Atlantic Yards/Pacific Park Report

State Sen. Jabari Brisport, a Democratic Socialist who represents the Atlantic Yards site, has--like some of his generational cohort (notably Assemblymember and Democratic Mayoral nominee Zohran Mamdani)--concluded that upbeat but punchy short video, with snappy graphics, might be the best way to communicate. After all, not everyone reads Gothamist, the publication that's most prominently reported on New York State's (via Empire State Development, or ESD) failure to enforce the $1.752 million/month in penalties for the unbuilt Atlantic Yards affordable housing, much less my reporting in this blog (or my newsletter ). UPDATE: 3 months past due, the penalties are over $5M, owed to the people of NY. Let Gov. Hochul know you want to see them stand against private real estate failures. A big thank you to all the activists, advocates and journalists that have documented this billion dollar mess! pic.twitter.com/GMrExhgKMT — Jabari Brisport (@JabariBrisport) August 29, 2025 ...

In a low-turnout August election for the new 10th Congressional District, which includes Atlantic Yards/Pacific Park, the relatively moderate, significantly self-funded (and NY Times-endorsed) candidate, former impeachment counsel Dan Goldman, seems to have won a narrow plurality, at least without the absentee ballots counted, according to the Times. The farthest left candidate, Yuh-Line Niou, came in second, and did not concede, saying she wanted to see the absentee ballots counted. That leaves open the possibility that she could challenge Goldman in November on the Working Families Party line; see this argument . She'd still be battling uphill, and that doesn't mean that votes from Mondaire Jones and Carlina Rivera would necessarily go to her.  Journalist Ross Barkan  suggested  that Jones, a sitting Congressman who relocated to Brooklyn to run in the new district, faced the biggest loss. Interestingly, as indicated on the maps, Niou might have triumphed had the votes...

Thanks to recently passed redistricting (and barring a legal challenge, the Atlantic Yards/Pacific Park site will next year be represented, in the main, by a new Assemblymember. The current district lines  show that nearly all the project site, except for Site 5 across Flatbush Avenue (also bounded by Fourth Avenue, Atlantic Avenue, and Pacific Street), is represented by 57th District Assemblymember Phara Souffrant Forrest, who succeeded Walter Mosley and Hakeem Jeffries. Assemblymember Jo Anne Simon, of the 52nd District, represents Site 5. But keep your eye on the 44th District, which extends into Park Slope, represented by Robert (Bobby) Carroll . Under the redistricting , the 57th District boundaries move north, across Atlantic Avenue, and Carroll's 44th District includes most but not all of Prospect Heights. Simon's 52nd District retains Site 5 and a small piece of Prospect Heights. Carroll's greeting Carroll attended--for the first time--the last of the four BrooklynS...

Last night, the first session of BrooklynSpeaks’ four-week Crossroads series , aiming to develop revised plans for Atlantic Yards/Pacific Park, focused on 1) a history of the project (to get the 70-plus attendees up to speed) and 2) a discussion of potential changes to streets and building design. I’ll look at the latter soon, in a separate article. (For history, see BrooklynSpeaks’ summary , and my FAQ + timelines .) To me, a crucial piece of information emerged near the end, in brief public comments from newly elected Council Member Crystal Hudson, a Prospect Heights resident who represents the 35th District, which includes nearly all of the 22-acre project site. Hudson stressed accountability from project master developer Greenland Forest City Partners, including expected fines for missing affordable housing, and said she recently discussed it with Gov. Kathy Hochul, who controls the project via the state authority Empire State Development. That has not (yet) become a focus for Broo...

Also see Gotham Gazette article on Fox . In a low-turnout primary election with no shocks to incumbents (Mayor Bill de Blasio won re-nomination easily), incumbent 35th Council Member Laurie Cumbo won a clear victory in a hard fought Democratic primary race , with 57.5% of the votes to challenger Ede Fox's 41.5%. The race is tantamount to election, though Cumbo will face the Green Party's Jabari Bisport, who beat rival Scott Hutchins by  31-4 votes , in the general election. Cumbo and Fox essentially grew their 2013 totals , with Cumbo's 10,116 votes 33.8% more and Fox's 7,561 votes 36.6% more. Fox, who focused on the Bedford-Union Armory development proposal and distinguished herself from Cumbo on development (to the left) and safe-streets issues , was unable to dramatically broaden her base while cutting into support for the incumbent. (Atlantic Yards/Pacific Park was barely an issue, but Fox got significant support in Prospect Heights, where she co-founded...

Just as Atlantic Yards/Pacific Park hasn't come up in the mayoral race, it plays a subdued, mostly absent role in the race for City Council in the 35th District, where the project is located. Looking first at candidates' web site, I couldn't find mention of the project on the web site of Democratic challenger Ede Fox , taking on incumbent Laurie Cumbo one-on-one after Cumbo, in 2013, won a multi-candidate Democratic primary. Fox has been critical of Cumbo's Atlantic Yards stance in the one debate I saw, as I'll write up in a longer round-up of the race before the September 12 primary (and after another debate Sept. 6 ). The bigger issue has been the Bedford-Union Armory, and Fox, in a candidate video statement , stated, "Look what's happening to our neighborhoods. Big developers are coming in, luxury towers are going up, and regular families are being squeezed out... I'll always stand up to deep-pocketed developers and big-money special interes...

So, is the 35th District Council Democratic primary race getting tight, as Ede Fox prepares to challenge incumbent Laurie Cumbo? I'd say it's early. Fox Out Fundraises Cumbo In March 15 Filing Period , according to Stephen Witt of Kings County Politics: According to the Campaign Finance Board (CFB), Cumbo reported having raised $66,457 while spending $26,732 to net out with $39,725. Fox raised $29,456 and spent $260 to net out with $29,716. While this looks like Cumbo has an edge, it should be noted that she has been fundraising for some time and her total is a culmination of several filing periods, while this is Fox’s first filing. If you just look at this filing period, which ran from Jan. 17 to yesterday, Fox outraised Cumbo by more than 2 to 1. Fox raised $29,976, while Cumbo raised only $13,720. This is not to write off Cumbo, however, as City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito has an upcoming fundraiser for Cumbo.... "This is not to write off Cumbo...