Atlantic Yards/Pacific Park Report

So, original Atlantic Yards developer Bruce Ratner is helping--a bit--to "Fix the City," the super PAC backing former Gov. Andrew Cuomo for Mayor, and raising money from various corporate bigwigs. The former Forest City Ratner CEO and Chairman, now known more as a philanthropist and advocate , nonetheless identified himself as a real-estate developer in his May 8 contribution of $36,000.  Why that unusual figure? Probably because it's "twice chai."   It's well less than that contributed by others, many of whom have active business in the city. Why'd he even give? Well, he's not out of the real-estate game, given personal holdings, and as Chairman of the Museum of Jewish Heritage, where Cuomo is listed as an Honorary Chair, it's wise to stay connected. Big ambitions for PAC As the New York Times reported Feb. 26, Fix the City aims to raise up to $15 million. By May 13, it had raised more than $8.7 million, already a record, according to Politico...

This bears watching, as Atlantic Yards-adjacent, maybe more, as it involves the company and unions already allied on Atlantic Yards, gaining a large new partner. According to a May 15 press release ( link ) from Resorts World New York City: More than 150 members of the organized labor movement and leadership from Cirrus Workforce Housing today joined with Resorts World New York City to unveil a groundbreaking agreement to build up to 50,000 units of workforce housing across the five boroughs. This pact represents a major investment from Resorts World New York City, the single-largest employer of Hotel and Gaming Trades Council members, and organized labor to address the Big Apple’s growing shortage of working-class housing. The details of the agreement were not made public, including the solidity of the commitment and the precise range of "workforce" housing.  The phrasing "up to 50,000 units" leaves much wiggle room. Atlantic Yards watchers know that such promises ...

Weekly Digest: As May 31 Deadline Approaches, Cirrus Lobbying Emerges ( link ) Would future deal just include the railyard sites, or extend to Site 5? Flashback to a 2022 penalty ignored--and protested. More on BSE Global's Brooklyn "ecosystem."

So Adweek Feb. 24 published  The New York Liberty's journey from chaos to a championship , an interview with team CEO Keia Clarke. Asked, "How active has ownership been in creating the Liberty's culture?", Clarke responded: Clara [Wu Tsai] is an amazing mind who sees the Liberty as having so much potential that she wanted to support it with her own resources, and I don't just mean financial resources. Clara does interviews, Clara invites celebrities to games, and Clara is the torchbearer for what this will be in the long term—and I can't ask for anything more than that. And they're doing it in the spirit of Brooklyn. The "You Belong Here. We Belong Here" sign that's in front of Barclays Center. That's Clara Wu Tsai's sign, vision, and mystique , and that's what she brings to the table every single day. So how could you not want to run through a wall and make sure that the business success and the KPIs are growing? (Emphasis added)...

Last week Bloomberg published a predictably reverential article, With the New York Liberty, Clara Wu Tsai Aims for the First $1 Billion Women’s Sports Franchise , which repeats the lore about the Tsais' (Clara and husband Joe Tsai, the Alibaba billionaire) savvy willingness to spend big, beyond the WNBA's salary cap, to make it a magnet for stars, and rebuild the fan base. The article also states, "They also bought the Nets’ home arena, the Barclays Center." Not quite. They own the operating company. The fig leaf of public ownership allows for a tax-exempt site and tax-exempt financing. Hotels and restaurants to help Brooklyn? From the article: Through the Liberty and Nets’ parent company, BSE Global , meanwhile, the Tsais are planning a major development initiative in the traffic-clogged area around Barclays. Adding hotels and restaurants, Wu Tsai says, will help draw more fans for the Liberty and Nets while also benefiting Brooklyn more broadly: Only a fraction of ...

Emerging Developer Cirrus Seeks Tax Abatement, New Funding, & (More?) Entitlements for Railyard Sites ( link ) When will details of request for concessions emerge? What public benefits? Lobby report cites Empire State Development, local elected officials, and even Attorney General James.

Well, as the Atlantic Yards mantra ( link ) goes, "it's a very tight fit." The placement of a dog run (in two parts, one for small dogs, another for large ones), with little effort to tamp down noise, close to a residential building (B13, 595 Dean West Tower) with a glass-and-metal facade, has led to conflict that's difficult to resolve. Looking east toward 595 Dean west tower. Photo: May 8. All photos by Norman Oder After some residents complained about disruptive dog barking, the Pacific Park Conservancy, which manages the 2.7 acres of open space on the southeast block of Atlantic Yards/Pacific Park, last November reduced the dog run's open hours to 7 am to 6 pm Oct. 1 through April 30, and 6 am to 8:30 pm May 1 through Sept 30. That left dog owners frustrated with overcrowding and the Conservancy's failure to recognize their needs during after-work hours. And it doesn't necessarily relieve the noise problem.  Photo: March 27 Pushing back A letter to t...