Atlantic Yards Environmental Impact Study

anonymous · September 2005

Now is the time to voice your concerns about the impact of the proposed Atlantic Yards project.

On September 16, the Empire State Development Corporation announced their intention to pursue the development of the Atlantic Yards project with Forest City Ratner. This announcement triggers the start of public comment on the environmental impact of the project to the surrounding area. The ESDC's announcement and their draft scope of analysis are available at http://www.nylovesbiz.com/popup/features.asp?id=41.

FCRC's Atlantic Yards proposal represents the largest develoment project in the history of the Borough of Brooklyn, comprising in total 24 acres of land in the north west side of Prospect Heights, including office, residential and hotel towers, a 19,000 seat basketball arena, 7,300 units of housing, and parking for 4,000 cars.

The projectÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â€šÂ¬Ã¢â€žÂ¢s approval, design and implementation will be regulated by the State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQRA). An environmental impact study or EIS will examine the impact of the proposed project on the community, and community residents are be able to recommend what the EIS will consider. Under New York State law, community members have the right to express their specific concerns about the project.This is your chance to have your voice heard--but you must provide your comments before October 28.

The Prospect Heights Neighborhood Development Council (http://www.phndc.org) is providing an online form for you to submit environmental impact concerns that you feel are important to consider. These concerns can include
displacement of residents
impact on schools, police and fire services
effect on small businesses
transportation issues
other issues in your immediate neighborhood
Your opinion is crucial, and you can submit as many issues as you believe are relevant. Please help PHNDC to ensure the full scope of our community's concens are considered by the ESDC.

metulj · September 2005

Advice from someone who has written environmental impact statements: Do not, I repeat, do not puke raw invective into these comments. Comment with reasons and evidence. The people who read them and make the recommended impact assessment really do use these comments as guides. We stopped a whole dam dredging project based on comments and came up with a better way to do it after the folks living behind the dam noted that a paper plant used to operate there. Lots of mercury in the mud. The engineers and planners had totally missed it.

Calling Ratner names and such only causes them to ignore salient comments. Truse me. I have seen it happen.

tacamahac · September 2005

Using reason sounds like sound advice.

Can someone explain to me one element of the Ratnerville deal that was mentioned but not explored in the newspaper reports last week: he will be building new railyards to the west of the site. Where? And what purpose will they serve? I thought the whole point of developing Atlantic Yds was that they served little purpose to the rail system.

Incidentally, these new railyards are key to MTA being able to justify the deal: it adds a purported $181 million in value for the MTA.

anonymous · September 2005

Subject: rail yards

Using reason sounds like sound advice.

Can someone explain to me one element of the Ratnerville deal that was mentioned but not explored in the newspaper reports last week: he will be building new railyards to the west of the site. Where? And what purpose will they serve? I thought the whole point of developing Atlantic Yds was that they served little purpose to the rail system.

Incidentally, these new railyards are key to MTA being able to justify the deal: it adds a purported $181 million in value for the MTA.

That article that said "west" is wrong, the new yards will be to the east where there is currently a bus depot.

as for an added $181 million: both developers, Ratner and Extell prposed yard improvements and relocation. so the value is a wash. the cash is whats important. AND the MTA chairman, in admitting that the MTA didn't get the appraised value, $214.5 million, is implicitly saying that the value of improvements should NOT be included in the purchase price.

so its still Ratner $100 million, Extell $150 million.
Winner? Ratner. go figure.

minet · September 2005

Subject: Minet

so what would be good to put in the questionnaire?
thanks

raulism · September 2005

Subject: Maybe your only chance to have input about Ratnerville

The EIS is one of the only legally binding documents in the whole Ratnerville process. By law, it must include community concerns. So if you think that you might be effected by the proposed 19+ high-rises up to 60 stories on top of Flatbush & Atlantic, speak now or don't complain about it later.

Incidentally, the Ratnerville construction will go on until at least 2016.

There has already been some discussion about how Ratnerville will create congestion, spread rats, increase asthma, increase flooding in the Gowanus, et cetera. I suggest people try to think of the more unexpected and individual implications of ten years of construction to put a city the size of Denver (???) in Prospect Heights.

Best,
Raul

anonymous · September 2005

CB 8 has come up with a list of issues to be submitted in the prescoping of the EIS at www.brooklyncb8.org/BAYEIS.html.

Some of the topics you might want to submit you concerns about would be fire and police response times, local traffic issues, construction impact, displacement of residents. Although the community boards have identified a number of issues to be studied in the EIS, local residents are in a unique position to recognize impact issues that otherwise may be overlooked.

For example, residents are concerned about the number of traffic accidents on the corner of Vanderbilt and Park Place and the impact of more traffic at this dangerous intersection.

How will construction impact air quality at the Dean Street playground?

How will local manufacturing businesses be able to load and unload with the increase in traffic?

anonymous · September 2005

CB 8 has come up with a list of issues to be submitted in the prescoping of the EIS at www.brooklyncb8.org/BAYEIS.html.

Some of the things to think about are fire and police response times, local traffic issues, construction impact, and displacement of residents. Although the community boards have identified a number of issues to be studied in the EIS, local residents are in a unique position to recognize impact issues that otherwise may be overlooked.

For example:

There are already a number of accidents at the corner of Park Place and Vanderbilt. How will the increase in traffic impact this dangerous intersection?

How will construction affect air quality at the Dean Street playground?

How will local manufacturing businesses on Dean Street be able to load and unload with the increase in traffic?

Someone pointed out earlier that the EIS consultant is hired by Forest City Ratner. It is in the interest of the consultant to do the most cursory study of the neighborhood, so it's up to us to get our concerns on record.

anonymous · September 2005

Subject: Atlantic Yards EIS

here's something different to think about After hurricane katrina revealed how well prepared we all are for emergencies and London's bombings showed what forms emergencies might take....

then think whether something as simple as specialized new fire equipment for the 20 high-rises coming to our low-rise boro to handle emergencies will be available.

or if our existing local hospitals & clinics could handle an emergency of any real size given the massive populatiion influx into this area this one project will generate...

or, about traffic lockdowns for elevated terror alerts (think Aug. 2004's total gridlock)... or vehicle searches before arena events...

or the added cost to the city of litigation as some percentage of the number of civil rights & other suits arising out the increased number of random (or otherwise) bag and/or body searches of Nets game attendees and those in the connected Atlantic Ave Station...

or the cost to someone - us taxpayers??? - when Federal Terrorism Insurance laws expire THIS YEAR!... That could be 30 years of 6 figure premiums.... that no is talking about!

you get the idea... think of other unintended consequences, this is when it might matter as an issue of public safety or undocumented cost, ecomonic or social!

help

Atlantic Yards Environmental Impact Study

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