Atlantic Yards/Pacific Park Report

According to the latest Form 990 return ( here , and bottom) to the IRS, the Pacific Park Conservancy, which manages the project's publicly accessible open space, increased its revenue slightly and its spending significantly in calendar year 2024. Presumably, the numbers for 2025 will be as robust. It raised $1,024,034 in 2023 and $1,115,763 in 2024, in assessments from project buildings. However, while it reported $657,789 in 2023 expenses, in 2024 it spent a more robust $1,091,854. The latter included: Landscaping: $237,350 Security: $178,413 Cleaning: $90,727 Pest control: $13,200 Repair and maintenance: $32,863 Utilities: $132,037 Supplies & equipment: $18,224 Irrigation: $12,334 Added to that $715,148 total was $351,650 in insurance. In 2023, by contrast, it spent  far less on property expenses, including $65,840 on landscaping and $31,384 on cleaning.  Ramping up? As I wrote last April, to improve oversight and maintenance, the Conservancy hired Streetplus , a Brook...

As I've written ( link ), questions persist about the oversight of "Pacific Park," the 2.7-acre (for now) open space on the southeast block of the project, which has required significant maintenance in less than a year, due to--take your pick--the inability to manage dogs, or the inability of dog owners to stay off Aug. 15, 2024 (top), April 25, 2025 (bottom). Photos: Norman Oder the grass. The Pacific Park Conservancy, at least for now, has a somewhat distracted and distanced main Member, Atlantic Yards Venture, the project developer controlled by Greenland USA.  The latter has since November 2023 been on the verge of losing six railyard development sites to foreclosure, though it still controls B1, the unbuilt tower once slated to loom over the arena, and Site 5, the parcel catercorner to the arena, and wants to be part of a much larger project there. Who's in charge? As I wrote in 2019, according to the bylaws , the Conservancy initially has two Members, the Pacif...

Well, as the Atlantic Yards mantra ( link ) goes, "it's a very tight fit." The placement of a dog run (in two parts, one for small dogs, another for large ones), with little effort to tamp down noise, close to a residential building (B13, 595 Dean West Tower) with a glass-and-metal facade, has led to conflict that's difficult to resolve. Looking east toward 595 Dean west tower. Photo: May 8. All photos by Norman Oder After some residents complained about disruptive dog barking, the Pacific Park Conservancy, which manages the 2.7 acres of open space on the southeast block of Atlantic Yards/Pacific Park, last November reduced the dog run's open hours to 7 am to 6 pm Oct. 1 through April 30, and 6 am to 8:30 pm May 1 through Sept 30. That left dog owners frustrated with overcrowding and the Conservancy's failure to recognize their needs during after-work hours. And it doesn't necessarily relieve the noise problem.  Photo: March 27 Pushing back A letter to t...

This is the first of five articles on the March 25, 2025 meeting of the advisory Atlantic Yards Community Development Corporation (AY CDC), held at the office of its parent Empire State Development (ESD). The second concerned making BSE Global pay for a permanent arena plaza. The third concerned the unusually large plan for Site 5. The fourth concerned the AY CDC budget. The fifth concerned the project's future. Anna Pycior, ESD Senior VP, Community Relations, updated the group on the Pacific Park Conservancy, who oversees the 2.7 acres of open space on the southeast block of the project.  To improve oversight and maintenance, the Conservancy, she said, has hired Streetplus , a Brooklyn-based company that works at Union Square Park, Madison Square Park, and other locations. The Conservancy also has hired Dubner Landscaping and Construction to oversee landscaping. It works on the East Midtown Greenway, Four Freedoms Park, and Hudson Yards. "This reflects feedbac...

Welcome to 2025! My 2024 retrospective is coming soon.  In light of questions over the Pacific Park Conservancy's management of the project's open space (aka "Pacific Park"), notably the noisy dog run (my coverage ), I took a look at the nonprofit's most  recent filing  with the IRS, for the 2023 calendar year. (Also  here , thanks to ProPublica.) Looking east along Dean Street; the phone number still needs to be updated It's not too illuminating, but it suggests that no longer do any board members represent the three local community boards or the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation.  That suggests limited accountability to public entities. (I say "suggests" because actions in 2024, not yet reported, may supersede the 2023 data.) It also suggests that the Conservancy has a decent chunk of funds on hand, which are contributed by the various project buildings, and presumably could use some of that money to manage noise from the dog run. (N...

This is the second of three articles about the Nov. 6, 2024 Atlantic Yards Quality of Life meeting, sponsored by Empire State Development (ESD), the state authority that oversees/shepherds the project. The first concerned the way the project was framed.  The  third  concerned a presentation by arena operator BSE Global. So, master developer Greenland USA, though it's  about to lose  six tower development sites to foreclosure, is still in the game, with Design Director Jen Kuang--the partial successor to previous point man Scott Solish, who  left in early 2023 --making a presentation about the project, especially the new open space. Looking east to 595 Dean from larger of two dog runs The most significant discussion, as described below, involved policies regarding the noisy dog runs (one for small dogs, one for large ones), where noise disturbs residents of the west side of the 595 Dean west tower. That said, I learned more outside the meeting from both a p...