Atlantic Yards/Pacific Park Report

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.

Art or Advertising? Behind the Tricky "You/We Belong Here" Signage Outside the Barclays Center ( link ) The "anthem" of the Tsais' social justice work, or the "linguistic pleasantries of marketing"? The "Liberty Portraits" now claimed by Social Justice Fund. "Brooklyn Art Encounters," too? Part of a series.

Brooklyn Sports & Entertainment, which owns the Brooklyn Nets, New York Liberty, and the Barclays Center operating company, on April 2 announced "Brooklyn Art Encounters, a comprehensive, multi-year art program that will bring major new commissions by leading contemporary artists to the arena's public spaces, interior architecture, digital environments, and surrounding communities." The first projects, as described in the press release , mix public and less public examples. (The bulleted summaries below quote from the press release.)  Serving the arena and the brand? However broadly its name points. Brooklyn Art Encounters may most serve Barclays Center patrons.  If so, that helps build the business of Brooklyn Sports & Entertainment and the reputation of main owners Joe Tsai and Clara Wu Tsai, that latter of whom leads the program, assisted by what the press release calls "an esteemed team of advisors." This new venture builds on previous artworks mount...

The Barclays Center yesterday released its April 2026 event calendar, with eleven ticketed events: four Brooklyn Nets games, one New York Liberty pre-season game, five concerts, and one comedy event. That's similar to April 2025, with eleven ticketed events. Note that the arena must leave dates open for many months to allow for a potential NBA play-off series, but the Nets, who are "tanking" to get a high draft pick, were eliminated from contention in the first half of March. So some more April events might be scheduled. The Nets' final home game, on Thursday April 9 against the Indiana Pacers, will feature amplified sound--and likely other "celebratory" effects--on the arena plaza from 6 pm to 7:25 pm. Also, while there's nothing announced regarding the New York Liberty game on Saturday, April 25 against the Indiana Fever, the return of Fever star Caitlin Clark should generate crowds. The arena also lists an unspecified private event at the arena on Wed...

Appraisal Suggests Railyard Parcels Could Be Worth $1B to Developers. Site 5 Compounds Value. ( link ) Were public subsidies, and more bulk, assumed before project relaunched? Are they merited? Document for investors projected Atlantic Yards completion by 2036. Nah.

More from Public Meetings: Site 5 Tower to Focus on Flatbush; Hotel Still Under Consideration ( link ) Lingering questions about streetscape and retail. Harsh criticism of community engagement. Could Atlantic Yards CDC fund its own financial consultant?