Barclays Center neighbors seek stall in sale unless new measures/protocols ensure responsiveness, reduce event impacts

On top of the call by elected officials to delay the transfer of the Barclays Center operating company from Forest City Ratner to Russian billionaire Mikhail Prokhorov, a coalition formed last year to push for transparency has also called for a halt unless there's a "public review process and a firm agreement as to arena operations protocols and oversight measures."

Those include real teeth, such as a traffic agent to monitor the Barclays Center loading dock, more street cleaning, and response in real time to complaints.

The Barclays Center Impact Zone Alliance, which represents residents within a few blocks of the arena, points to "the ever-increasing need to coordinate events while creating the least disruption to the community inside and outside the project. Past agreements regarding arena operations have proven to be unsuccessful in maximizing the visitor experience without encroaching on area residents. There is real concern that future residents, Greenland Forest City Ratner’s clients, would suffer the very same impacts we have experienced to date."

(The BCIZA formed last year in response to the push to bring the 2016 Democratic National Convention to the Barclays Center.)

New measures and protocols

The letter calls for several oversight measures and protocols:

• Mandatory attendance at Community and Atlantic Yards Community Development Corporation meetings of the following:
o Arena manager
o Facility operations manager
o Security Director
The above must be responsive to requests of meetings by Community Boards, NYPD, AYCDC, and Elected Officials. Other community groups and block associations should make requests via the community boards.

Adequate notice of arena events must be provided so the community is able to lay plans.
• Quarterly reports, to include but not limited to traffic, parking, pedestrian safety, sanitation, transportation demand management, and security not to be delivered later than the one month following the end of the quarter.
• Response in real time to the public's complaints about arena-related illegal parking, intersection delay, lighting, hygiene, noise, etc. by maintaining and enhancing the integration of response into both existing and planned oversight structures like the AYCDC and the State's new app. Complaints and their responses are to be logged in a transparent and open way in order to facilitate dialogue about improvements with the adversely impacted community.
• Dedicated traffic agent 24/7 Barclays loading dock on Dean Street.
• Enforcement of parking regulations throughout impact zone.
• Maintain the assignment of Pedestrian Traffic Managers (PTM) in perpetuity.
• Increase Arena private security detail to lessen the burden on NYPD.
• Increase NYPD detail to ensure visibility throughout impact zone.
• Provide mechanical sweeping throughout impact zone and increase number of DOS issued trashcans.

Barclays Center Impact Zone Alliance Barclays Center Sale Letter