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Land Use | News from the Land Use Committee, Contact - Jo Anne Simon, simon.joanne@verizon.net |
The Boerum Hill neighborhood is vastly underserved in terms of open space, with less than one-fifth of the recommended public open space for a NYC neighborhood. Given that the neighborhood is largely built out, there are few available sites for future open space acquisition. With high-density residential development slated for the northern portion of the neighborhood between Atlantic Avenue and Livingston Street and the potential rezoning to residential around Gowanus, the neighborhood faces a significant increase in residents, which will place further burden on its limited park resources. The report explores the neighborhood's open space needs and suggests key strategies to pursue to augment the quality and amount of open space in the community. Major concepts include 1) expansion of Sixteen Sycamores; 2) improvement of the PS 261 Playground; and 3) creation of a Central Park in Gowanus. To learn more, download the report.
This report was commissioned by the Boerum Hill Association in 2004 with funds from the JM Kaplan Fund. It was produced by the planning firm of Phillips, Preiss, Shapiro and Associates.
Download Report (1.9MB PDF)
DOCUMENT TITLE: PRINCIPLES FOR RESPONSIBLE COMMUNITY
DEVELOPMENT ON THE VANDERBILT RAIL YARDS
SECTION 1: BACKGROUND
In 2003, residents of Brooklyn heard for the first time that Forest City Ratner Companies (FCRC) was making development plans for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s (MTA’s) rail yards at Atlantic Avenue and for several surrounding blocks - an area totaling some 23 acres of land. Subsequently, neighborhood and civic groups affected by the proposed development met to discuss the FCRC proposal and the potential of the
367,000 SF (8.4 acre) rail yards for development.
At the Boerum Hill Association's June 15, 2005 meeting at the Belarusian Church, architect Douglas Hamilton presented his Pacific Plan to the Boerum Hill community and answered questions afterwards.
You can view his full presentation here (HTML).
In addition, Mr. Hamilton distributed copies of his testimony (PDF, 199KB) to the Economic Development Committee, and his editorial "The Farce Is With Us" (PDF, 124KB) regarding the MTA RFP (Request For Proposal) process for Atlantic Yards.
The UNITY Development Plan is an alternative to Forest City Ratner's proposal for the Atlantic Yards site. The Boerum Hill Association is cosponsoring a presentation of the UNITY Plan at the YWCA on Wed, Feb. 16th at 7pm.
The evening's agenda will feature urban designer Marshall Brown presenting the UNITY Plan, a review of the efforts to develop the railyards to date, and an analysis of the potential economic impact on taxpayers of Forest City Ratner's Atlantic Yards proposal.
What is the UNITY Development Plan?
The UNITY Plan is a community-based development vision for the Atlantic Yards site. Hundreds of people from the neighborhoods surrounding the site (bounded by Atlantic Ave., Pacific St., 5th Ave. and Vanderbilt Ave. in Prospect Heights) gathered last spring to generate ideas about how the site might best be developed to the advantage of all Brooklynites. People broke into small groups to generate ideas, fed their ideas into the larger group, and architect Marshall Brown volunteered to work out a real plan based on the community's vision. You can download a copy of the UNITY Development Plan at
http://www.dddb.net/public/UNITY.pdf
In short, the UNITY plan epitomizes community-based, bottom-up, organic development. It is both a development *process* as well as the development *product* and may be contrasted with the kind of top-down plan that the Forest City Ratner Corporation (FCRC) is seeking to impose upon the community.
Why haven't I heard about the UNITY Development Plan before now?
FCRC is obviously interested only in their own plan.
People who have seen the UNITY plan have been highly supportive of it. We think you will be, too. The local Community Boards, in their reactive roles, have not fostered much discussion of the UNITY plan, so this is a good opportunity to learn about it. The FCRC plan has been presented in all the papers and in several community forums, but there has been little public opportunity for discussion of the UNITY Plan.
Why should I care about either the UNITY Development Plan or the FCRC plan?
Both plans have the potential to impact all of the surrounding communities in many ways. We think the UNITY plan's effects will be largely positive, while the FCRC plan has the potential to affect the community in a number of adverse ways. Ultimately, however, we believe that there should be a more open process, and more public debate, about the future of the railyards. Come find out more about the existing plans, and lend your voice to the process.
