Atlantic Yards/Pacific Park Report

May Roundup: Waiting for the Subsidy Deal, the MOU, and the "Conceptual" Program ( link ) Coverage of project transparency, Brooklyn Sports & Entertainment, and the Tsais' Social Justice Fund. Shouldn't the operators of MSG and Barclays pay taxes?

If Cirrus/LCOR Now Might Gain $175M in State Budget, Is That a Cut, or Just a Sequencing Issue? ( link ) Developers earlier sought $350 million for platform over railyard. Current budget now has half. But the railyard is two blocks.

Waiting for the MOU: Should the Key Criterion For Atlantic Yards Progress Be "Viability"? ( link ) What about "reconciling project cost, subsidy, and public benefit"? And whether the project can "support the people who will live there"?

As Bergen and Dean Streets Planned for Bike Boulevards (and B65 Re-Route), Some Concerns ( link ) Neighbors near Barclays Center cite event-related congestion, streets narrowed by NYPD and FDNY parking, and poor road conditions. What happens when Atlantic Yards and AAMUP construction surge?

Lessons from 962 Pacific: Developer's Warnings May Not be Credible. Deals Will Get Done. ( link ) The parcel, after a failed spot rezoning, sold for $33 million after an area plan was passed. A portent for Atlantic Yards?

If New York Liberty Are Now Worth $600M, Do the Billionaire Owners Deserve a Tax-Exempt Arena? ( link ) As WNBA valuations rocket, Clara Wu Tsai's $1B goal no longer seems a stretch. The Democratic Socialist Mayor attends debut game. Will he push venue operators on tax exemptions?

Barclays Center Belatedly Releases May 2026 Calendar, Including Liberty Debut and JetBlue Pop-Up on Plaza ( link ) The "public" plaza has private use. Also: seven unspecified private events, mostly Commencement ceremonies. Why not more transparency for neighbors?

From LPC Casa Tua's Cucina, a high-end food court, bar, and market pioneered in Miami, will occupy the base of One Hanson, the commercial condo in the landmark Williamsburgh Savings Bank purchased by Barclays Center operator Brooklyn Sports and Entertainment.  As reported in November 2024, the space was bought for $10.3 million in a foreclosure auction. The office space in the building, which for 80 years (1929-2009) was Brooklyn's tallest, was converted to condos after a 2005 sale, with the vaulted banking space used for events like the Brooklyn Flea, but with no permanent tenant. Set to open in 2027, Cucina by Casa Tua part of the Brooklyn "ecosystem" of events, media, and hospitality pursued by Brooklyn Sports & Entertainment, owned mainly by Joe and Clara Wu Tsai (plus the Koch family). A hotel may emerge, as well, perhaps at the Site 5 parcel across Flatbush Avenue from the arena. From the press release: Cucina will serve as a cornerstone of One Hanson Plac...