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July 9, 2006
ESDC defends against appeal, says environmental review addresses AY's “merits”
Atlantic Yards Report explains why the environmental review process under the State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQRA) is not enough ammo for opponents of the project, as the ESDC has suggested:
Absent from the SEQRA review is any discussion of some of those larger questions . For example, was it proper for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority to wait to issue an RFP for the railyards—the proposed project’s largest segment—until 18 months after city and state officials embraced the project? (The discussion of the need to bid on the West Side railyards offers a contrast.)Also, though the EIS will contain a description of the project’s potential economic and fiscal benefits, how useful is that description if the costs of the project are not fully disclosed?
Or, perhaps most fitting, why did local officials agree to let a state agency evaluate the project? That means that no Brooklyn elected officials have a chance to weigh in, a point made even by more moderate observers like Kent Barwick of the Municipal Art Society.
Posted by amy at July 9, 2006 12:37 PM