Atlantic Yards/Pacific Park Report

Billboard had some news yesterday, Exclusive: Barclays Inks Booking Deal at Brooklyn's Paramount Barclays Center affiliate Brooklyn Sports & Entertainment has formed an alliance with Long Island University, in which BS&E will bring entertainment back to the historic Brooklyn Paramount Theatre. "This collaboration will bring the LIU Brooklyn Paramount Theatre back to life," says LIU president Kimberly R. Cline, "creating endless opportunities for LIU and our neighbors." Adds Barclays Center CEO Brett Yormark, "We felt that this would be the next step in the evolution of our partnership with LIU, that we should work collaboratively and start bringing some great content there, not only for the student body, but also for the public." The move will resurrect the 1,500-capacity venue, which opened in 1928, as an active entertainment venue for the first time in more than half a century, with the BS&E team focusing on booking emerging talent in a ...

 Rendering of Latitude 360; photo by The Tribeca Trib A big entertainment destination aimed at Wall Street, with a capacity for 1,500 people, may also be coming to a site near the Barclays Center. The headline in the Tribeca Citizen was A Times Square–Style Attraction Wants to Open on Wall Street , relying on a Tribeca Trib report, 23 Wall Street: From House of Morgan to Hothouse for Entertainment . The business at issue is Latitude 360 , which currently operates in Albany, Jacksonville, Indianapolis, and Pittsburgh. it describes itself : An award-winning pioneer of combining premier upscale casual dining with state-of-the-art entertainment in its unique venues. The Company develops, constructs and operates cutting-edge Latitude 360s (from 35,000-85,000 sq. ft.) that appeal to a broad base of consumers and corporate clients. The Tribeca Trib lead: Twenty-three Wall Street, the landmark former House of Morgan at the corner of Wall and Broad, is being eyed for a ...

A little more than a year ago, some Brooklyn residents, as well as large landowners along Flatbush Avenue near the Barclays Center, resisted a nascent effort by the short-shorts  "risque restaurant" Hooters  to establish itself near the arena. Community Board 2 boundaries Now a more homegrown and racy effort is surfacing, with the operators aiming for a bikini bar with pole dancing near the arena, though along Atlantic Avenue rather than Flatbush. Atlantic is more of a commercial/manufacturing district, while Flatbush is the spine of a residential area. DNAinfo reported yesterday, based on a preliminary plan that surfaced at a meeting of Community Board 2,  Retired NYPD Detective Hopes to Open Bikini Bar in Fort Greene Area . That detective is Michael Bell , who owns  Ground Zero Security and Investigations .  "I am proposing a new upscale bikini bar with absolutely no nudity for the Downtown Brooklyn area," Bell's partner Renae Caeser said, acco...

Yesterday was a big day for arena hype, notably a public announcement that Paul McCartney will bring his 2013 "Out There" tour to the Barclays Center on June 8 and 10. AM New York provided a photo of the promotion led by Borough President Marty Markowitz and arena CEO Brett Yormark, complete with a Union Jack and faux Royal Guards. According to Markowitz: "It's been a 'Long and Winding Road' and never 'In My Life' would I have guessed that my favorite knight would be leaving the Queen to come to the glorious county of Kings -- so let's all 'Come Together' and celebrate." Funny, every time Madison Square Garden signs a tour, Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer doesn't feel compelled to promote it. And even though the Daily News labeled it a "publicity stunt," the newspaper--a sponsor of the arena plaza--posted an article with several photographs. Below, the message in the oculus. At left, a photo ...

Machavelle Sportsbar and Lounge (Yelp reviews ), at 602 Pacific Street, across from the Barclays Center, has closed and, as the sign indicates, the space is for sale. According to a message posted 2/13/13 on  the establishment's Facebook page , they're trying to reopen: As some of you might know, Machavelle's doors have been closed since Feb 1st. We are working diligently to reopen very soon to continue serving you all! We thank all of our patrons who have expressed their best wishes to us during this time. We will keep you posted on the latest developments! However, the "for sale" sign raises questions about that optimism. As the photo indicates, the Machavelle space is right next to a larger building with scaffolding outside it. Machavelle opened in May 2011, more than 16 months before the arena did. Why exactly the doors closed is unclear; it's impossible to leave a phone message. However, among business establishments near the arena, bars and ...

According to the Bergen Record, Barclays Center not viewed as drain on concert business at Izod, Prudential arenas , because, as one promoter suggests, the marketplaces is capable of expansion. Then again, the Izod Center, now lacking a major league team, also gets rented for Madonna rehearsals, which brings in revenue but not paying guests. And the big loser, given the coming loss of the New York Islanders and the accessibility of the Barclays Center to the Long Island Rail Road, may be the Nassau Coliseum. What about the bars? A long New York Times Sports section article headlined Places to Drink for Brooklyn’s Toast of the Town (though the URL suggests an earlier version of the headline was the more neutral "searching-for-nets-bars-near-barclays-center"), finds that, though there are numerous bars near the Barclays Center, and some new ones, they're slow to gain Nets fans. The explanation is that "these things take time": You don’t just: 1) draw a ...

