Atlantic Yards Thursday Roundup

The Atlantic Yards news and notes never stop flowing.

For starters, the Municipal Arts Society weighs in this evening with an assessment of Forest City Ratner's development plan and some altnerate visions for the site. There's a presentation for the media at 5:30 and a public meeting from 6:30 to 8:30 at Hanson Place Central United Methodist Church, which is located at 144 Saint Felix St. in Brooklyn. Event sponsors include State Sen. Velmanette Montgomery, State Assembly Members Joan Millman and James Brennan, and City Council Member Letitia James. Among the sponsoring groups: the Atlantic Avenue Betterment Association, the Boerum Hill Association, the Brooklyn Heights Association, the Fort Greene Association, the Society for Clinton Hill, the Park Slope Civic Council and the Prospect Heights Neighborhood Development Council.

Second, living near the project is apparently already not so peachy. The Atlantic Yards Report lovingly details Forest City Ratner demolition work that is apparently getting started very early in the morning. Specifically:

Last Wednesday, Leigh Anderson, a tenant for eight years at 624 Pacific Street, was rudely awakened at 6:15 a.m. when contractors demolishing the adjacent 622 Pacific Street used a backhoe that sent vibrations through the wall of her building. "We thought the building was coming down," Anderson said, referring to herself and boyfriend David Gochfeld. "The building shook, and it felt like a wrecking ball was going through the side of the building."

Don't know about you, but it sounds like a great way to wake up get an extra-early start and get to the office promptly to GL.

Third, the Buildings Department cited Forest City Ratner yesterday for failing to obey an order to stop the demolition work on the Pacific Street buildings. It was issued after inspectors came around to inspect and found some violations. The violations were corrected, but a reinspection wasn't requested and the demolition work resumed without the stop work order being lifted. The fine for such a transgression runs from zero to $2,500.

Finally, Forest City Ratner says 20,000 people have sent back a response card that was included in its last mailer. The developer says "the vast majority" said that affordable housing is the most important part of the development. (We'll bet a lot of money the cards said a lot of other things too.) The release quotes New York ACORN Executive Director Bertha Lewis saying that "The number of responses is a clear indication that this type of innovative development is needed in Brooklyn and throughout the City." The project would have 6,860 units of housing and 2,250 of the rental apartments will be for low- and moderate-income renters. They would be distributed by lottery. Atlantic Yards supporters emphasize the affordable housing the project would produce; opponents stress the density and number of apartments that will be built.