Atlantic Yards/Pacific Park Report

Now that we know that construction at the B4 (18 Sixth Avenue) and B15 (37 Sixth Avenue or 662/664 Pacific Street) towers is winding down for a pause of unspecified duration due to coronavirus concerns, that invites some speculation.

First, how was this decision arrived at?

It wasn't explained, but there are numerous participants in the construction process, including (and perhaps I'm missing some):
the master developer, Greenland Forest City Partners (GFCP)the partner with GFCP on B4, the Brodsky Organizationthe developer (and site lessee) of B15, also BrodskyTishman Construction, part of AECOM Tishman, which is building both towersvarious subcontractorsvarious suppliersunion workers and union localslendersthe School Construction Authority While there may be business reasons to continue construction, and while some workers (in the city overall) might want to continue, others--and their families--have been vocal about the difficulty to maintain social distancing and cleanliness…

Updated 11:30 am 4/1/20: A spokesman for Greenland Forest City Partners confirms that B4 and B15 are shutting down out of caution for workers.

Well, some work on both B4 (18 Sixth Avenue) and B15 (37 Sixth Avenue or 662/664 Pacific Street) was continuing yesterday and today, as the photos show. Indeed, that looks like a concrete truck near the B4 site, in the photo at right.

And such work was permissible, given the state announcement Friday that projects with 20% or more affordable housing could continue, as well as the city's clarification yesterday that projects outside city zoning with 30% or more affordable housing could continue.

(At B15, 94 of 312 units would be affordable; at B4, 258 of 860 units would be affordable.)

But I was told by a source that both sites were actually in the process of shutting down, given a decision by the project managers to stress worker safety, with B15 closing down faster.

If so--and I don't have official confirmation--that makes sense, given…

Surely City & State New York has planned The 2020 Real Estate Power 100 well before the coronavirus crisis, but it's worth taking a look. Any such list is by definition arbitrary, but note their criteria:
Unlike other rankings, ours is not based primarily on total square feet or annual profits or the biggest deals. Instead, we identified the industry leaders who build buildings and political relationships, the lawmakers and administration officials who weigh the needs of residents against developers’ needs to make housing projects profitable, and the trade associations, lobbyists, publicists, academics and activists who all shape New York’s vibrant real estate world in so many ways. Notably in first rank is Vicki Been, New York City Deputy Mayor for Housing and Economic Development, former Commissioner of the Department of Housing Preservation and Development.

The Atlantic Yards/Pacific Park mention 64. Hu Gang
President and CEO
Greenland USA
Greenland USA was founded in 2013 a…

As shown in the photos at right and below, medical supplies, including respiratory equipment, were being moved yesterday morning from the NewYork-Presbyterian Medical Group at 38 Sixth Avenue (aka B3 of Atlantic Yards/Pacific Park) in Prospect Heights.

According to the neighbor who sent the photo, the supplies were being moved from a health center where care is less urgent to a facility with greater need.

That hasn't been stated publicly by authorities, but it's certainly a plausible explanation, since health facilities are in crisis mode.

Note: on a typical day, a vehicle parked on Sixth Avenue facing south could cause a traffic bottleneck, given construction across the street at B15 and typical traffic.

But these are not normal times.

Yesterday, it was big news when Gov. Andrew Cuomo banned non-essential construction, excepting health care facilities, infrastructure, and affordable housing, as covered by The City, Curbed, the New York Post, 6sqft, The Real Deal, ENR, and others.

Despite evidence--as workers, and their family members, have warned--that it's difficult, if not impossible to maintain social distancing at worksites, those violating that rule can face $10,000 fines.

Lingering most of the day was the question--as posed by The City's Rosa Goldensohn and me, as well as Council Member Brad Lander, an advocate of the shutdown--of how affordable housing was defined: did it have to be "100% affordable," or not?
Lots of Qs abt definition of "affordable" for essential vs. non-essential construction.

NYS does not appear to have an answer yet.

Pretty clear to me:

100% affordable/supportive housing is essential.

20-30% affordable (i.e. 70-80% market) is not. https://t.co/DT3UMFHFKthttps:…

A New York Times Sunday Real Estate section (3/29/20) round-up article posted today and headlined Living Near Train Tracks, with the subheading "Thanks to new window technology, there’s no such thing as the wrong side of the tracks," has a little Atlantic Yards/Pacific Park tidbit: In Brooklyn, the 22-acre Pacific Park development in Prospect Heights was first announced in 2003, when it was called Atlantic Yards. Four residential projects are up and running next to the rail yards, and two more are under construction.
The major developer, Greenland Forest City Partners, hopes to begin construction of the five-acre platform over the train yard this year and is working with Dattner Architects on a design for 680 Atlantic Avenue, the first project to be built on it. To be precise, only two of the four residential towers are adjacent to the Vanderbilt Yard: B11 (550 Vanderbilt Avenue) and B14 (535 Carlton Avenue).

B2 (461 Dean Street) is a good distance away--it flanks the Barcl…

Scroll down to see update regarding officials considering policy change.

Virus Rules Let Construction Workers Keep Building Luxury Towers, the New York Times reported yesterday, making the crucial point that such workers can't practice "social distancing" and often share portable toilets that rarely have soap or hand sanitizer.

The lead photo, as shown in the screenshot, depicts no social distancing at the 18 Sixth Avenue worksite in Brooklyn, at the northeast flank of the Barclays Center.

(The location is not specified in the article, and Atlantic Yards/Pacific Park is not mentioned. But it's fairly clear to anyone who knows the view looking north from Sixth Avenue and Pacific Street.)

Is it essential construction? The 859-unit building is not purely a luxury tower. It will have 258 (30%) affordable units, with the affordability level as of now unclear. It's due in 2022. The article offers some harsh quotes:
“They are exposing themselves in groups to the virus,” s…