« David Burke in Talks to Bring Mini-Food-Trucks to Barclays Center | Main | Curbed Cup 1st Round: (3) Atlantic Yards vs. (14) East Harlem »
December 15, 2011
At Stuyvesant Town, new role for privately managed, publicly accessible open space causes consternation
Atlantic Yards Report
So, what happens when privately managed, publicly accessible open space is retooled to appeal more to upscale residents, or outside users?
The experience of Stuyvesant Town may not be directly on point regarding plans for Atlantic Yards, but given that Forest City Ratner has long promised (as in this October 2004 flier) "new open space for the entire Brooklyn community to enjoy," it's worth noting that making space accessible may come with tensions.
(Forest City originally promised six acres; now the promise is eight acres, but not until the entire project is completed, and that could take 25 years.)
The Stuy Town story
The New York Times reported 12/11/11, in Skating Rink Spurs Residents’ Latest Fight With Management:
In the eyes of some longtime residents of Stuyvesant Town in Manhattan, the ruin of their apartment complex has come in stages. First, the development’s managers opened a green market last summer, which drew large crowds of nonresidents, and they scheduled noisy music concerts afterward. Then they allowed vendor carts onto the property: neon-colored trucks that sell tacos, Greek food and desserts on the tree-shaded paths.
...Now, a seasonal ice-skating rink that opened at the end of November has again put management and many residents on a collision course.
Posted by eric at December 15, 2011 11:00 AM