Though not identified as such, Atlantic Yards/Pacific Park towers play key cameo in coverage of ongoing construction; Brooklyn modular company focuses on health care

Scroll down to see update regarding officials considering policy change.

Virus Rules Let Construction Workers Keep Building Luxury Towers, the New York Times reported yesterday, making the crucial point that such workers can't practice "social distancing" and often share portable toilets that rarely have soap or hand sanitizer.

The lead photo, as shown in the screenshot, depicts no social distancing at the 18 Sixth Avenue worksite in Brooklyn, at the northeast flank of the Barclays Center.

(The location is not specified in the article, and Atlantic Yards/Pacific Park is not mentioned. But it's fairly clear to anyone who knows the view looking north from Sixth Avenue and Pacific Street.)

Is it essential construction? The 859-unit building is not purely a luxury tower. It will have 258 (30%) affordable units, with the affordability level as of now unclear. It's due in 2022. The article offers some harsh quotes:

“They are exposing themselves in groups to the virus,” said a construction manager in New York City who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of retaliation from his employer. “You have these people getting paid very little and being forced to work to build condos for $20 million each.”

Here's the state's defense:

“We are and have been reviewing this issue, and will continue to refine the state’s essential business guidance as the public health concerns dictate,” Jack Sterne, a spokesman for the governor, said. “All construction sites must enforce social distancing.”
“If a site cannot guarantee the health and safety of their ​workers, it must close,” he added.

That seems a pretty obvious unresolved tension.

Another building on view

News12 last night posted Local leaders demand a moratorium on non-essential construction work, again quoting the three public officials--Council Members Carlos Menchaca and Brad Lander, and Public Advocate Jumaane Williams--opposing construction, and the New York Building Congress's Carlo Scissura in support.

At about 1:30 in the video, as shown in the screenshot, it sure looks like a scene from work at the B15 site (662 Pacific Street), given what seems to be the B3 site (38 Sixth Avenue) in the background.

Officials reconsidering

From @katiebrenzel "Some city officials have been calling for a restriction on the types of construction that are considered essential, saying such a distinction should be reserved for building healthcare facilities, infrastructure and emergency construction." https://t.co/wuPRh6YDna

— Norman Oder (@AYReport) March 27, 2020

Essential construction involves Brooklyn modular company

The Miami Herald reported 3/19/20:

Two contractors are partnering to quickly add capacity to hospitals and medical facilities, and are waiving management fees on COVID-19 related projects. At least one hospital addition has already been completed — in less than a day.
Plaza Construction and Central Consulting & Contracting Thursday said they are offering the service to hospitals in Connecticut, Florida, New Jersey, New York and the mid-Atlantic. Both are based in New York, but Plaza has a significant Miami presence.
The firms are using prefabricated materials to quickly adapt used spaces, add wings and create freestanding units. They have contracted with Brooklyn-based FullStack Modular to fabricate and ship modular units for time-sensitive orders.

Such hospital work, of course, is clearly essential. Note the role of FullStack Modular, which is the successor company to FC+S Modular (later FC Modular), the ill-fated company set up to build modules for Atlantic Yards/Pacific Park.