Atlantic Yards/Pacific Park Report

Mamdani Seems Wary of Subsidizing Platform for Second Phase of Hudson Yards ( link ) The Atlantic Yards platform, by contrast, depends on state funds. Still, shouldn't former Deputy Mayor Glen's framework apply regarding public benefits and public upside?

Less than a year after the launch of Type.Set.Brooklyn, a "digital first global media brand" focused on pop culture, music, style, and sports, it looks like Brooklyn Sports & Entertainment has pulled the plug. Though there's been no announcement of a closing or a pause, Type.Set.Brooklyn's most recent posting on Threads was January 27 , following regular updates. The brand's X/Twitter feed has vanished, despite a link from the homepage . The latest Instagram post was February 9 , after a series of regular updates ending  January 27 . Screenshot from Type.Set.Brooklyn Threads April 25, 2026 The culture writer Precious Fondren, Type.Set.Brooklyn's most prolific contributor, on her LinkedIn states that her work there ended in February. Her last article was January 27 . (The most prominent article on the homepage is from January 23 .) That said, a month-old job posting for an arena "premium development manager" (i.e., selling suites) stated that ...

Why Cirrus’s Request for 1.6M Square Feet of Free Bulk Has a Parallel to... Deed Theft ( link ) Unsolicited offers for houses must now share estimates of market value. What about the value of the Atlantic Yards developer’s requested bonus?

Would a Giant New Building Approved Up Flatbush Avenue Be a Precedent for Atlantic Yards? ( link ) The density argument may be transposed to the Site 5 parcel, though they're not quite parallel.

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.