BOERUM HILL ASSOCIATION SEEKS CONSULTANT TO HELP PLAN OPEN SPACE
As announced in early June, the Boerum Hill Association was awarded a $20,000 grant by the J.M. Kaplan Fund to support the Association's proposal, Opening up Downtown Brooklyn’s Residential Community: A proposal for the Creation of Open Space in Boerum Hill.
On September 30th the Association issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) to engage the services of a consultant to assist the community in identifying sites which might become available for use as open space and to begin to identify a community process for determining programmatic solutions to this problem.
Read the full press release here (PDF format)
Download the RFP here (MS Word format)
For Immediate Release
Brooklyn, June 8, 2004
For More Information:
Sue Wolfe 718 858-3822, ext. 100
Atlantic Yards: Forest City Ratner Mailer to Community Constitutes False and Misleading Advertisement
Boerum Hill Association Calls for Inquiry by Department of Consumer Affairs, Better Business Bureau, and New York State Attorney General's Office
Forest City Ratner's recent glossy brochure in support of the proposed "Atlantic Yards" development project, mailed to residents throughout Brooklyn, constitutes false and misleading advertising, the Boerum Hill Association (BHA) said today.
"The brochure makes all kinds of fanciful – but purely hypothetical and entirely unverified - claims about the benefits the Atlantic Yards will bring to our community. It includes absolutely no information about the size and height of the 17 buildings that will actually make up this mega-complex, not to mention even one word about their environmental impact," said Sarah Leah Whitson, BHA board member and former President. "The brochure then tries to lure residents to 'support‘ the project by returning a vaguely-worded postage-paid postcard in exchange for a mystery Nets ‘souvenir'! Because the postcard is preprinted to indicate support for the project, with no option for dissent, Ratner can claim each returned card as a vote of support even if ‘I oppose this project' is written on every one.
The glossy, color brochure, filled with photos of laughing children and parents, has not a single photo of the proposed development. Instead, it merely claims, among other things, that the Atlantic Yards will bring "10,000 new, permanent jobs" – a highly contested claim for which no verifiable evidence has been offered to date. The brochure prominently displays the New York Times logo in large font, quoting favorable segments of an article from the newspaper. It then lists vague statements of support for the project from local elected officials, and then invites readers to "Send back this card and receive a free Brooklyn Nets Souvenir!" The self-addressed, bar-code stamped postcard includes a declaration of support for the Atlantic Yards, with space for the sender's name and email address. The identity of Forest City Ratner as the project developer is entirely absent.
"It's pretty unbelievable – pretty reprehensible, actually – that Ratner would use such a slick piece of advertising to drum up evidence of support for his project," said Whitson. "A responsible developer – in compliance with the spirit of New York State laws prohibiting false advertising and deceptive practices - would have included real facts about its proposed project"
New York law states that any advertising which is misleading in any material respect is considered to be false advertising. An advertisement is considered misleading if it fails to disclose facts which are important in light of what is stated in the advertisement, or facts which are relevant in the light of the circumstances of the advertisement. The law also requires an advertiser to disclose its true name and address.
"It's pretty clear to us that Forest City Ratner's mailer constitutes false advertising under this standard of law, and we are going to seek whatever remedies are available to us under the law," stated Sue Wolfe, president of the BHA. "We've been absolutely deluged with complaints and expressions of outrage from residents." The BHA plans to file complaints with the Department of Consumer Affairs, the Better Business Bureau and the New York State Attorney General's office.
"We are increasingly left with the impression that Ratner has no interest in real community dialogue about his project – a project that will substantially change the face of our neighborhood," stated Wolfe. We've gotten no meaningful response from the Ratner people to our numerous attempts to reach out and communicate about what residents really want. Instead, we get a naked public relations ploy to hoodwink residents into expressing their support for this controversial project."
"Instead of spending all this money on this kind of misleading – and very upsetting – advertising, Ratner should be engaging in serious discussions about how to make this project work. We know how to cooperate with developers; we are experienced in collaborative growth throughout our neighborhood. It's deeply dismaying to us that Ratner chooses to resort to this kind of end-run around what should be a consultative process," stated Wolfe. "We look forward to engaging in such a process with them."