The impact of the Barclays Center-- so far --has been less than feared on many of the blocks immediately nearby, though no one expected to hear and feel the bass in their homes . (I'm still waiting for some official word on that. What happened to promised  "transparency and sharing details as we go"?) Fewer people are flooding residential streets, as fewer cars are looking to park, though there has been a significant increase in idling livery vehicles or, as noted in the brief video below shot at a bus stop on Bergen Street west of Carlton Avenue, vehicles violating parking regulations. That may change as weather gets colder, older/family crowds wish to drive, and the prices at parking lots adjust to the market. It's also open to question whether  it's sustainable  for the city and arena operators to provide the enormous amount of police, traffic officers, and pedestrian managers to make sure everything works--including waving traffic through red lights ...

Anyone walking around and near the Barclays Center, especially on the Flatbush Avenue side, can see there are empty retail spaces--or non-consumer ones--that are surely to be transformed. The New York Post reports, in Eateries in mad dash to Barclays ’hood : With rap mogul/Nets co-owner Jay-Z christening the venue with an eight-night concert run starting tonight, Danny Meyer burgers-and-fries joint Shake Shack plans to soon move into prime Flatbush Avenue real estate across the street from the 18,200-seat arena, sources said. Landlord Michael Pintchik refused to comment on the deal but confirmed two other restaurants were coming to nearby Flatbush Avenue property he owns by Dean Street that should also have foodies salivating. The owners of super-trendy Delicatessen and Macbar in Manhattan are opening an offshoot eatery called Elbow Room a block away on Flatbush Avenue that also specializes in gourmet mac-and-cheese dishes. Moving in next door will be a Texas-style barbecue joint...

No other reporters bothered to show up at the State Liquor Authority meeting yesterday that included the Barclays Center liquor license, nor did they apparently watch the webcast, because the coverage is devoid of any quotes from the meeting or any sense why arena operators resisted --though assented to--a final cut-off of liquor sales at 1 am. Nor did any of the coverage acknowledge the feeling of bad faith generated by the arena operators' failure to disclose the plan for after-hours service or the continuing construction violations. The Post The New York Post folded the news into an article, Stones to play B’klyn , about how the Rolling Stones will reportedly play two shows at the Barclays Center in November: The report came the same day that Barclays alcohol rules were announced — Nets fans will be able to drink alcohol only until the fourth quarter at NBA games, but spectators boozing it up at other Barclays events will get to go into overtime. That's incorrect. Up...

In less than an hour, the State Liquor Authority this morning approved the Barclays Center liquor license--for 53 outlets--as requested, except for one key change arena operators resisted but to which they eventually relented. They had requested a cut-off of alcohol sales to 1,800 VIP customers to go one hour after an event, or as late as 2 am, an absolute deadline requested by Brooklyn Community Board 6. The SLA imposed a 1 am cut-off, subject to revision should the arena argue hardship (in getting some promoters to commit to shows), and subject to the arena demonstrating a track record of operating compatibly with the community. Arena operators initially resisted the change, but agreed reluctantly. Arena neighbors saw it as a small victory, a recognition of the unusual placement of the arena in a residential neighborhood. "It was good to see the board paid attention to the concerns the community raised," Gib Veconi of the Prospect Heights Neighborhood Development Coun...

Will the  State Liquor Authority  (SLA) issue any curbs on the Barclays Center liquor license, such as not permitting service for VIPs at three venues for an hour after events, including until 2 am? (There will be a total of 30 bars with full liquor service and 23 with beer only.) After an administrative law judge heard public testimony at two meetings in June, the SLA will consider the Barclays Center liquor license at its August 29 board meeting. It will be held at  SLA offices in Harlem , beginning at 10 am, and should be webcast . There's no timetable for the meeting; items are called in the order for which they are signed in. My bet is that the applicants, Levy Premium Food Service and Brooklyn Events Center, will do their best to get there early. The report compiled by Administrative Law Judge Raymond Di Luglio has not been made public and likely will not be released until the SLA renders its decision. "Members of the public and elected ...

There will be a task force addressing quality-of-life issues regarding the Barclays Center arena, but it did not meet, as Community Board 6 initially requested, before the State Liquor Authority (SLA) held a hearing on the arena liquor license, nor will it meet before the SLA board votes on the license. (There is a meeting tomorrow night at the 78th Precinct regarding somewhat more narrow public safety issues. A quality-of-life committee presumably would also address things like parking and sanitation, among other things..) As part of its conditional support for the Barclays Center liquor license, Brooklyn Community Board 6 requested in May "that the applicants establish a community advisory task force whose purpose would be to meet periodically and on a regular basis to monitor and discuss quality of life impacts that the arena will have on its surrounding communities." Such a task force could come out of an existing entity such as the Atlantic Yards District Service...

