The Atlantic Yards design, unveiled today by the developer Forest City Ratner, faces opponents with a different vision for Brooklyn. NY Times
By NICHOLAS CONFESSORE
Published: May 11, 2006
From across the room, the new plastic-and-wood model of Brooklyn's proposed Atlantic Yards project — unveiled by the developer Forest City Ratner at a news conference today — looked a lot like the old one sitting a few feet away: A 22-acre swathe of glass, brick and metal towers that will loom over the surrounding neighborhoods and forever alter the borough's otherwise sparse skyline.
But in an hourlong presentation, Frank Gehry, the project's architect, and Laurie Olin, its landscape designer, emphasized details that they said would harmonize the project's scale with the neighborhoods it would border. They described shorter and thinner buildings on Dean Street, where the project abuts a mostly low-rise neighborhood, extensive use of glass walls at street level, and what Mr. Olin described as "the biggest stoop in Brooklyn," a sort of public porch planned for the southeast corner of Flatbush and Atlantic.
"It still feels like Brooklyn," Mr. Olin said.
But Mr. Gehry, Mr. Olin and Forest City Ratner officials made clear that the developer and its opponents still have vastly different visions of what, exactly, Brooklyn should feel like, at least in this corner of the borough, where the bustling downtown commercial district shades into a quiet, tree-lined neighborhood of brownstones.
"They should've been picketing Henry Ford," Mr. Gehry said today, dismissing critics who oppose high-density development in the borough. "There is progress everywhere. There is a constant change. The issue is how to manage it."
Opponents of the project have criticized the height and scale of Mr. Gehry's designs, among other issues, and the possible use of eminent domain to make room for them. They have backed alternative plans for the site, including proposals by rival developers that would include mostly low-rise buildings and would not require eminent domain. (Forest City Ratner is the development partner of The New York Times Company in building its new Midtown headquarters, a project that itself involved government condemnation of private property.)
Daniel Goldstein, a spokesman for Develop Don't Destroy Brooklyn, which opposes the project, said the new design "puts a Gehry sheen on top of repudiated 1960's-style urban renewal. It's still way too big, and does not change the fact of 16 skyscrapers slammed on top of and next to low-rise, historic neighborhoods."
Mr. Goldstein also criticized Mr. Gehry for declining to meet with residents of the communities surrounding the proposed site. The project "remains an urban planning disaster," he said, because "Mr. Gehry and Mr. Ratner continue to ignore the community."
Today's carefully-orchestrated presentation — Junior's, the famed Brooklyn cheesecake mecca, catered breakfast — came amid one of the most contentious periods yet of what has been a two-and-a-half year battle over the Atlantic Yards, which would be the largest Brooklyn real estate development in decades.
The Empire State Development Corporation, which is sponsoring the project, is in the midst of a state-mandated review of its potential environmental impacts, the final result of which is almost certain to be the subject of legal action. Today, the Council of Brooklyn Neighborhoods, an association of about 40 Brooklyn community groups, announced that it had hired Phillips Preiss Shapiro Associates, a real estate planning firm, to conduct an independent review of the pending study.
12 Comments
this project just gets worse and worse. it looks like a new york five mash up!
shit, put a pair of mouse ears on the top and charge a $50 entry fee.
it looks like the newyork new york casino in Las Vegas. haha. good luck Brooklyn
no doubt mhollenstein. we now know where frank got his inspiration.
of course the design sucks but oh well. Forget listening to the people who know nothing about architecture and are anti progressive. Well they should be listened to but also told that this is it. skyscrapers and higher density. I think it's a great center piece.
gahaha... what an obvious curve ball. bunch of units and and a baseball love... gahaha. whata pitch.
i can see run lola run circling the condostadium...
potsdamer platz 2 the sequel? I feel ya!
There is a short video of the presentation here: http://www.ny1.com/ny1/content/index.jsp?stid=1&aid=59342
(via dezain http://www.dezain.net)
“There is progress. There's constant change. People aren't riding around on horseback anymore.†said Gehry.
"It is not the progress we are fighting, its your ugly and developer dictated/pleased buildings we don't like Mr. Gehry. Come back when you understand Brooklyn culture, and just don't say you are still 'trying' to understand, a dozen of clusterfuck buildings later" said a neighborhood resident.
~~~~
i think above is true...
hah. oh that is beautiful.
no seriously !! .. what is that !!??? .. are they playing around ?? .. sorry to sound so critical .. but that's just a joke !!...
sorta reminds me of a city design I did in my arts and crafts period in 5th grade !!
nostalgia is king !!
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