On the Brian Lehrer Show today, "Pre-Fab At Atlantic Yards," with the Times's Bagli and a professor of urbanism

On today's Brian Lehrer Show, from 10-noon on WNYC, one of several segments, probably a later one, will be Pre-Fab At Atlantic Yards:

Economic savings, timeliness, and engineering safety are some of the issues surrounding the Atlantic Yards project in Brooklyn. New York Times reporter, Charles Bagli, discusses Forest City Ratner's plan to use pre-fab modular construction for some of their building at Atlantic Yards. Aseem Inam, professor of urbanism at Parsons, joins the conversation and discusses pre-fabricated construction from an urban design point of view.

My comment:

Beyond the economic savings to the developer, and the reduced numbers (and thus income) of construction workers, consider that modular construction also would have a significant impact on the projected tax revenues to the city and state from Atlantic Yards construction.

Those rosy projections of tax revenues have already been diminished by delays in the project, notably in the planned office building. They would be further diminished if Atlantic Yards is not built out to the size approved, as a significantly smaller project would pass state muster.

Those reasons are why City Council Members Letitia James and Brad Lander, at a committee hearing earlier this month, pressed NYC Economic Development Corporation President Seth Pinsky on the need for a new cost-benefit analysis. Pinsky resisted the idea.

More here.