Update 12/9/10, 4 pm: The meeting will now be held at 12 noon tomorrow. This announcement was circulated to the ESD's Atlantic Yards mailing list.
Tomorrow's hastily announced virtual meeting of the advisory Atlantic Yards Community Development Corporation was announced with less than three days' notice. and, as far as I know, the parent Empire State Development did not circulate an announcement to its Atlantic Yards mailing list, as was done before the meeting in March. (I got a media alert.)
[Note: I earlier wrote that the message wasn't sent to the Atlantic Yards mailing list, but that might have been wrong. I was told by one community member that no announcement had been received, but it's possible that the message I got, which was bcc'd to many people and addressed to the ESD's Atlantic Yards email address, was circulated. That said, it's still very short notice.]
Comments are due by 4:30 pm today, at AYCDCBdMtg@esd.ny.gov. I typically do not submit comments, but in this case am sending this post as a comment.
The reason: despite clear evidence that two Atlantic Yards/Pacific Park construction sites have after-hours variances (AHVs) that
exceed construction hours announced in the two-week Construction Updates circulated by ESD, the last two
Construction Updates ignore that, even though I pointed it out publicly.
Those Construction Updates are prepared by master developer Greenland Forest City Partners, as far as I know, and then circulated by Empire State Development (ESD) on ESD letterhead. They have paid staff and consultants who could vet the Updates for accuracy.
Extended hours, extended impacts
Those extended hours include weekday work starting at 5 am and lasting until 10 pm, one hour earlier and later than disclosed, as well as otherwise undisclosed Sunday work. That's part of why construction has been so burdensome on neighbors who work from home and whose kids go to school from home.
A
spreadsheet of neighbors' concerns included responses from neighbors near the B4/B15 sites at 6th Avenue, where work has been extended significantly, as confirmed below.
Most responses were from neighbors of the B12/B13 sites on Dean Street between Carlton and Vanderbilt avenues, where work had not--as of then--been extended, but where 7 am noise was extremely loud. (Work there has now extended to Saturday.)
Compounding that: the developers of the project, and ESD, have no control over middle-of-the-night work by the Long Island Rail Road in the Vanderbilt Yard, though such disruptive work surely should be factored into the overall burden faced by neighbors.
My reports
I first wrote 11/18/20, noting that after-hours variances had exceeded what had been disclosed in the most recent Construction Update, for the two weeks beginning 11/16/20.
More recently, I wrote 11/27/20, poining out that the Construction Update for the two weeks beginning 11/30/30 did not disclose certain after-hours work. Since then, more variances have been filed. Let's look at the evidence below.
From latest Construction Update, re B4
According to the most recent construction update, weekday work at B4 (18 Sixth Ave.) should last from 7 am to 6 pm, with AHVs (list here) extending work to start at 6 am and last until 9 pm. Saturday work permits are from 9 am to 5 pm. No Sunday work is mentioned.
AHV: B4 start at 5 am
At B4, however, weekday work had already been permitted to start at 5 am, not 6 am, and that has since been extended.
AHV: B4 work until 10 pm
At B4, however, weekday work had already been permitted to last until 10 pm, not 9 pm, and that has since been extended.
AHV: B4 Sunday work
After-hours variances were acquired for Sunday work at B4 both in the current two-week period and the previous one, though neither was mentioned in the applicable Construction Update.
From latest Construction Update, re B15
According to the most recent construction update, weekday work at B15 should last from 7 am to 6 pm, with
AHVs (list here) extending work to start at 6 am and last until 9 pm. Saturday work permits are from 9 am to 5 pm. No Sunday work is mentioned.
AHV: B15 work until 10 pm
As of the issuance of the Construction Update, B15 had an AHV for work until 10 pm through 12/4/20.
After that, the B15 builder applied on 12/1/20 for an AHV until 10 pm through 12/18/20, which has so far been denied, for failing quality assurance, as shown below. Given that an AHV for a 6 am start had been denied, then approved, it's a reasonable bet this AHV for work until 10 pm will be approved.
AHV: B15 Sunday work
At B15, an AHV for Sunday work had been granted on the two Sundays referenced in the previous Construction Update, though such Sunday work had not been mentioned.
For the Construction Update for work starting 11/30/20, there was no mention that the B15 builder would seek an AHV for work on Sundays, though such a permit was applied for 12/1/20 and, as indicated below, so far been denied for failing quality assurance. Given the record noted above, it's a reasonable bet that the permit will be granted.
B12/B13
The most recent Construction Update mentions the possibility of Saturday work at B12/B13 (615 Dean St. and 595 Dean St.), without specific hours.
The AHV, shown below, is pending Department of Building review after an application yesterday. The hours are 7 am to 3 pm and the reason for such work, as stated, is "construction activities with minimal noise impact."
Saturday work had commenced at B12/B13. It has been fairly quiet save a few loud noises at 7am.
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