Dear Boerum Hill Association Member:
Boerum Hill needs your help and your voice.
As you have probably heard, the City of New York is proposing an intensive redevelopment of Downtown Brooklyn.
The Boerum Hill Association supports revitalization, BUT the "Downtown Brooklyn Plan" is only half a plan. It does not address the impact of thousands of new residents, workers and visitors on the surrounding brownstone neighborhoods, including Brooklyn Heights, regarding traffic mitigations, improvements to mass transit, or creation of open space. Nor does the plan provide for preservation of any of Downtown Brooklyn's historic buildings.
The plan, now undergoing public review by the City Planning Commission and City Council, anticipates 6 million square feet of new office, retail and residential space between Atlantic and Tillary, and from Boerum Place to east of Flatbush Ave. This does not even include the arena project, which could bring an additional 7.6 million sq. ft. of new construction, and will be separately reviewed.
The BHA has joined with other community groups to form the "Downtown Brooklyn Coalition". Together we are asking the Mayor to sign our "Contract with the Community" to protect our neighborhoods. (see http://www.boerumhillbrooklyn.org/archives/000024.html for a copy of the Contract and Community Statement of Needs which list the Coalition groups.) Other community groups are also asking their members and residents to write the Mayor.
We are calling for specific steps – which are described in the attached Word document – to address traffic, mass transit, open space, preservation and zoning.
Please let Mayor Bloomberg, City Council Speaker Gifford Miller, and City Council Land Use Chair Melinda Katz know how you think the plan could be improved. As we have learned in the past (e.g.: last year's Office of Emergency Management proposals), letters, faxes and phone calls from citizens can make a real difference! So please take a minute to take action as described below. Your voice is urgently needed.
You may download the letter here and customize it yourself before printing it.
Sincerely,
Sue Wolfe
President
Jo Anne Simon
Chair, Land Use Committee
The Boerum Hill Association has joined with other civic and merchant groups representing the areas surrounding downtown Brooklyn. Together we have drafted a "Contract with the Community" which seeks the City's acknowledgment of the surrounding residential neighborhoods' integral relationship with the commercial core; our need for safety and mobility within and among our communities; and stresses that the surrounding communities support development that makes sense — development that respects the scale and character of downtown Brooklyn and its communities.
We have called upon the Mayor to commit to promoting and engaging in development that makes sense. We have made clear that we welcome any opportunity to work with the City to improve this Plan. Click to read the Contract with the Community and its accompanying Community Statement of Needs. The Statement of Needs does not ask for items which have already been committed to by government.
We strongly believe that by working together with others, we can achieve a better result for Boerum Hill. The Contract with the Community and the Community Statement of Needs represent the first time in memory that all ten of the neighborhoods/organizations endorsing the Contract have spoken together with one voice. It is an empowering moment for all concerned communities.
The Boerum Hill Association supports sensible and sensitive development for the Atlantic Avenue rail yards site. Therefore, we must oppose the Atlantic Yards development proposal ("the Proposal") as presented for the following reasons:
The Boerum Hill Association is committed to cooperating with the neighboring communities to further educate our neighborhood about the Proposal and to be a voice for development that makes sense – not only for Downtown Brooklyn, but for Brooklyn as a whole.
Download PDF version of press release and position statement
On February 10, 2004 the Boerum Hill Association issued a statement expressing its opposition to the Atlantic Yards Development Proposal as presented -- the construction of a 20,000 seat arena, 4 office towers ranging from 210 feet to 620 feet, 13 residential complexes ranging from 110 feet to 452 feet, and several surrounding retail buildings. The site of the proposal extends over several blocks southeast from the intersection of Atlantic and Flatbush Avenues, and is almost immediately adjacent to Boerum Hill.
"Our position in opposition to the Proposal is one we have reached after careful deliberation about the Proposal, studying both the information provided by the developer and those in support of the Proposal, as well as those who oppose it," explained Sue Wolfe, BHA president. "The task force we appointed to study the Proposal has spent the past five months examining all of the competing claims as well as information that has been learned from similar development projects."
