Next Quality of Life meeting set for March 2, again via Zoom. (ESD claims, "The information provided in the construction alert is accurate." Nah.)

The next Atlantic Yards Project Quality of Life Meeting, where residents can raise questions/concerns and get updates on project elements, will be held on Tuesday, 3/2/21, according to a notice from Empire State Development (ESD), which oversees and shephards the project.

Though the meetings are typically scheduled every two months, this date is actually just five weeks after the most meeting, on 1/26/21. (Here's my coverage.) ESD on 2/18/21 finally posted Meeting Notes (bottom) from the event, which, as I note below, sidestep the challenge I made regarding inaccurate Construction Updates.

Project-related questions and suggested agenda items may be sent to atlanticyards@esd.ny.gov.

Presumably we'll learn some more about construction progress and the Barclays Center reopening to fans, but, as indicated in the notes below, candor about larger questions is lacking.

Via Virtual Conferencing
https://zoom.us/j/94517394934
Dial In: +16465588656,,94517394934#
Meeting ID: 945 1739 4934

Questions/responses from the last meeting, from Meeting Notes

When are B4, B15, B12, & B13 scheduled to open for residents? ● How many months will lease-up take? ● What level of affordability is expected? ● Any update on plans to complete 2,250 affordable units by May 2025? ● In how many towers would those units be distributed? 

The first set of residents are expected at B4 in Spring 2022 and by fall of this year at B15. B12 and B13 are still in the foundation and excavation phase, an estimate on expected resident move-in is not available. Details on lease-up duration, AMI bands and lottery information are not yet available, but 30% of the units in all four buildings will be affordable. There are no updates on the 2025 affordable housing obligation. Any changes will be presented to the community accordingly.

My comment: the options for 30% affordability include all middle-income and mostly middle-income.

● What is the status of the platform? ● When is the first stage expected to start and how long would construction take? ● Does the Developer have financing for the platform? ● When will construction on B5 begin? ● What is the expected date that framing will be topped out at B12/B13? ● Are both buildings going up simultaneously? ● Can you clarify the details of After-Hours variances stated in the construction alert? ● Is the construction alert accurate? ● How can residents report possible improper after-hours construction at the Project? ● Will the school construction have any impact on residents in B15?

There are no updates on the platform financing, design, construction and timeline to completion. Once available, details will be shared accordingly. Initial permits for B5 have been filed with NYC Department of Buildings, there are no updates on when construction is expected to begin. B12 and B13 are being built simultaneously, the top out date is not yet available, but completion is expected in Spring 2023. The Project sites have been issued extended hours work permits. The crane and lifts operations can start early, but construction activity is not expected during these hours. The permits allow for the promotion of social distancing and spacing out arrival times for the workers. The information provided in the construction alert is accurate. The alerts will be updated to reflect the hour difference in the permits, though no construction activity is expected then. Residents can contact the Developer’s Community Liaison Office (CLO) communityliaison@pacificparkbrooklyn.com || 866-923-5315|| or the ESD Project Team AtlanticYards@esd.ny.gov || 212-803-3736. Fit-out work for the school is not expected to impact B15 residents.

(Emphases added)

Note that previously the developer had said the platform would start in 2020. 

Also, the information provided in the construction alert has not been accurate, as I proved time and time again, and wrote just recently.

● Have there been any changes to the management company at 535 Carlton Avenue? ● Are apprenticeship and internship opportunities tracked? ● Can you give us a hard number for each building? ● Can the Project’s MWBE reporting information be posted on a website and tracked in real time? ● Does ESD have a contract with AKRF regarding a Site 5-related environmental study or tech memo? ● Are there any updates on Site 5? 

There have been no changes to the management company at 535 Carlton Avenue, and residents’ concerns continue to be addressed. Apprenticeship and internship opportunities are not officially tracked at the Project. MWBE reports are tracked by the state but are not posted online publicly. ESD does not have a contract with the AKRF for Site 5 related modifications. No work has commenced on an environmental study or Tech Memo. There are no updates, the Site 5 condemnation proceedings have been stayed.

I think if residents' concerns had been adequately addressed, well, they would not have posed a query. And while ESD may not currently have a contract with AKRF regarding Site 5, it sure had one last year, as Board Materials showed.