Atlantic Yards/Pacific Park Report

Choices by commercial entities are based on market research, right? So if the Brooklyn Bridge was the original (and enduring) symbol of Brooklyn, a key new symbol is, apparently, the Barclays Center. This is Key Food's Urban Market at 653 Nostrand Avenue in Crown Heights, between Prospect Place and St. Marks Avenue, where I took the photo earlier this month. Google Street View suggests that this once-generic Key Food was upgraded sometime in 2019-20; the first example with the Barclays Center image is from November 2020.

This is the second of two articles on the 5/11/21 Atlantic Yards/Pacific Park Quality of Life meeting. The first mostly concerned construction progress and a dubious claim about after-hours work. Mandy Gutmann, Senior VP, Communications and Community Relations, spoke regarding the Barclays Center. "It's been very, very, very good at Barclay Center," she said. "We are looking forward to increasing our fan attendance on May 19. Per Governor Cuomo, we are going up to 30% [capacity], and the Nets are in the playoffs, so we're incredibly excited about that." Note that that seems a stealth increase in capacity, since an increase from 10% to 25% as of May 19 was announced last month .  That said, it's getting around, since a big New York Times Arts section article yesterday on The Brooklynettes and how they've adapted to smaller crowds and social distancing also mentions an increase to 30%. Gutmann noted that the WNBA's New York Liberty will begin th

Images from meeting presentation This is the first of two articles on the 5/11/21 Atlantic Yards/Pacific Park Quality of Life meeting. The online meeting via Zoom last night was brief, less than 30 minutes, and drew a maximum of 21 people, according to organizers, though as per typical, attendees could not see questions and chat posted by others. There was no big news, or even answers to some of the big questions posed before the meeting, such as plans for the two-block platform over the Vanderbilt Yards, crucial to the construction of two sets of three towers. Scott Solish of master developer Greenland USA shared a slide showing the arena block, with the facade of the B4 tower, 18 Sixth Avenue, fully installed. Work on the interior of the building continues, with an opening expected in the fourth quarter of this year. He had no information on the planned affordable housing--30% of the next four buildings--despite previous evidence that it would be geared to middle-income households.

The bi-monthly Atlantic Yards/Pacific Park Quality of Life Meeting will be held tonight at 6 pm, online. The Zoom link is  here . Dial In: 646-558-8656. Passcode: 93061478837# Meeting ID: 930 6147 8837, During the meeting, attendees will be able to submit questions and comments to presenters via the virtual platform’s chat feature or via email to AtlanticYards@esd.ny.gov . However, attendees won't be able to see chat from others or follow up on their questions. The agenda The typically anodyne agenda is at right, indicating presenting entities but not topics.  Presumably we'll get an update on construction progress, as well as responses to--if not complete answers about--some perennial issues: the timing of the opening of the B4 (18 Sixth) and B15 (662 Pacific) towers; plans for the affordability there; and plans for the platform, which is required in two phases before three towers each can be built over the Vanderbilt Yard. Just before the meeting, the developer of 662 Pacific

Yesterday, I wrote an article for Bklyner,  CB8 Land Use Committee Votes Against Developer’s Revised Proposal For Tower At Atlantic & Vanderbilt . The lead: The developers of 840 Atlantic Avenue , a proposed 18-story residential tower at the southeast corner of Vanderbilt Avenue, have for months sought Community Board 8 (CB8)’s support for upzoning a site occupied mainly by a drive-through McDonald’s and limited to low-rise manufacturing zoning. After getting previous pushback, they came to CB8’s Land Use Committee May 6 with a surprise compromise: to cut the bulk of their building by about 7%, with an unspecified reduction in the previously estimated 316 rental apartments. That didn’t fly, as the committee voted 14-2, with one abstention, to withhold support unless the proposed building was reduced to conform to the board’s previously proposed M-CROWN rezoning. For the rest of the article, go to Bklyner . 

