thenextbesthang

Apparently, with enough rentable housing units to equal the two world trade centers, the net impact on the brooklyn neighborhoods surrounding the atlantic yards in terms of:
pollution
traffic
emergency response times

would be negligible.


Hmm....who got paid off here?

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davideyoung

What you expound a bit? What specifically are you refering to happening?

thenextbesthang

The proposal to bring the new jersey nets to 'brooklyn'?

davideyoung

Could you expound a bit more, and explain what exactly the proposal you speak of is, and maybe a link to the story?

GeckoInf

Where did you hear this? I'll take your word for it if you say you saw it on TV or something but if you have a link I'd love to read it.

thenextbesthang

This is the website saying the purposes of the atlantic yards from the developer's point of view:
http://www.atlanticyards.com

This is the website of the anti-atlantic yards group, those opposed to the arena's move

http://dddb.net/php/aboutdddb.php

Essentially, here is the situation:
- In downtown brookyln, there is a rail yards, and a neighborhood (prospect heights) which has a few small businesses and some houses. Bruce ratnerm profile seen here
http://www.nndb.com/people/833/000052677/

is a billionaire real-estate mogul. He and a few people championed the idea that on this railyards, and immediate surrounding buildings/businesses, there should be a mega development. Bear in mind - these numbers are situated in a neighborhood where the tallest building is 30 stories or so tall, and the top 20 are really small (formerly the williamsburg savings bank, hsbc). That building is the tallest by...a good 10 - 15 stories or so. It is also a trademark brooklyn building, seen here:
http://www.bridgeandtunnelclub.com/b...urgh/index.htm

The proposed atlantic yards:
- 22 acres, with 17 buildings and occupies an area over seven-square blocks
(6.79 million square feet of residential space) - Over 6,800 housing units
- 850,000 square foot sports and entertainment arena
- 247,000 square feet of retail space
- 165,000 square foot hotel (180 rooms)
- The height of the buildings will range from approximately 184 feet to 620 feet, or 19 to 58 stories. "Miss Brooklyn," the building proposed for the corner of Flatbush and Atlantic Avenues, will be the tallest at 620 feet. As a comparison, the nearby Williamsburgh Savings Bank stands at 512 feet

As you can see...it will essentially consume the brooklyn skyline.

On the other hand, people view this as excessive. People, like me, think that the atlantic yards, in its current state, is nothing more then an attempt to create hyper-density in downtown brooklyn (flatbush, one of the most used avenues in brooklyn, is almost in perpetual gridlock now). It will increase traffic, emergency response times, health hazzards, parking problems, and strain social services. Out of the 6800 units given for housing, only 2000 or so will be affordable income housing (that being 30% of a standard salary). It will require the state to condemn private property via the use of EMINENT DOMAIN - and this use is morally / constitutionally wrong in my opinion.

There has been an environmental plan done on the area, which concluded that it would not effect traffic, health problems, emergency vehicles response times, parking, etc. This study was financed by Bruce Ratner.

What else do you need to know?

ilikeGW

I absolutely love this bank. It's gorgeous, inside and out.

So much is slated to happen along the river and the railyards in Brooklyn, that the nabes have been fighting each other for years. They started rehabbing it (the piers in Greenpoint) about 20 years ago and it's slowly making progress. Buildings are getting taller and taller with each new developer. These buildings are also forcing people out. Apartments are being sold for $875,000 to $2 million in places where there was once rent stablized buildings. If you ask me, it's nothing but greedy bastids trying to turn Brooklyn into Manhattan.

thenextbesthang

prospect heights is considered blighted - where a lot of the people are upper middle class!

ilikeGW

Oh you have no idea!! Greenpoint is now turning out to be more expensive than some parts of Manhattan!!!!

When my mother was in the hospital back in 1993 in Downtown Brooklyn, we used to get off the train one stop before Fulton and the brownstones were going for $300,000 - $400,000 then, now it's like $700,000 to ONE MILLION!

Carroll Gardens is another place that is changing and becoming yuppified.

Even parts of Bushwick, near Woodhull hospital, a real shithole, there are houses (one and two familes) going for $500,000.

I'd have to win millions just to move back home!