Atlantic Yards/Pacific Park Report

Yestderday, I walked around Prospect Heights at about 3 pm, and decided to check out the limited extant open space outside the two Atlantic Yards/Pacific Park buidlings that have it, B14 (535 Carlton) and B11 (550 Vanderbilt). It was a lovely day, but there was literally no one in the 535 Carlton open space. See below the view looking south toward Dean Street, after entering from Carlton Avenue. This was notable because, at least compared to 550 Vanderbilt, less of the open space is truncated. Meanwhile, entering the 550 Vanderbilt open space from Dean Street and looking north toward (closed) Pacific Street, the fencing from the B12/B13 sites encroaches significantly on one segment of benches. As shown in the photo below--and it's a littler harder to see--there were some parents at a table in the 550 Vanderbilt courtyard, and a couple of kids bounding about in the main section of the open space. (The bike belonged to another guy who was chilling. The rules say no bicycle use, by t

The latest Atlantic Yards/Pacific Park Construction Update (bottom), covering the two weeks beginning May 17 was circulated yesterday at 3:01 pm (lead time) by Empire State Development (ESD) after preparation by Greenland Forest City Partners. There's only one contrast with the previous Update regarding expected work: at the B12/B13 site on the southeast block of the project, between Carlton and Vanderbilt avenues, "East Tower crane set up and installation is scheduled for Saturday, May 22, 2021 and Sunday, May 23, 2021 – work hours will be determined by NYC Department of Buildings (DOB). Tower crane will be set up from Pacific Street." Misleading the public Something more significant was not mentioned in the Update, however. As shown in the screenshot, the Update does not mention the belatedly successful effort to start weekday work at 6 am at the B12/B13 sites, which are designated 615 Dean St. and 595 Dean St. Though the purpose is purpotedly safety--see the screensh

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