Nearly three months late, and with no explanation for the delay, a bi-monthly Quality of Life meeting is set for Feb. 7. Time for answers to big project questions?
With no explanation for the failure to hold the expected bi-monthly Quality of Life meetings in November or January, Empire State Development (ESD), the state authority that oversees/shepherds the project, yesterday announced that the next meeting would be held, virtually, on Tuesday, February 7, at 6 pm.
This matters, I wrote, because questions surrounding the project have only grown more pressing, notably: why, if Greenland last May announced that it expected to start the long-awaited first phase of the platform, expecting to support three towers over the MTA's Vanderbilt Yard, has it not moved ahead?
Also, given that it now seems impossible that the developer can deliver the required 2,250 affordable housing units by May 2025--877 (or 876) remain to start--has Greenland asked for an extension, or any any way lobbied to avoid the $2,000/month penalties?
Or is there a grand proposal to revise the timetable and configuration of Atlantic Yards/Pacific Park, perhaps attached to the plan to move the bulk of the unbuilt "Miss Brooklyn," the flagship office tower once planned to loom over the arena, across Flatbush Avenue to create a giant two-tower project at Site 5, longtime home to Modell's and P.C. Richard?
There's nothing yet on the official Atlantic Yards page, but the information came in an email that provided the Zoom link and other access information:
Dial In: 646-558-8656 || Passcode: 962 5641 1661#
Meeting ID: 962 5641 1661
Project-related questions and suggested agenda items may be sent to atlanticyards@esd.ny.gov.
Lottery launch?
I suspect one topic, or announcement, may regard the launch of the lottery for the 240 "affordable" units at 595 Dean St. (B12/B13), scheduled to open in the spring, as well as a timetable for opening the building's market-rate units.
Note: I reported that, despite professed ignorance from master developer Greenland Forest City Partners and developer TF Cornerstone, documents show the units will be for middle-income households earning 130% of Area Median Income, which means most will earn more than $100,000.
One question will be what rents TF Cornerstone will seek, since the maximum allowable rents under elevated 2022 guidelines could mean studios for $3,035, 1-BRs for $3,253, and 2-BRs for $3,903. (The guidelines for 2023, not yet released, could be higher.) But those surely are untenable, so it's a business calculation to set the rents.
Nearly three months late
This meeting will be nearly five months after the previous one, in September, and nearly three months after the date of a previously scheduled meeting, in November.
As I've written, no previous meetings had been canceled in my memory, so it was odd that the November meeting simply didn't happen, and there was no announcement or explanation about the schedule change, much less the failure to schedule a meeting in January.
As I've written, no previous meetings had been canceled in my memory, so it was odd that the November meeting simply didn't happen, and there was no announcement or explanation about the schedule change, much less the failure to schedule a meeting in January.
That suggests--take your pick--a lack of capacity/responsibility on the part of ESD, a willingness to accede to requests by the developer(s) for delays, and, perhaps, a desire to put things off to accommodate renegotiations of some sort.
Lack of transparency
As I wrote last month, by failing to schedule the Quality of Life meetings as well as the (purportedly) advisory Atlantic Yards Community Development Corporation (AY CDC) meetings--supposed to be held quarterly, but last held in June--New York State has kept big questions from getting answers.
As I wrote last month, by failing to schedule the Quality of Life meetings as well as the (purportedly) advisory Atlantic Yards Community Development Corporation (AY CDC) meetings--supposed to be held quarterly, but last held in June--New York State has kept big questions from getting answers.
This matters, I wrote, because questions surrounding the project have only grown more pressing, notably: why, if Greenland last May announced that it expected to start the long-awaited first phase of the platform, expecting to support three towers over the MTA's Vanderbilt Yard, has it not moved ahead?
Also, given that it now seems impossible that the developer can deliver the required 2,250 affordable housing units by May 2025--877 (or 876) remain to start--has Greenland asked for an extension, or any any way lobbied to avoid the $2,000/month penalties?
Or is there a grand proposal to revise the timetable and configuration of Atlantic Yards/Pacific Park, perhaps attached to the plan to move the bulk of the unbuilt "Miss Brooklyn," the flagship office tower once planned to loom over the arena, across Flatbush Avenue to create a giant two-tower project at Site 5, longtime home to Modell's and P.C. Richard?
Oh, and what about the required fines, due last May, for the never-built Urban Room, the atrium attached to Miss Brooklyn? If those haven't been collected, who decided that?
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