Meeting on Atlantic Yards Community Impact

There's a meeting coming up about the impact that Atlantic Yards is going to have on neighbors, especially as efforts to prepare for construction move forward. It's on Monday, September 24 at 7:30PM and it will take place at Immanuel & First Spanish Church, which is located at 424 Dean Street. The objectives of the meeting are described as follows:

Discuss expected effect of the Atlantic Yards' construction on quality of life based on the Final Environment Impact Statement (FEIS) with representatives of NYC's Department of Transportation (DOT).

Ask local politicians and community leaders to develop a structure by which we can relay our concerns to the appropriate officials.

Among the impacts listed if the massive project survives legal challenges and move forward:

You can expect SERIOUS NEGATIVE IMPACTS on AIR QUALITY, NOISE, TRAFFIC and PARKING:

• Nearly double the number of buses
• Up to 2,500 more cars
• Up to 400 new taxi trips
• Up to 80 additional trucks on weekdays
• NO PLAN for traffic on Saturdays, during basketball games, or other events
• GRIDLOCK resulting from proposed new traffic patterns
• CLOSED STREETS and REDUCED PARKING from new water lines and sewer mains
  

There is now NO SYSTEM in place to deal with these impacts.

WE NEED YOU - To attend the forum, let our elected officials and public agency representatives know that we need their help to represent our interests, and HELP CREATE AN EFFECTIVE SYSTEM TO ADDRESS THESE IMPACTS.

The forum is hosted by the Dean Street Block Association. Interestingly, there's another meeting on the UNITY plan for Atlantic Yards the same night. This one at 6 PM at the Soapbox Gallery, which is located at 636 Dean Street (between Carlton and Vanderbilt Avenues). It will feature a Q&A with Marshall Brown and Dr. Tom Angotti and the presentation of "a realistic, community-sensitive proposal for the development of Brooklyn’s Vanderbilt rail yards."

[Photo courtesy of Adrian Kinloch/Brit in Brooklyn]