Atlantic Yards/Pacific Park Report

As Atlantic Yards plans percolate, Empire State Development (ESD), the state authority that oversee/shepherds the project, has now signed its third consultant and second law firm. As previously reported, ESD  approved  a $2 million-plus contract with consultant AKRF to prepare the planned Second Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SSEIS) needed to consider proposed project modifications. ESD in February  approved  extension of a contract, up to $500,000. with the law firm Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner, to advise on land use and environmental issues, including the SSEIS. A new contract And on March 26 ESD  approved  a new two-year contract , up to $750,000, with the law firm Carter Ledyard & Milburn for help in drafting the emerging deal with developers Cirrus Workforce Housing and LCOR. "Legal services relating to negotiating and drafting modified and/or new Project documents will be needed as ESD and the new development team move forward with Ph...

Freddy's Bar, Down the Memory Hole ( link ) An article in BK MAG , owned by arena operator Brooklyn Sports & Entertainment, can't tell readers that the bar was ejected to build the Barclays Center. Lots more to remember.

I just published a series of articles about the Social Justice Fund of the Joe and Clara Tsai Foundation, the philanthropic arm of the main owners of the Brooklyn Nets, New York Liberty, and the Barclays Center operating company. It was launched in 2020 after the police killing of George Floyd and the #BlackLivesMatter protests at the arena. Press coverage has mainly been driven by their public relations efforts. Has the Social Justice Fund done some valuable things? Surely. Have they spent $5 million a year? Hard to say. Have they fulfilled their goals, for example, to create scalable programs? Maybe not. Is the spending dwarfed by the annual tax break the Tsais get and recent gains in the value of their holdings? Dramatically. Should they be more transparent? Yes. Are they revising their history as they go? Yes. Does the spending boost their businesses? Sometimes. Philanthropy often operates without scrutiny or accountability, so there’s a role for journalism, especially when philan...

April Roundup: Electeds Press Hochul on Affordability and Oversight ( link ) We await a final report on community engagement, and details on the $350M subsidy request. Also, partial answers from ESD, a former neighbor's lament, a Flatbush Ave. alert, and six weeks of links.

Art or Advertising? Behind the Tricky "You/We Belong Here" Signage Outside the Barclays Center ( link ) The "anthem" of the Tsais' social justice work, or the "linguistic pleasantries of marketing"? The "Liberty Portraits" now claimed by Social Justice Fund. "Brooklyn Art Encounters," too? Part of a series.

Brooklyn Sports & Entertainment, which owns the Brooklyn Nets, New York Liberty, and the Barclays Center operating company, on April 2 announced "Brooklyn Art Encounters, a comprehensive, multi-year art program that will bring major new commissions by leading contemporary artists to the arena's public spaces, interior architecture, digital environments, and surrounding communities." The first projects, as described in the press release , mix public and less public examples. (The bulleted summaries below quote from the press release.)  Serving the arena and the brand? However broadly its name points. Brooklyn Art Encounters may most serve Barclays Center patrons.  If so, that helps build the business of Brooklyn Sports & Entertainment and the reputation of main owners Joe Tsai and Clara Wu Tsai, that latter of whom leads the program, assisted by what the press release calls "an esteemed team of advisors." This new venture builds on previous artworks mount...

The Barclays Center yesterday released its April 2026 event calendar, with eleven ticketed events: four Brooklyn Nets games, one New York Liberty pre-season game, five concerts, and one comedy event. That's similar to April 2025, with eleven ticketed events. Note that the arena must leave dates open for many months to allow for a potential NBA play-off series, but the Nets, who are "tanking" to get a high draft pick, were eliminated from contention in the first half of March. So some more April events might be scheduled. The Nets' final home game, on Thursday April 9 against the Indiana Pacers, will feature amplified sound--and likely other "celebratory" effects--on the arena plaza from 6 pm to 7:25 pm. Also, while there's nothing announced regarding the New York Liberty game on Saturday, April 25 against the Indiana Fever, the return of Fever star Caitlin Clark should generate crowds. The arena also lists an unspecified private event at the arena on Wed...