Atlantic Yards/Pacific Park Report

The surprising (but, in retrospect, maybe not) Democratic mayoral primary victory of insurgent Queens Assemblymember Zohran Mamdani--a  democratic socialist who inspired legions of volunteers, talked to anyone, formed alliances, expressed love for the city, and had a simple (if somewhat  questionable ) set of affordability priorities--over dreary establishment candidate Andrew Cuomo has set up a very interesting situation. Mamdani was closing in on Cuomo in the polls, and one said he'd beat the former Governor after ranked-choice voting concluded, but he beat him decisively , with 43.5% of first-place votes to Cuomo’s 36.4%, and likely will take more when ranked-choice votes are counted, given, for example, his cross-endorsement with Comptroller Brad Lander, who got 11.3%. So for now, it's an apparent victory, likely to be solidified, though Democrats have only offered "tentative support," in the words of City & State. Chess match What next? Cuomo, who had enormo...

In contrast (mostly) with the Citizens Budget Commission, as I wrote yesterday , on 3/16/22 NYC Comptroller Brad Lander, Council Members Tiffany Cabán and Pierina Sanchez Called to Nix 421-a Developer Tax Break , urging the state legislature and the Governor to allow the program to expire, given annual foregone property taxes of $1.77 billion in FY 2022. Lander also released A Better Way Than 421-a: The High-Rising Costs of New York City’s Most Unaffordable Tax Exemption , an analysis of the cost of the program and its proposed changes, the impact on housing production, and the nexus between 421-a and structural property tax reform. (Here's the  report  and the livestreamed press conference , held outside The Willoughby  in Fort Greene/Downtown Brooklyn, which has the most expensive "affordable housing" I've noticed under 421-a.) “The 421-a program is a towering boondoggle – costing our city $1.77 billion this year in foregone taxes and delivering only a small handf...

City & State New York's listing of  The 2019 Brooklyn Power 100  is, of course arbitrary, but it's also intriguing. And it includes some Atlantic Yards-related references. The ranking is... interesting, starting with: Rep. Hakeem Jeffries Sen. Charles Schumer State AG Letitia James Rep. Nydia Velazquez Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams The description for Adams: No Brooklyn borough president has ever become mayor, and the last borough president in New York City to ascend to Gracie Mansion was Manhattan’s David Dinkins. But Eric Adams hopes he could become the first. With Letitia James preoccupied enforcing state law, the former state senator and ex-police officer may have an opening in what will no doubt be a crowded field in 2021. He has outraised his opponents recently, hauling in more than $500,000 over the first six months of the year, although his rival City Comptroller Scott Stringer has more than $2.5 million in his war chest. Adams has been noticeab...

Woodland at left, next to Bleachers and Sugarcane To regulars, notably black millennials flocking to a bumping brunch often described as “lit,” the restaurant-bar-lounge Woodland, at the commercial corner of Flatbush and Sixth avenues, is a cherished haven, highlighted last year in Eater by Stacy-Ann Ellis as "The Joy of Black Brunch" . To several nearby neighbors, the local police precinct, and the local Community Board, Woodland is a problem nightclub, blasting music, attracting long, sometimes unruly lines down Sixth Avenue, and pouring so much alcohol that customers sometimes puke and pee on neighbors’ stoops, disturbing a residential district. Brooklyn Community Board 6 has multiple times asked the State Liquor Authority (SLA) for Woodland’s liquor license to be revoked or suspended. Since Woodland supporters, especially the Bertha Lewis-led Black Institute and Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams, think such problems are overblown, reflecting historic patte...

In a 7/31/19 op-ed headlined  Leaving the REBNY vs NIMBY Doom Loop , Council Members Brad Lander and Antonio Reynoso pointed to what they call a missed opportunity in the ballot proposals approved by the 2019 Charter Revision Commission. They write: Currently, the process of developing a capital plan to invest in our infrastructure constitutes just making a big list – a list that is in no way informed by plans for rezoning or development. How can we plan which neighborhoods should get resilient infrastructure like levees and seawalls when land-use and growth decisions are happening elsewhere? Shouldn’t we include capital budgeting for infrastructure like transit and schools as part of the process of planning for the new residential growth that will require it? Meanwhile, New York City’s Uniform Land Use Review Procedure (ULURP) is a reactive, project-by-project process for considering changes – bereft of strategic vision, shared values, or a connection to long-term infrastructu...

The final issue of BKLYNR--a valuable web-based publication to which I contributed a couple of times--contains John Surico's  Q&A: City Councilmen Brad Lander and Jumaane Williams: The two representatives on why it’s the best of times and the worst of times for Brooklynites.  I've excerpted a relevant exchange. What value do you see in Brooklyn’s ascension? Lander: There’s definitely value, and I don’t think anyone would want to go back to the Brooklyn of the late 1970s and early 80s. That wasn’t better because the housing was more affordable, for the most part. It was dangerous; there were no places to shop or eat; the schools weren’t good; you couldn’t go to the parks. All of that sort of transformed, and that generated a lot of value and opportunity for a lot of people. Now it’s very disproportionately distributed, however. It’s much more a value for people who are richer and whiter. That’s not to say no value, though. I think one of the most interesting nights of...

From the Wall Street Journal yesterday (but posted the night before), Old Politics Hamper City’s New Approach on Affordable Housing: De Blasio’s Effort to Smooth Approvals for Developers Also Runs Into Roadblocks : The planned site of Astoria Cove, the first major development project to be shaped from early stages by Mayor Bill de Blasio , sits on a peninsula jutting into the East River, just out of reach of Gracie Mansion. ...Mr. de Blasio has promised to generate 80,000 units of affordable housing, many by requiring developers to include lower-rent apartments in exchange for permission to build taller towers. But almost a year into his administration, carving a smooth path for big, new development projects has proved challenging. The 2.2-million-square-foot project is at risk of being voted down by the City Council’s land-use committee, which must vote by Wednesday on it, according to City Council officials and the developer. The full council is expected to follow the committee’s...

Yesterday, Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams, Council Member Laurie Cumbo, and Council Member Brad Lander issued a "Joint Statement on Construction Halted at B2 Tower": “It is unacceptable that a financial dispute has left more than 150 workers unemployed, jeopardizing the economic stability of their families and further delaying the construction of affordable housing units in Fort Greene . The completion of the modular apartment tower is vital to the working families who have waited years for promises to become a reality. Forest City Ratner has proposed reopening the factory immediately and assuming responsibility to resume operations, to keep this job on track and individuals employed while the courts hear the broader issue. We urge both parties to work out a fair and amiable agreement for the betterment of our community.” (Emphases added) This is a rather sloppy statement, given that the tower (now known primarily as 461 Dean Street) is located in Prospect Heig...

There's some new life in the Atlantic Yards opposition, it seems, as a meeting last night on the UNITY4 plan --a revision of a blueprint for an community-driven alternative use of part of the Atlantic Yards site--drew some 140 people, packing an Atlantic Avenue space known as The Commons. While some veteran (and weary) Develop Don't Destroy Brooklyn activists organized the meeting at the behest of Council Member Letitia James (right, with Daniel Goldstein, center, and Marshall Brown), the meeting not only drew people long associated with the BrooklynSpeaks coalition--once more of a mend-it-don't-end-it contrast with DDDB, now more of an ally--but those new to the struggle. It was a preliminary meeting, to be followed up in the fall, but it was clear that the effort to revise the UNITY principles--regarding open space, transportation, multiple developers, and street connections--is as much political as anything. And, despite the presence of three City Council members--and t...