though WNYC suggests that 55 local vendors have kiosks at the arena, actually, all food and beverage outlets are operated by Levy Restaurants, which incorporates local vendor offerings.

Comments