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August 22, 2006
It came from the Blogosphere...
Today's Atlantic Yards blog roundup:
The Gowanus Lounge, More About Atlantic Yards Impacts and Problems
If ever there were a project that needed a full public examination and a local review process, Atlantic Yards is it.
"Atlantic Yards" Voters Guide, "Some White Guys"
Somehow AY Voters Guide manages to take a story about how the Tracy Boyland campaign is spreading bizarre rumors that the incumbent, Sen. Velmanette Montgomery, is "white," and turns it into a story about how opponents want to remind everyone that Ratner and Gehry are the real white guys in this fight.
Clinton Hill Blog, Email from the Society for Clinton Hill
Well, Fort Greene, we can't duck this one. History is knocking at our door!
The Brooklyn Atlantic Yards Proposal is one of the largest developments ever proposed for New York City, the largest ever for Brooklyn, and it is located at our doorstep in Fort Greene. We have a responsibility to ourselves and our neighbors now and in the future to respond to the Empire State Development Corporation's Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the BAY proposal.
We MUST have a strong showing at the Official Public Hearing on August 23rd at New York City Technical College, 285 Jay Street, 4:30 to 8:30.
Atlantic Yards & Community Involvement Atlantic Yards - The Community has NOT spoken!
AY&CI kicks off its first post to one point we all can agree upon:
"Given the very limited role played by the three community boards in crafting the CBA and FCRC's overstatement of that fact, we are requesting that you discontinue all mention, in any form, of our participation." This statement is a reflection of BUSINESS AS USUAL!
...then quickly moves into one of the biggest myths about the project (emphasis added):
I support the HISTORIC CBA, which includes an UNPRECEDENTED agreement to dedicate 50% of the FCRC's Atlantic Yards Residential Units to the community.
The Atlantic Yards proposal contains 6,860 "Residential Units:" 4,500 rentals and 2,360 condos. Of those 4,500 rentals only 2,250 are part of Bruce Ratner's affordable housing plan, that's something like 33%.
But what is meant by "the community" is unclear — it could be argued that 100% of all residential housing everywhere is dedicated to the community.
Karrie Jacobs.com, Only the Developers Know Brooklyn
Karrie Jacobs alieviated her guilt last month by admiting that she had never actually read Jane Jacobs (no relation). She rectified the omission by penning a Jacobsean analysis of Atlantic Yards for Metropolis.
Now Jacobs has her own blog. Upon returning to the City from her summer vacation, she notices the layer of concrete dust that covers everything, and reminds readers that the public hearing is tomorrow:
The last such hearing I attended made me feel the way I did when I first saw the Costa-Gavras film Z. Sadly, political drama in Brooklyn lacks stirring theme music by composer Mikis Theodorakis.
Maybe we can all go and hum the theme from Z.
PeteBrush.com Atlantic Park at Brooklyn Yards
PB.C lets it all hang out — he likes the project, but not before he trashes it:
There is a war on meanwhile, over the future of Brooklyn. I’ve been looking over the numbers and I’m coming out in favor of the Atlantic Yards project, mainly because that part of town is crap anyway. I hate to give it short shrift here; certainly many in Brooklyn are in a frenzy trying to stop this development project. And over 10 years it will be a painful eyesore over toward the Atlantic Ave. Terminal area as it’s built. Furthermore it’s clear that Rich Guy Bruce Ratner got the land from the City via a sweetheart deal that didn’t really work in the city’s favor in terms of price or sale and potential tax revenue — at least in the short term. But in the long run I think it’s the best thing for Brooklyn’s downtown.
We'd like to see the numbers he's been looking over, because project critics still can't make sense of them.
Posted by lumi at August 22, 2006 11:45 AM