Atlantic Yards/Pacific Park Report

From the New York Times today:Anger over Breonna Taylor’s killing and the prosecutors’ handling of the case has spread far from Louisville, with protests on Wednesday night drawing crowds in cities around the nation. Some rallies, like those in Portland, Maine, and Memphis, were small but vocal, while protests in Seattle and Portland, Ore., were effectively declared riots after demonstrators set fires and threw explosives at the police.
Thousands of protesters marched through the streets of New York, including a group in Brooklyn that met outside the Barclays Center and swelled to around 2,000 people as it marched across the Manhattan Bridge and shut down traffic. Below, a sampling of tweets. WATCH: Protesters gather outside the Barclays Center in Brooklyn pic.twitter.com/8VAMMugReI— The Hill (@thehill) September 24, 2020Considering tax dollars built Barclays Center, it’s satisfying to see the people use it for demonstrations.— Uthman (Wear a mask!) (@JediMarcoNYC) September 24, 2020O…

Of course lists of "most powerful" people are arbitrary, but they set a general benchmark, so it's worth a look at City & State’s Brooklyn Power 50, which "recognizes the executives, advocates, health care officials and others who are moving the borough forward."

Notably, and debatably, Jed Walentas, CEO, Two Trees Management--owner of much of DUMBO and developer of the Domino complex and, likely, other Williamsburg sites--is listed as #1, far ahead of any other developer. 
Doug Steiner, Chair of Steiner Studios, was #16, while Andrew Kimball, CEO of Industry City, was #18. (Given that the Industry City rezoning has been pulled, that ranking might look different now.) Also, Carlo Scissura, President and CEO, New York Building Congress, was #11, while David Ehrenberg, President and CEO, Brooklyn Navy Yard Development Corp., was #13.
Intriguingly, the lesser-known but surely powerful Frank Carone, Executive Partner, Abrams Fensterman, counsel to the Brooklyn Dem…

From the New York Times, 9/20/20, The Nation Lost a Titan. Brooklyn Lost a Native Daughter.
At the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, the display board posted her encouragement: “Fight for the things that you care about, but do it in a way that will lead others to join you.”From a Chicago Tribune Commentary: Ruth Bader Ginsburg practiced anti-cancel culture, 9/21/20, by Jonathan Zimmerman:In 2015, at a Harvard University luncheon held in her honor, Ruth Bader Ginsburg was asked what advice she would give young women today. “Fight for things you care about,” Ginsburg replied, “but do it in a way that will lead others to join you.”

The quote appeared in full over the weekend on the display board of the Barclays Center, in the heart of Ginsburg’s native Brooklyn, New York, following her death on Friday. But if you go onto the internet to explore the endless array of RBG-themed tchotchkes — mugs, T-shirts and even face masks — you’ll find that many of them omit the second part of her comment. All…

The latest Atlantic Yards/Pacific Park Construction Update (bottom), covering the two weeks beginning Monday, 9/21/20 ), was circulated Friday, 9/18/20 at 12:46 pm (lead time) by Empire State Development (ESD) after preparation by Greenland Forest City Partners.

There's virtually no change from the previous update, including after-hours work at the B4 (18 Sixth Ave.) and B15 (37 Sixth Ave., 662-664 Pacific St.) sites until 7 pm on weekdays and Saturday from 8 am to 5 pm. In fact, there is nothing in red to indicate new work.
A few small changes
However, there are a few small changes, not marked. At the Long Island Rail Road yard, not only has site demobilization been completed, but also punch-list closeout will continue (which indicates it apparently had started).
At the B4 tower, it no longer says that utility work is ongoing.
At the B12 and B13 sites (615 Dean St., 595 Dean St.), along with continued excavation and foundation work, soil removal work, and delivery of oversized equipme…

It's worth reading a couple of Real Deal interviews, by Hiten Samtani, with the now-retired real estate reporter Charles Bagli, who made his bones at the "no sacred cows" New York Observer, then went to the New York Times.

Bagli has not been replaced, which means the Times has lost institutional memory. Also, his coverage of Atlantic Yards, I'd note, was highly inconsistent, sometimes with scoops, too often channeling the developer's narrative, yet also belatedly tough on developer Bruce Ranter. (That didn't come up in the interviews.)

There's lots of good stuff in the interviews, but I'll point to only a few excerpts.

Part 1: Setting the frame

From Scoundrels of the skyline: Charles Bagli on the most colorful characters in the real estate biz, published 8/12/20:
“As a former Catholic boy, I make a distinction between sins of omission and sins of commission,” he would tell the likes of Harry Helmsley, Donald Trump and Harry Macklowe, developers and inv…

With a community proposal to use the Barclays Center for public school uses and an agreed-on NBA plan to use arenas, including Barclays, for voting--the atrium, at least--it's worth a look at an 8/24/20 Sportico article, SOFI STADIUM BUSINESS SUITES HINT AT THE FUTURE OF MULTI-USE BUILDINGS:
As teams get more creative selling access to their increasingly expensive stadiums, SoFi Stadium [in Los Angeles] is uniquely promoting a benefit for its suite owners: year-round access to their luxury boxes.
In a rare if not unprecedented offer for a major American sporting venue, therams.com mentions holding business meetings and private parties as potential off-day uses for their boxes, which can come with “365-day access to SoFi Stadium.”  Perhaps more on point is access at Talking Stick Resort Arena in Phoneix, where "Suns global partner PayPal has special access to its corner box even when the building is empty, where it has created a so-called 'innovation center.'"

In …

Following up on my coverage of the 9/15/20 Quality of Life meeting, there's not too much to add from this presentation. It does show current photos of the two rising towers, B4 (18 Sixth Avenue) and B15 (37 Sixth Avenue, 662-664 Pacific Street), and, as I noted, an outdated map of the project. I have the presentation opening to page 6-7 of 10, showing the map and the B4 tower.
Quality of Life Meeting Presentation Sept 15, 2020 (PDF)
Quality of Life Meeting Presentation Sept 15, 2020 (Text)