Atlantic Yards/Pacific Park Report

It's been obvious that one of Forest City Ratner's key motivations for adding a green roof to the Barclays Center is to dampen the sounds of escaping bass, though the developer refused to acknowledge that in the press release issued 4/7/14. The Wall Street Journal, however,  reported  that "several people who have discussed the noise issue with Forest City executives said the company is planting the vegetation to help contain the sound." A Forest City executive both claimed noise complaints didn't drive the decision but acknowledged the new roof would dampen sound. Empire State Development, the state authority overseeing/shepherding Atlantic Yards, played along, stating in the Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement  issued in late March  that "the project sponsors are considering the construction and installation of a green roof on Barclays Center as a new sustainable feature of the Arena." There's more candor in the Response to C...

Current rendering, from SHoP, helicopter perspective Question: Is the Barclays Center's coming green roof an amenity--yes or no? Answer: Both, according to oddly contradictory statements from different representatives of developer Forest City Ratner. Reality: Both responses obscure the deception around the roof--both its conception and construction. The green roof discussion gave an  Alice-in-Wonderland  aspect to the Atlantic Yards Quality of Life Committee meeting Tuesday night, which concerned construction of the West Portal and the roof, as  disclosed in a document  circulated before the meeting. Large cranes will be  blocking lanes  on Flatbush and Atlantic avenues for four months, and be placed on the B3 site at the southeast corner of Dean Street and Sixth Avenue. Later, smaller cranes will be used for the installation of the layer of sedum (hardy plantings). "An amazing amenity" Early in the meeting, Ashley C...

Under newly disclosed plans for work on the Vanderbilt Yard and the installation of the Barclays Center's green roof, Atlantic Avenue bordering the arena and just east of it will be turned into a work zone for 21 months , constricting traffic by narrowing the number of lanes to two eastbound, with parking lanes and medians removed. It's unclear if any safety barrier will remain, or where vehicles bringing people to the arena will be directed for drop-offs and pick-ups. The hours of work aren't clear, so it's unclear how it might affect arena operations. The 21-month period is more than twice as long as described in the 2006 Final Environmental Impact Statement, which as I wrote last week , suggested that Atlantic Avenue would be constrained for ten months for work on the railyard's West Portal, work that was supposed to be done while the arena was being built. Why the difference? It's the green roof We'll learn more at a public meeting tomorrow n...

The next Atlantic Yards Quality of Life Committee meeting will be held: Tuesday, June 3rd 2014 @ 6:00pm YWCA Community Room 30 3rd Avenue Brooklyn NY 11217 As stated by Empire State Development, the state agency overseeing/shepherding Atlantic Yards: This meeting is a forum for representatives from the community and civic groups to engage elected officials, Empire State Development (ESD), Forest City Ratner Companies (FCRC), and Arena operators regarding issues affecting the quality of life for residents and businesses in close proximity to Barclays Center." We appreciate your patience with scheduling of this meeting as we worked to juggle schedules to find a date when we can provide you with some critical construction updates. Critical construction updates? It could be they'll say more about why the B2 tower is now delayed a year, scheduled to open in December 2015. But I'd bet they'll be talking about the construction of a new tower or two , as well as...

Rendering by SHoP, provided to Wall Street Journal So the Wall Street Journal catches up with the plans for the arena green roof, and Forest City mostly gets to spin it their way, complete with a first look at a new rendering. A Roof Grows on Barclays: Brooklyn Arena Is Getting Dome Coated With Vegetation  begins: Brooklyn's Barclays Center is slated to get a lot greener on the outside and possibly become a quieter neighbor in the process. Barclays developer Forest City Ratner Cos. is planning to coat the arena's giant dome with a 130,000-square-foot "green roof" composed of small plants and a soil-like cover, resurrecting an idea that was cut years ago in an effort to contain costs. ..."We wanted to do the amenity for the benefits to the community and the residents that this green roof will bring, rather than having that traditional arena roof," said Linda Chiarelli, an executive vice president at Forest City. For the "community"? Nah....

Not the current plan. This is the 2003 plan. The news that Forest City Ratner, with the support of expected new partner the Greenland Group, is planning a green roof on the Barclays Center, sets up a bunch of questions for the memory-challenged. There's still much we don't know--including potentially significant impacts during construction, which will be unexamined--but I'll try to fill in some gaps. What are they planning? Well, Forest City Ratner hasn't announced anything official, but the Executive Summary  of the Draft Supplementary Impact Statement issued by Empire State Development revealed: ...the project sponsors are considering the construction and installation of a green roof on Barclays Center as a new sustainable feature of the Arena. If installed, it would consist of the construction of a secondary roof with a structural system to hold a green sedum tray system very similar to the sedum roof at the transit entrance in front of the Arena. It is ...