OK, Feb. 13 meeting of Atlantic Yards Community Development Corp. postponed; another lost opportunity for update on project timetable and affordable housing
A message yesterday from the Empire State Development (ESD) Atlantic Yards team:
Bottom line: it's hard to see the AY CDC as a priority for the Cuomo administration or, for that matter, some of the local elected officials who've taken so long to appoint members after vacancies have occurred.
Moreover, it's a sign of apathy and/or frustration that so many appointees have resigned or not welcomed re-appointment. And a meeting that's held during work hours in Manhattan--as this one was planned, though some previous ones have been held in Brooklyn.
Mostly toothless, but it can ask questions
Let's face it: a body that's supposed to advise on a project can't do much if it 1) can't meet quarterly, as required and 2) is used--as in the most recent meeting, 3/27/18--to get the AY CDC on record as ratifying the extension of some ESD consulting contracts.
The AY CDC, after a member asked in January 2018 for an updated, building-by-building project timetable, should have gotten that timetable. The failure to provide that by now suggests that ESD is more than willing to accommodate the developer's obfuscation.
Also lingering is the question of how developer Greenland Forest City Partners will meet the requirement to provide 2250 affordable housing units--with 782 built so far, that means 1,468 needed--by 2025.
Will the units be clustered in a few buildings? Will the developer ask for an extension? Will the units be geared to more middle-class households than originally promised?
I wonder if the meeting postponement has anything to do with the state Supreme Court decision ordering the original developer of Site 5--Forest City--to provide replacement space for P.C. Richard. After all, the decision, which will be appealed, provokes many question marks regarding that Site 5 project.
The February 13 meeting of the Directors of the Atlantic Yards Community Development Corporation (AYCDC) has been postponed. A new meeting date will be announced.No reason was announced, but it's been nearly 11 months since the last meeting, and the body is supposed to meet quarterly. It could be that they're again having trouble mustering a quorum, which has long been a problem. But they could've told us that, right?
Bottom line: it's hard to see the AY CDC as a priority for the Cuomo administration or, for that matter, some of the local elected officials who've taken so long to appoint members after vacancies have occurred.
Moreover, it's a sign of apathy and/or frustration that so many appointees have resigned or not welcomed re-appointment. And a meeting that's held during work hours in Manhattan--as this one was planned, though some previous ones have been held in Brooklyn.
Mostly toothless, but it can ask questions
Let's face it: a body that's supposed to advise on a project can't do much if it 1) can't meet quarterly, as required and 2) is used--as in the most recent meeting, 3/27/18--to get the AY CDC on record as ratifying the extension of some ESD consulting contracts.
The AY CDC, after a member asked in January 2018 for an updated, building-by-building project timetable, should have gotten that timetable. The failure to provide that by now suggests that ESD is more than willing to accommodate the developer's obfuscation.
Also lingering is the question of how developer Greenland Forest City Partners will meet the requirement to provide 2250 affordable housing units--with 782 built so far, that means 1,468 needed--by 2025.
Will the units be clustered in a few buildings? Will the developer ask for an extension? Will the units be geared to more middle-class households than originally promised?
I wonder if the meeting postponement has anything to do with the state Supreme Court decision ordering the original developer of Site 5--Forest City--to provide replacement space for P.C. Richard. After all, the decision, which will be appealed, provokes many question marks regarding that Site 5 project.
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