For Quality of Life Meeting tomorrow, questions about timetable, arena, after-hours work, and disruptive noise

The next Atlantic Yards/Pacific Park Quality of Life Meeting will be held tomorrow, Tuesday, January 26, 2021, on Zoom. Access details below.

The meeting agenda, at right, is typically vague, merely listing representatives/entities as topics: Empire State Development (ESD); Atlantic Yards Community Development Corporation (repped by an ESD staffer); Barclays Center; and developer Greenland Forest City Partners.

So certain questions persist, such as:

• the updated pace of construction for the four ongoing buildings (B4, B15, B12, B13)
• the affordability of the income-restricted units at those building
• the timing of the school at B15, since delayed to September 2024, and impact of school construction on residents of the building
• the plans for the platform over the Vanderbilt Yard, once supposed to start in 2020
• the plans for the first tower over the railyard, B5
• the plans to build some 877 more apartments to complete the required 2,250 affordable units by May 2025
• the ability of, and limits on, the Barclays Center hosting invited guests to watch games
• ESD's consistent promulgation of Construction Updates that wrongly claim that After-Hours Variances allow work from 6 am to 9 pm, as opposed to 5 am to 10 pm, and ignore variances for Sunday work.

Participants surely will bring up other issues.

Disruptive noise (from--or near--B12/B13)

As the video below indicates, shot from 535 Carlton at 6:30 am Thursday, 1/7/11, there was significant noise, seemingly coming from the adjacent site for B13/B12, 595 and 615 Dean Street.

Normal work hours start at 7 am. There were no after-hours variances, according to the Department of Buildings. A spokesperson for the developer told me there was no before-hours work going on.

The resident who shot the video said the noise continued into daylight--sunrise that day was 7:20 am--and seemed associated with work at the adjacent site. The video isn't definitive.  

We can't expect ordinary citizens to go out and fully document such things. But they do deserve a decent sleep--and an oversight process that helps guarantee that. 

Complaints about construction noise are supposed to be reported to 311. There's a Community Liaison Office operated by the developer: 866-923-5315, or communityliaison@pacificparkbrooklyn.com. Given how much disruption project neighbors have faced, especially this year, a better process may be in order.

Meeting details

During the meeting, attendees will be able to submit questions and comments to presenters via the virtual platform’s chat feature or via email to AtlanticYards@esd.ny.gov.

Atlantic Yards Project – Quality of Life Meeting
Tuesday, January 26, 2021 @ 6 pm
Via Virtual Conferencing
https://zoom.us/j/94576141104
Dial In: +16465588656, 94576141104#
Meeting ID: 945 7614 1104