Atlantic Yards/Pacific Park Report

With one week's notice before event prep and two weeks before NBA All-Star Weekend, the Barclays Center today disclosed (bottom) expected traffic impacts around the event, which I think points to significant gridlock along the arena's northern flank. Notably, though Atlantic Avenue is severely constricted by a crane for the arena's green roof, and the parking/dropoff lane outside the arena is severely constricted, the Barclays Center admits some 100 coach buses and 200 for-hire vehicles will service "arena guests and event staff both Friday and Saturday nights." "These vehicles will arrive on the arena block for guest drop-off, stage at an off-site parking lot and return to the arenas part of a highly-controlled/scheduled pick-up program at the end of the event," the arena claimed. Note that the drop-off poses major challenges, and previous promises of controlled and scheduled procedures, notably regarding the loading dock on Dean Street, have pr...

So, what's happening when the National Basketball Association All-Star Game  week comes to New York in the middle of February? It's a bit of a mystery, but it will be a big--and perhaps disruptive--deal in Brooklyn. The game itself will be at Madison Square Garden in Manhattan on Sunday, Feb. 15, but several associated events will be at the Barclays Center and other points in Brooklyn, leading to an influx of trucks and broadcasting equipment. The BBVA Compass Rising Stars Challenge, featuring rookies playing sophomores, will be held at the Barclays Center on Friday, February 13 at 9 pm. (The Sprint NBA All-Star Celebrity Game will be held at 7 pm at MSG.) The State Farm All-Star Saturday Night, which includes the Shooting Stars Competition, Taco Bell Skills Challenge, Foot Locker Three-Point Contest and the Sprite Slam Dunk contest, will be held at the Barclays Center on Saturday, February 14 at 8 pm. There will be traffic freezes, and potentially closure of a block...

The Barclays Center has issued event calendars for January and February, and reissued the one for December, adding several events. December 2014 While as of October there were 15 events scheduled  for December, the arena has since added one boxing card, a LIU basketball game, and concerts featuring Smokey Robinson and Run DMC. The largest crowds are expected for Nets basketball games January 2015 (and the loss of an EDM show) In January there will be seven Nets games, two college basketball games, one comedy show, and three concerts, for a total of 13 events. As has been noted many times before, that schedule surely leaves room for the New York Islanders hockey games coming next season. By contrast, the  January 2014 event calendar included eight Nets games, two concerts (Jay-Z), and one boxing match, plus seven Disney on Ice shows over four days. One note: the planned 1/16/15  show  featuring Dillon Francis, a Los Angeles-based ele...

The New York Post reported yesterday, in  Nets, Knicks to split 2015 All-Star Game and could do so again a couple of years later : Multiple league sources maintain that the 2015 All-Star Game will be played at Madison Square Garden on Sunday of All-Star weekend with the Friday and Saturday night events – the skills, shooting and dunk competitions – set for Barclays Center. The league and both the Nets and Knicks still are negotiating on a proposal to have a reversal in either 2017 or 2018 -- Brooklyn would stage the game while the Knicks and the Garden would serve as host for the Friday and Saturday events. The Nets, sources said, are not completely sold on the host role down the road for a myriad of reasons. The Daily News has a similar article . Both teams had advocated to hold the event, with union workers and even some politicians arguing against MSG because of Cablevision's labor record. I suspect that had little impact; the league follows the money--and the proximity of ...

The Daily News reported yesterday, in  Arenas battle to host the 2015 NBA All-Star Game, as ad campaign targets MSG in favor of Barclays : An advertising blitz that kicks of Tuesday will urge the NBA to bypass Madison Square Garden for the Barclays Center as the site for the league’s 2015 All-Star Game, the Daily News has learned. The ads charge that Garden owner James Dolan “shouldn’t be rewarded with the All-Star Game” because he “fires and intimidates” workers at his other company, Cablevision. The ads — on bus shelters and billboards and online — are being financed by the Communications Workers of America, which represents workers at Cablevision. The Garden's response: MSG spokeswoman Kimberly Kerns said, “Madison Square Garden has long-standing, productive relationships with more than 25 unions, and expects those relationships to continue. Madison Square Garden and Cablevision are separate companies, and one thing has nothing to do with the other.” The CWA has produce...