Open space on southeast block may now be finished by 2023. But it will border construction staging, as the 2015 phasing plan reminds us.

As I wrote three days ago,  Greenland USA's Scott Solish told the Atlantic Yards Community Development Corporation that, once the B12/B13 (615 Dean St., 595 Dean St.) towers are completed in mid-2023, that means that the open space on Block 1129, the southeast block, will more than double, connecting to open space built with the existing 535 Carlton and 550 Vanderbilt. 

Solish said “additional kids’ playground areas, dog park, seating and landscaping, as well as a main lawn feature that will be available for picnicking and more passive recreation uses.” He didn't offer any images, but the graphic below, from a July 2015 phasing plan presentation, offers an inkling.

Note that northbound paths between buildings that end at demapped Pacific Street, to be used for construction staging for the northeast block. If and when there is such construction of a platform and then three large towers, the noise and dust will constrain use of the open space.

The most significant chunk of open space relies on the conversion of demapped Pacific Street into green space. Note that, as stated in the phasing presentation (below), the phasing is illustrative and can proceed in any order. 

That presentation leaves the impression that the largest amount of open space--between southeastern Block 1129 and the eastern block over the railyard, between Carlton and Vanderbilt avenues--would be developed first.

That's extremely unlikely.

The developer has previously said that the platform over the western block of the railyard, between Sixth and Carlton avenues, would be developed first.

That makes sense, because there's more terra firma to use for staging, and less platform to build. So it would be less complicated and less expensive. It was supposed to start in early 2020. It hasn't. The full project, including the northeastern block and open space, "are projected to be completed" by 2035, the developer acknowledged in a 2018 state filing.

     

The below presentation is the full open space design, from June 2015. It didn't include the phasing plan.