Jo Anne Simon, head of the BHA task force examining the Proposal, explained the basis for the group's opposition. "We don't believe the magnitude and scale of this project, which is much more than an arena -- it includes over 20 additional buildings, many over 400 feet tall -- is appropriate for this location. Quite frankly, it is overwhelming, and would dwarf the surrounding residential neighborhoods and landmarks. After all, there's a reason for the revival of the residential neighborhoods in this area of Brooklyn, and it has a lot to do with scale. This Proposal is antithetical to the success of Brooklyn's small businesses and family-friendly communities."
The Association's review found many ways in which the Proposal was deficient. For example, it fails to include a full analysis of its environmental, economic and social impacts as well as a thorough accounting of the necessary infrastructure costs – in terms of mass transit, traffic, schools, police, fire, water and sewers – or who will bear such costs.
"We oppose any use of eminent domain or public financing for this project; unfortunately, the Proposal is vague, perhaps deliberately so, about the extent to which it will rely on either. It includes claims about the job and revenue growth to be generated, but it lacks hard facts and analysis. Our study of other arenas has shown us that such claims are rarely borne out, and that in many instances, actually lead to a community's economic and social decline," stated Ms. Wolfe. "People need real jobs, not fuzzy math."
Ms. Simon notes, "We are very supportive of development, but only if it makes sense and is vetted in advance by the communities that will house it, as part of a broader process of meaningful public participation. The developer of the Atlantic Yards Proposal has failed to discuss its plans with the stakeholders who will be most affected by the Proposal: members of the neighboring communities. This Proposal or any future iterations of it must be reviewed together with the Brooklyn Downtown Rezoning Plan; an examination of each separately will lead to inaccurate assessments about the effects and costs they will have on the area and its people."
Ms. Wolfe concurred. "We are committed to cooperating with neighboring communities to further educate our neighborhoods about the Proposal. " she said. "We are experienced in working with developers to make sure our voices are heard and our needs incorporated, and you can be sure we're going to be actively involved in this case."
The Boerum Hill Association Arena Task Force consists of Jo Anne Simon, chair, Heloise Gruneberg, Regina Kelly, Nancy Schuh, Patricia Smith, James Vogel, Rose Weber and Sue Wolfe. For further information, please contact Jo Anne Simon at (718) 852-3528 or Sue Wolfe at (718) 858-3822, Ext 100.
Download PDF version of press release and position statement
The Boerum Hill Association actively participates in Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz's Hoyt-Schermerhorn Community Task Force. This Task Force was established by then Borough President Howard Golden to encourage community input in the redevelopment of three sites that were under the jurisdiction of the New York State Empire State Development Corporation (ESDC). The three sites front along Smith and Schermerhorn Streets from Atlantic Avenue to Bond Street. Members of this Task Force authored a report to ESDC entitled "Recommendations on the Development and Re-use of the Hoyt Schermerhorn Sites" dated March 30, 1999. Download file
Developers were selected for each site, with two already sold to the designated developer, with the third sale expected to be completed by the spring of 2004. Soon after the developers were selected, subcommittees of the Task Force were established to facilitate ongoing community input with each development team.
The full task force meets on an as-needed basis and subcommittees of each site will meet with development teams as necessary to provide updates and allow input until the projects are all completed.
The purpose of the BHA Land Use Committee is to advocate for progressive,
environmentally responsible methods of development which is nevertheless
mindful of neighborhood character and the historic nature of the area,
especially our historic district, through the following activities:
* Identify opportunities for proactive community based planning and development in Boerum Hill
* Participate in Environmental Impact Statement and other public land use processes in connection with proposed transportation and land use projects.
* Communicate with elected officials as necessary.
* Work to expand the boundaries of the Boerum Hill Historic District and to educate resident sand merchants about the value of historic preservation
* Encourage the development and use of green technology in new and adaptive re-use projects in Boerum Hill and Downtown Brooklyn
* Attend meetings of local and regional groups involved in planning and landmarking, and report on issues of interest to Boerum Hill residents via
egroup and newsletter.
* Cooperate with Traffic and Transportation Committee to identify transportation proposals and their possible effects on Boerum Hill.
* Liaise with neighboring civic, business and community based organizations on issues of mutual concern