Tuesday, April 10, 2007

Sunset Over Atlantic Yards

Trick question- sort of: find the two things wrong with the title of this post!! I can't decide if this shot works better with the focus on the fence or the focus on the background, so here's both. Booya:
1. The sun is not actually setting over the train yards- it's behind you from this viewpoint. That bright thing on the right is just a nasty reflection! I probably should have tried to block it out a bit with the links from the fence but hindsight is 20/20 I guess.

2. It's not actually Atlantic Yards. Wait- what? It will be Atlantic Yards. Maybe. Well, probably. It's currently the MTA/LIRR's Vanderbilt Yards and is the probable future site of Bruce Ratner's Atlantic Yards project, which will include 16 buildings of up to 58 stories tall and a new arena for the future Brooklyn Nets- pending approval of course.
The area visible in these photos, including the buildings at left, represents by my really rough calculations about 1/9th of the total project area. A project this large is obviously going to be open to great public scrutiny, which is why I used so many hesitant adjectives in the preceding paragraph as the project is currently mired in lawsuits over a variety of issues.

Velvet Sea is currently in favor of developing the site but against the general height and bulk of the towers as proposed. I am against the use of eminent domain to confiscate properties for this project unless the developer can prove that it is absolutely necessary to make it economically viable and there is significant benefit to the general public (I'm leaving the definition of significant benefit purposely vague for now). I feel the developer has been less than forthcoming with much of the information and therefore causing himself to appear underhanded and shady. Meanwhile I feel the opponents are doing themselves a disservice by attempting to harp on some really ridiculous points, making themselves seem less credible in the process, despite their valid arguments.

Form your own opinion- everyone's doing it! Here's the developer's site and here's a major opponent's site. Get informed, it's Brooklyn and New York's future at stake.