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April 16, 2007
JEFFRIES, ADAMS, JAMES, YASSKY and DE BLASIO SPEAK AT RALLY AGAINST DEMOLITION FOR PARKING AT ATLANTIC YARDS PROJECT
For Immediate Release: April 16, 2007
Nor'easter Doesn't Stop Rally -- Parks, Not Parking Lots!
The wind blew and the rain fell, but over 200 rally-ers rallied, moving inside the warm and inviting Lafayette Avenue Presbyterian Church. Joined by State Senator Eric Adams, Assemblyman Hakeem Jefferies, New York City Council Members Letitia James, David Yassky, and Bill DeBlasio, Rev. David Dyson of Lafayette Avenue Presbyterian Church and Rev. Clinton Miller of Brown Memorial Baptist Church, the sponsors of the BrooklynSpeaks.net campaign called for a moratorium on demolitions at the Atlantic Yards site.
Speakers and performers called on the State and the City to rethink their plan to permit Forest City Ratner to demolish two entire city blocks, including the historic Ward Bakery, to create “temporary” parking lots for over 1600 cars. The surface parking lots will occupy approximately 7 acres of the Atlantic Yards site – an area the size of two Union Square Parks, and ironically, the same amount of acreage as the project’s promised open space being designed by landscape architect Laurie Olin. The developer calls the lots “temporary” because they plan to build the second phase of the project on top of them. But members of Forest City Ratner’s own team, including Olin, estimate that the second phase might not be built for 15 or 20 years, if at all. Said rally organizer Jon Orcutt of co-sponsor Tri-State Transportation Campaign, “Parking lots are not a benefit to the communities. They will bring more traffic, more congestion, and add to the poor air quality of the area. That's not transit-oriented or sustainable development.”
Local residents have complained several times over the past few weeks that asbestos removal has proceeded without the necessary protections. One building inspector called to the sceneshrugged and remarked that he couldn't see any asbestos. Asbestos fibers are microscopic, however. “Residents are concerned about the health and safety of their families during construction and demolition, but the right hand does not seem to know what the left is doing from day to day,” said Michelle de la Uz, Executive Director of BrooklynSpeaks.net co-sponsor, Fifth Avenue Committee.
“We need government oversight, and a coordinator of infrastructure -- there are many public agencies involved but no one whose job it is is to mind the store.” said Democratic District Leader Jo Anne Simon, who has been working with the Brooklyn Speaks sponsors. “The developer's efforts to fast-track the demolitions before systems can be put in place to protect the public is frightening. This needs to change before any more buildings are demolished.”
Recently, developer Forest City Ratner indicated that demolitions could start as early as April 18, 2007. “Demolition is permanent, you can’t go back. We risk paving paradise to put up a parking lot. We've had that before. It wasn't good for our communities or our economy,” said Deb Howard, Executive Director of the Pratt Area Community Council. “Brooklyn is getting the opposite of what was promised at Atlantic Yards.”
Performers at the rally included the Lafayette Inspirational Ensemble, and jazz musicians Pheeroan Ak Laff and Ned Rotherberg. Singer Dave Hall was also on hand. Hall led the audience in singing the apt refrain, “They paved paradise, and put up a parking lot,” from Joni Mitchell's popular 1970's song, “Big Yellow Taxi.”
Story and Video of the rally is available at www.BrooklynSpeaks.net
The BrooklynSpeaks.net campaign was initiated in September, 2006 to provide a platform for New Yorkers to push for major changes to the Atlantic Yards project. The campaign was organized by Atlantic Avenue LDC, Boerum Hill Association, Brooklyn Heights Association, Fifth Avenue Committee, Municipal Art Society, National Trust for Historic Preservation, Park Slope Civic Council, Pratt Area Community Council, Project for Public Spaces, Prospect Heights Neighborhood Development Council and the Tri-State Transportation Campaign.
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Posted by lumi at April 16, 2007 6:17 PM