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August 30, 2006
Brooklyn Downtown Star stays to the bitter (and sometimes not so bitter) end
Unencumbered by a pressing deadline, Brooklyn Downtown Star stayed to the end of the only Atlantic Yards public hearing.
Brooklyn Exchanges Bronx Cheers
Star editor Nik Kovac covers the passion between the two camps, the bitter catcalling and veiled threats. However, through the din, Kovac manages to capture moments that were missed by the rest of the mainstream media, those fleeting moments, stripped of the artifice of color-cordinated t-shirts and pro-and-con stereotypes, where well meaning community folks talked about the issues and the neighborhoods about which they all care.
And Now For a Little Substance
Norman Oder covers the more geeky "substance" of the hearing. Several groups showed up to offer critique of the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS), which was the stated purpose of the hearing after all.
Highlights:
"Get real about traffic and parking." — Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz
Atlantic Yards is "not a transit-oriented development but a traffic-oriented development." — City Councilmember Letitia James
"The DEIS admits that increased traffic around the arena could lead to slowdowns in service, but what does it propose as mitigation? More buses!" — Lauri Schindler, Trustee Park Slope Civic Council
"The DEIS would have us believe that this arena lobby and main entrance to the Atlantic Terminal transit station should be counted as open space. But I don't know a lot of moms who bring their kids to play near the ticket windows at Madison Square Garden." — Kristyn LaPlante, Park Slope Neighbors
"I cannot prioritize traffic jams and shadows over housing and jobs." — M'balia Rubie, teacher
"The ESDC is a walking advertisement for Public Authorities reform." — Eric McClure, Park Slope Neighbors
Posted by lumi at August 30, 2006 8:12 AM