When during its Aug. 29 meeting  (at its Harlem office ) will the State Liquor Authority (SLA) board address the application for the Barclays Center liquor license? Unclear. SLA spokesman William Crowley states: The Full Board hearing starts at 10 am, the items are called in the order in which they are signed in for in the morning. The length of this case will be dependent on the number of individuals wishing to testify, as well as the issues brought before the Board. As you probably know, the meeting is open to the public, as well as webcast live. I'd bet that the interested parties from the Barclays Center (the official applicants are Brooklyn Events Center and Levy Premium Foodservice) will not want to wait the whole day, and will try to make sure everyone's signed in first.

After an administrative law judge heard public testimony at two meetings in June, the State Liquor Authority is set to consider the Barclays Center liquor license at its August 29 board meeting, according to state Sen. Velmanette Montgomery's office. That is the second of two SLA board meetings this month; the first is today. Several things about the license and board meeting remain unclear, however. The report compiled by Administrative Law Judge Raymond Di Luglio has not been made public. Yesterday, the SLA told me it was "an inter-agency document that is not a final determination of the State Liquor Authority," thus not subject to a Freedom of Information Law request. "It will be part of the record before the Members of the authority, consequently, when they render a determination, it may be released," said spokesman William Crowley. At the meeting According to Montgomery's office, elected officials will be able to address the board at the ...

Kemistry Lounge Files Application with SLA and Plans to Open in Sept.

In New Nets Arena Proves a Magnet , the Wall Street Journal reports on the efforts by bar/restaurant owners to serve both transient and local crowds, and on the tension between good ol' businesspeople and stuffy people who live there: This opposition has been slowing leasing efforts for a big space kitty-corner to Barclays Center on Atlantic Avenue, according to Bob Hebron, a principal of Ingram & Hebron Realty that has the brokerage assignment. The community is "beginning to dig in its heels" to prevent sports bars or "Hooters-type places" from opening there, he says, referring to the restaurant chain known for its scantily clad waitresses. Nearby on Flatbush Avenue, a restaurant entrepreneur's attempts to open a bar named Kemistry that would operate until 3:30 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays ran afoul of the local community board. In May, the board voted overwhelmingly to oppose its liquor license application, though the resolution doesn't block ...

Well, maybe the second information passed on ten days ago by the North Flatbush BID wasn't too far off: despite statements then by principals in the planned Kemistry Lounge on Flatbush Avenue near Prospect Place that the establishment was moving ahead, it's just hit a significant roadblock. According to legal papers affixed to the exterior of the building, the landlord, 260 Flatbush Avenue Realty, has gone to court to evict the Kemistry Entertainment Group for nonpayment of rent (of the to-be-renovated space), requesting $66,078.81, with interest from June 1, 2012. I queried Kemistry last night but haven't heard back; I will update this when I learn more. The planned lounge has been quite controversial because its principals planned bottle service, which has been associated with rowdy behavior and is usually not offered in residential districts. Kemistry's main entrance would be on busy Flatbush Avenue, albeit quite close to a day care center, and have a back ex...

Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz, in recent comments on the proposed liquor license for the Barclays Center and the plan to use metal detectors, has had a seemingly consistent message: treat the Brooklyn arena the same as any other sports facility. The inconsistency? From early on, the Brooklyn arena was not treated the same as any other sports facility. The state agreed to override city zoning that bars sports facilities from being within 200 feet of residential areas, as well as override many other zoning rules. So the tight fit of the arena into Prospect Heights has to be recognized, as even Empire State Development CEO Kenneth Adams--whose agency overrides the zoning-- acknowledged this week, pointing to the dicey operation of the arena loading dock, with no ramp or holding area for trucks. Markowitz on the liquor license At right is testimony Markowitz submitted to a June 12 State Liquor Authority hearing . All other arenas in the area have been granted ...

Though they've gotten the thumbs-down from Community Board Six ( coverage ) regarding plans for bottle service, and seen significant opposition from neighbors , local elected officials, and a church , operators of the proposed Kemistry Lounge on Flatbush Avenue near Prospect Place say they are still pursuing plans for a restaurant, bar, and lounge. They have apparently not yet applied for a liquor license from the State Liquor Authority. Today, the North Flatbush Business Improvement District, which had helped mediate discussions between the operators and neighbors,  tweeted , "Kemistry lounge folks asked to leave space and break lease after not paying rent since March." That information, however, was secondhand and incorrect. "Kemistry is moving forward with our project," stated project manager Damali L'Elie. "I recently saw a tweet from Flatbush BID stating that we have asked to be released from our lease, this is incorrect. We fully intend to c...

Barclays Center operators Ratner dodged something of a bullet last night, as representatives of Brooklyn Community Boards 2 and 6 came to a State Liquor Authority hearing in Harlem to say that, however much they're dismayed about the "obfuscation" or "untimely disclosure" of the arena's plans for post-event alcohol service, they're not ready to rescind their support for the liquor license. From the letter Surely contributing to that was a letter (also at bottom) sent this week by arena general manager John Sparks that indicated that, despite the request to serve alcohol for an hour after events at three venues (holding up to 1863 people), "we expect there to be little demand" for service in the fourth quarter or after NBA games, as well as little demand at most other events, though there "may be special, post-event functions" after some concerts, "limited to a select group. Also, he said, most events would end well befor...