In latest six-month look-ahead, developer hedged, telling state officials it may start first phase of platform (key to new towers) over railyard this year

Last August, I reported that Greenland USA, the almost exclusive owner of Atlantic Yards/Pacific Park going forward, had three months earlier told representatives of New York State that construction of the long-awaited platform over the first block of the Vanderbilt Yard, necessary for the construction of three towers, "will commence" in the second half of the year.

While that statement--in a required six-month look-ahead submitted to Empire State Development, the state authority that oversees/shepherds Atlantic Yards--was far more specific than recent public comments, it wasn't necessarily a guarantee and, indeed, no such construction began.

Now they're hedging.

In the subsequent six-month look-ahead, dated 11/20/20, Greenland USA's Scott Solish stated that "Platform (Block 1120) Platform construction may commence during the reporting period. (See excerpt below.) I received the document after a Freedom of Information Law request.

Some three weeks later, at a public meeting 12/10/20, Solish said that, while Greenland Forest City Partners had a contractor to work on the platform, they had no timetable to start, given discussions about coordination with the Long Island Rail Road.

Slower than promised

Greenland, in a New York Post article 9/30/19 headlined Brooklyn’s Pacific Park moves to fast track, had claimed it would start the first of two platform segments in 2020. At least two and likely three towers are required to deliver 877 more units of affordable housing by a 5/31/25 deadline. 

While it remains possible to meet that deadline, especially given the developer's willingness to pursue after-hours work (and the city's acceptance of such), the window to do so is shrinking.

The developer has not (yet?) requested an extension of the deadline, which imposes $2,000/month fines for each missing unit.

Other details: workforce growth

Most of the memo reprises the previous one, with slight changes.

For example, workforce on the B12/B13 site--on the project's southeast block, on Dean Street between Carlton and Vanderbilt avenues--during this period is expected to 60 to 150 workers, as long as concrete superstructure work begins. The previous estimate was 25 to 50 workers, a figure that likely holds today. The sites are also known as 615 Dean Street and 595 Dean Street.

At the B15 site, 662 Pacific Street, "on-site labor force will continue to average about 150 workers per day," the document said. The previous estimate was 50 to 200 workers.  

At the B4 site, 18 Sixth Avenue,"will continue to average about 200 workers per day." The previous estimate was a ramp up from 50 to 200 workers.

At Block 1120, the terra firma sites (B6 and B7)  that jut south from Atlantic Avenue between Sixth and Carlton avenues, B6 and B7 sites "will be used by contractors for equipment and construction staging during this reporting period." Previously that cited both contractors and the Long Island Rail Road.

Presumably that staging could support work on both the four ongoing towers as well as the platform.

A payment to the Temple of Restoration

The document indicates that the Temple of Restoration on Dean Street "accepted a monetary payment from [original developer Forest City Ratner] to provide noise mitigation measures," and a commenter asked why "wasn't this offered to other buildings and people in the neighborhood like my building Newswalk?"

Well, some residences have been offered mitigation. From the Mitigation chapter of the 2006 Final Environmental Impact Statement:

The Pacific Branch of the Brooklyn Public Library would experience a significant adverse noise impact over a three year period. To address this impact, the project sponsors would make available to the library, and install, interior-fitted storm windows on the facades facing Pacific Street. In the event the library elects to not accept the offer, there would be an unmitigated significant noise impact for this three year period.
There would be significant adverse noise impacts at the Dean Playground from construction activities. The project sponsors have committed to working with DPR to work with DPR’s planned improvements to the Dean Playground. This commitment would partially mitigate a temporary noise impact on the playground due to construction activities. At the Temple of Restoration, the project sponsors will make available storm windows for windows on the second level of the building (above the Temple of Restoration sign), which face Dean Street, and do not currently either have double-glazed windows or storm windows. With this measure, maximum Atlantic Yards Arena and Redevelopment Project EIS November 2006 19-80 interior noise levels within the Temple of Restoration building would be in the range of 40-50 dBA l10, which would satisfy CEQR Technical Manual recommended interior noise level requirements for this church use.
Where project implemented measures are not sufficient to prevent significant adverse noise impacts from occurring, and where the residences do not contain both double-glazed or stormwindows and alternative ventilation (air conditioning), the project sponsors would make these mitigation measures available, by purchasing and installing at no cost to the owners of residences. At non-residential locations, such as open spaces, receptor controls such as sound barriers may not be feasible because of safety and aesthetic concerns.

A mention of double-paned windows or a window air conditioning system is in every instance of the two-week Construction Update. The issue may be which sites have been deemed eligible.