From Atlantic Yards Watch: Neglected fences, not development or artwork, characterize the project's second phase

Well, ArtBridge got some publicity last week for sprucing up the construction fence along the Atlantic Yards arena block.

However, as noted in Atlantic Yards Watch, Neglected fences, not development or artwork, characterize the project's second phase:

Formerly the area shown in the photos was a functioning BP gas station. The lot has now been excavated around a LIRR tunnel that runs beneath the fence. The area is the eastern-most part of Atlantic Yards and among the last areas scheduled to be developed. Until it is, the lot will remain an example of how, in some locations, Atlantic Yards has reversed development progress and introduced blight.

For the short-term, the area is a source of rodent, garbage and graffiti complaints.

Perimeter conditions for the project's second phase tend to be worse and less aesthetic than in the arena block. This is due in part to a vacuum in responsibility for maintenance of some Atlantic Yards sidewalks. In other cases it is because the fencing is temporary and anticipated to be replaced at some point in the future.

Most won't be replaced by permanent buildings, but instead with more solid fencing to protect the existing community from planned interim uses of the project like arena patron parking and on-going construction staging. The staging will support construction of the project's first phase and LIRR's permanent storage yard.

For some locations, there simply is no meaningful description of the interim condition, and no hint of how fencing will be changed, so the lifespan of the current fencing is unknown.

Click through for more description and photos.