Watching the Yards

When Brooklynites think of controversy what do we think of? Our pleasantly plump Borough President. No. Coney Island? Sometimes.

How about the infamous Atlantic Yards? Yes that's it. The controversial Atlantic Yards have been a development plague of sorts in Brooklyn for decades.

A railyard used by the Long Island Railroad, the Yards are located on the intersection of Flatbush Avenue and Atlantic Avenue. While the surrounding areas have been developed over the last 40 years by ATURA (Atlantic Terminal Urban Restoration Assocation) to include buildings (residential and commercial) and a revamping of the Atlantic Avenue transportation hub amongst other things, the Atlantic Yards have been left untouched.

Many plans have been proposed and shot down over the years. However, Brooklyn now seems to be on the verge of an Atlantic Yards plan that will reshape the face of the Prospect Heights and Brooklyn as a whole.

What Atlantic Watchdog strives to do is provide the public with the facts with the hopes of inspiring. As the situation grows more complex, it seems public outspokenness over the issue wanes. We cannot afford this.

It is up to us, the citizens of Brooklyn, to make a stand and ensure we are heard. That all opinions are weighed equally. The plan has moved forward with seemingly little regard for public opinion. It is the personal opinion of this blog that the public is being largely ignored and shafted by project heads.

But that's no excuse to give up. If you knock long enough, eventually someone has to listen. So for our first post let's give the a brief summary of where the situation stands today.

The plan today calls for the construction of a new arena to house the NBA'S New Jersey Net's on the Atlantic Yards site. It also calls for the construction of hotels and housing in surrounding area (see attached picture).

Fears about this plan are unending. Overcrowding, to traffic and safety concerns, to allegations of corporate and governmental misconduct. The expected rewards though, have some seeing dollar signs.

But the project, until recently was stalled due to a huge lack of financing. That when Russian Billionaire Mikhail Prokhorov swept in and invested hundreds of millions in project.

Things became even stickier here as yet another element was thrown in the Yards mix.

So we stand today with a proposed plan that reaches nearly into the billions cost-wise, massive problems including overcrowding and traffic, and a Russian billionaire that owns controlling shares of the N.J. Nets and the Atlantic Yards project. Whew.