Weekly Digest: Key Meeting on Project's Future Postponed; BrooklynSpeaks Starts Petition on Penalties
At 38 Sixth tower, new troubles (flood damage, lease riders); Nets' parent BSE Global talks of "Brooklyn DNA"
This digest offers a way to keep up with my Atlantic Yards/Pacific Park Report blog and my other coverage in this newsletter and elsewhere.
Last week, a scheduled meeting of the (purportedly) advisory Atlantic Yards Community Development Corporation (AY CDC) was expected to yield information about the future of the project.
Perhaps Empire State Development (ESD), the state authority that oversees/shepherds the project, would reveal that a pending joint venture led by Cirrus Real Estate Partners has been qualifies as a “permitted developer”—involving a partner with ten years of experience in complex projects—to develop the remaining seven (or eight) Atlantic Yards/Pacific Park parcels.
Also, according to the posted agenda, ESD was prepared to discuss the process of “public engagement” to add feedback and legitimacy to a project that has become a poster child for missed obligations, notably the failure to enforce $2,000/month in damages for each of the 876 affordable housing units (of 2,250) not delivered by May 31.
None of that happened, because the AY CDC—needing six of eleven members for a quorum—lost that quorum at the last minute.
As I argued, ESD still could have discussed the issues publicly, turning it into an informational meeting, not one requiring a vote. After all, progress behind the scenes—like Cirrus’s lobbying—continues.
A new petition
A few days after that, the coalition BrooklynSpeaks, as of now the main vector for public advocacy regarding the project, launched a petition to urge Gov. Kathy Hochul to enforce the penalties, which have been suspended as ESD waits for a new plan. From the explanation:
This money can be used to develop affordable housing now. And the public can have no confidence in any new plan for Atlantic Yards put forward by an agency that is not willing to hold developers accountable.
As of publication, the petition has 259 signatures. That would/should be more if the organizations in the coalition reached out to all their members and the elected officials that take their cue from BrooklynSpeaks publicized it.
Note: a key person behind BrooklynSpeaks and the petition is Gib Veconi of the Prospect Heights Neighborhood Development Council, who’s also an appointee to the AY CDC board. So let’s see if the petition gets discussed at the next AY CDC meeting, assuming it’s rescheduled.
It’s worth noting that former Deputy Mayor Alicia Glen told the Real Deal in late 2023 that the penalties should be upheld.
Who monitors the project?
BrooklynSpeaks has long advocated for a new governance structure for the remainder of the project.
While the form of governance deserves debate, it’s clear that not only does the public need a better way to monitor the obligations of the developer(s) and the state, it also needs to monitor the impacts of the project—both construction and arena events—and the performance of the project.
I reported last week on two examples of the latter.
A troubled building
It’s unclear how the city and state approved the “100% affordable” 38 Sixth Ave. tower without an on-site or nearby super, as I wrote.
The lack of such a super has hampered maintenance at the building, residents say, and the building’s troubles have gotten worse under a new owner, Avanath Capital Management.
While tenant and governmental pressure ultimately nudged improvement in hot water service and a non-functional front door, more recently residents have endured elevator outages—and some, apartment damages—after work by contractors caused a sprinkler flood that lasted some 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, Avanath, which professes to operate affordable housing as a win-win for investors and tenants, tried to add lease riders for mandatory arbitration and avoidance of class-action suits, then reversed itself after being told it was illegal in New York.
Worn open space
“Pacific Park”—the 2.7 acres of open space (of 8 acres, ultimately), currently limited to the southeast block of the project—has been challenged, as I wrote.
As my photo collage below shows, combining photos from Aug. 15, 2024 and April 25, 2025, the Main Lawn, between the two 595 Dean towers (B12-B13), had become remarkably worn in barely eight months.
While new maintenance ordered by the governing Pacific Park Conservancy has improved things, it’s not yet enough, as worn segments and yellowed patches persist, as the photo directly below shows.
The latter seems related to dog urine, a problem that likely requires more than signs urging people to keep their dogs off the lawn.
What’s the solution? Fences? Temporary open space to divert dogs to closed-off Pacific Street? Well, the Conservancy has the power, but it has done nothing to pursue public dialogue.
ESD should not simply be reporting secondhand what the conservancy does, but ensure more oversight and public dialogue.
From this newsletter
July 15: After Less Than One Year, "Pacific Park" Has Faced Significant Wear. As discussed above.
From Atlantic Yards/Pacific Park Report
July 14: How could 303-unit 38 Sixth Avenue open without an on-site super, but rather one 1,100+ feet away? Has it been out of compliance for eight years?
July 16: Atlantic Yards CDC advisory meeting cancelled for lack of a quorum, but the topics could've been/could be discussed publicly, right?
July 17: BSE Global CEO Zussman: Barclays Center should offer a "Brooklyn DNA-based experience." That’s a buzzword, but it shows how they’re doubling down on the professed Brooklyn “ecosystem” of sports, experiences, media, and more.
Zussman also says Joe and Clara Wu Tsai, who own the holding company that includes the arena company, the Brooklyn Nets, and the New York Liberty, are "long-term builders." Will New York State make them long-term taxpayers, since they’ve benefited from a tax-exempt site and tax-exempt financing to make huge profits?
July 18: After press conference and letter from elected officials, BrooklynSpeaks launches petition asking New York State to enforce penalties for missing affordable housing.
July 19: In latest city lobbying report, real estate firm Cirrus reports targeting Mayor's office, NYC EDC, and NYCHA. That suggests it's (also) looking beyond Atlantic Yards.
July 20: At 38 Sixth tower, new troubles: flooding leads to apartment damage, elevator outage; landlord Avanath pursues, then retracts, illegal lease riders.