Well, all that after-hours construction work apparently paid off. The B15 tower, aka 662 Pacific Street, has been re-launched as "Plank Road,"  with, curiously enough, no mention of the larger Pacific Park (aka Atlantic Yards) project. Leasing starts in July. The news was first reported by Patch , which also published the rendering at right. Perhaps the failure to mention the larger project is because this tower, east of Sixth Avenue between Dean and Pacific Streets, is pretty far from the expected location of the lion's share of the open space, which could take until 2035 to finish. Or because the developer, The Brodsky Organization, has leased the site from master developer Greenland Forest City Partners, has no allegiance to the larger project. But it can emphasize proximity. Mouse over "what's close to you" and get: Half a block to Barclays Center, 1500 feet to the subway, 4 minutes to your favorite coffee shop, 7 blocks to a picnic in the park, and acr

Though the builders the B12/B13 towers on Dean Street between Carlton and Vanderbilt avenues had pursued  without success an  after-hours variance  to start weekday work at 6 am, they today got such a variance, starting tomorrow . The stated work includes mobilizing and warming up equipment like cranes and generators, concrete placement, and erection of superstructure elements like formwork, shoring, and rebar. That doesn't sound like quiet work.

Last Friday I speculated , based on the fact that annual naming rights to the new suburban USB Arena and other venues significantly exceed the $10 million paid for the Barclays Center, the Brooklyn arena naming deal might get reopened, leading to a renaming (and of the transit hub, too). Well, yesterday, in an article with the original URL indicating "Barclays Center expected to get new name," the New York Post reported "Brooklyn Nets seeking new uniform sponsor amid Joe Tsai’s push." The lead of the article stated, "The Brooklyn Nets are riding their newfound fame to a slew of lucrative sponsorship deals that could culminate in the renaming of the Barclays Center, The Post has learned,"  And while the Post could not a comment from either the Nets nor sponsor Barclays, after the article was published, Joe Tsai, owner of the team and the arena operating company, tweeted , "BSE Global has a great relationship with Barclays. Neither side is looking to

Updated 5/10/21, 7:15 pm: Yes, they got the variance . As I wrote 5/1/21, the builders the B12/B13 towers on Dean Street between Carlton and Vanderbilt avenues had pursued, so far unsuccessfully, an  after-hours variance  to start weekday work, beginning last Monday at 6 am, rather than the standard 7 am start. Neighbors have already reported being disturbed at 7 am, so a 6 am start, even if it involves different tasks, can be even more disturbing. Well, the construction company (which works for developer TF Cornerstone) reapplied, to start  Tuesday morning 5/11/21 and continue for at least ten days, with the purported reason "Public Safety," rather than, say, the desire to complete the building faster. The stated work includes mobilizing and warming up equipment like cranes and generators, concrete placement, and erection of superstructure elements like formwork, shoring, and rebar. That doesn't sound like quiet work. As of now the status of the permit request is pendi

OK, never mind. While I reported 4/29/21 that the Barclays Center was still selling seemingly a full house for a scheduled July 21 Justin Bieber show--the first event that would rely on ticket sales, rather than TV revenues, as with basketball--that was continginent on a future full reopening of venues. It's unclear whether that full reopening would happen in New York State, or in all the other states where Bieber's tour is planned, and they need all states to cooperate. So, not so surprisingly, Bieber's tour was postponed yesterday until 2022, with the Barclays Center performance April 1 . At least the arena now has New York Liberty games on its summer schedule .

Even before the Brooklyn Nets' narrow loss --their fourth straight--Thursday night to the Dallas Mavericks, even while Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving were on the court, Sports Illustrated Robin Lunberg wrote 5/5/21  James Harden Is Most Necessary Net: Unchecked . His point: only if the injured Harden comes back for the playoffs (and he expects to be back ) can the Nets win a title. In other words, this third star, who engineered a trade to the Nets mid-season, is crucial: When the trade for Harden went down, it felt like it may have been a luxury, but it turns out acquiring him was a necessity. Brooklyn is 27-7 with Harden in the lineup, which includes many games without KD and several without Kyrie. Meanwhile, they are under .500 in contests where the original Brooklyn duo shares the floor sans The Beard. Lunberg argues that Harden is a more complete player, given his role as a facilitator and even on defense, than the spectacular scorers in Durant and Irving. Meanwhile, the Nets m