Atlantic Yards Development ProjectPhoto by Sam Krueger
With the opening venue set for September 28th, 2012; the Barclay's Center is nearing completion in Atlantic Yards. This urban renewal project is well underway in the neighborhood of Prospect Heights in Brooklyn, New York. Prospect Heights is located in northwestern Brooklyn and defined by Flatbush Avenue to the west, Atlantic Avenue to the north, Eastern Parkway starting at Grand Army Plaza to the south and Washington Avenue to the east (Figure 1). The focal transit hub within this neighborhood is the Atlantic Terminal which sits adjacent to the Atlantic yards development project. 19th century brownstone architecture dominates the landscape. Prospect Heights is undergoing rapid architectural changes as a result of the demographic shift occurring throughout the gentrifying neighborhood. Modern condominiums are starting to intertwine the brownstone-style residential row housing units. Prospect Heights is an “evolving neighborhood that is also a blend of the old and the young, the established and the newcomers” (Plambeck, 2011). The flagship structure of the Barclays Center dominates the low rise structural landscape in downtown Brooklyn.
The Atlantic Yards development project is being constructed in one of the most transit-accessible locations in New York City. The Atlantic Avenue Terminal sits at the Northwest corner of the Barclays Center (Figure 1). Accessible by 11 subways and numerous bus lines, this transit station will easily facilitate the necessary pedestrian traffic that is expected to swarm the stadium and surrounding commercial plazas. Ever since the idea of Atlantic Yards became a reality in late 2003, the area has experienced an explosion of real estate buzz as brokers salivate over potential investments and high end development deals surrounding the Barclays Center. Plans for middle to high class residential apartments and commercial buildings have been planned for both phase I and phase II of the development. Many businesses and residential properties are being squeezed out by restaurants, bars, salons and big name superstores sizing up the potential property gold mines. The 4.9 billion dollar development project is causing a long anticipated boom in real estate values. Atlantic Yards is a development project that started back in 2003 when Bruce Ratner, CEO of the urban real estate mega giant Forest City Ratner purchased the New York Nets for 300 million dollars with the plan of moving the team to the Atlantic Yards in Brooklyn. Over the past 20 years, this area had been fenced off and laid vacant, furnishing an unattractive situation for residents of the community. The adjacency to the Atlantic Metro Terminal as well as the potential development of housing, parks and office space created the perfect opportunity for Ratner’s development plans. The focal structure of the Barclays Center will be the future home of the New Jersey Nets basketball team, the franchise will changing its name to the Brooklyn Nets after the 2012 season, Figure 2. This 19,000 seat multi-use sports arena will host concerts, hockey games, basketball games and an array of other entertainment venues. |
The focus of this project is on the uneven development of the Atlantic Yards, a project instigated by Bruce Ratner and designed by SHoP architects. Nick Desbiens, a 6 year resident of Prospect Heights works at Caliper Studios as an architect and served as our tour guide throughout our first day in NYC. Nick rents an apartment at the eastern edge of Grand Army Plaza and credits the new arena as being a “visual interest” to pedestrians and automobiles.
"I actually think SHoP has done rather well with an unbelievably difficult assignment. Large sports stadiums are really huge sheds. After Frank Gehry was let go, some very rough renderings by Ellerbe Becket (a Minneapolis firm) were released. They were lambasted by architects, designers and the public because they didn't seem to go beyond the shed in their form and massing. SHoP's design, while betraying a markedly early-2000s design aesthetic, at least uses the shed's wrapper as a way of breaking down the large scale of the building and creating varying visual interest to pedestrians and automobiles. I find the contemporary techniques employed to address these issues of scale infinitely more interesting than the historicist pastiches that have been wrapped around the new stadiums for both the Yankees and the Mets. I'll be interested to see if the building is ultimately embraced by the city or not. I think we'll know once it earns a few nicknames." -Nick Desbiens When completed, Atlantic Yards will encompass 22 acres of prime real estate in downtown Brooklyn and include 8 million square feet of apartments, offices, stores and of course, The Barclays Center sports arena (Chang, 2011). The 4.9 billion dollar development will tower awkwardly amongst the surrounding historic low-rise architecture. Steady financing has allowed the Atlantic Yards project to move forward unlike many other rebuilding projects throughout the boroughs in New York City. There are always two sides to every story and this controversial project has clearly defined issues on both. Supporters of the development project, mainly commercial property owners, see Atlantic Yards as a huge benefit to business profits and longevity. The hype has brought new eateries and entertainment options to Prospect Heights. A sense of urban renewal and revitalization is occurring at unprecedented rates. A further benefit of the development includes the generation of jobs and hundreds of millions of dollars in new tax revenue. The Atlantic Yards development plan has reserved 30% of its housing apartments for low to middle income families; a measure meant to combat the effects of the Real Estate Gold Rush. A greater indepth analysis of the affordable housing issue in Atlantic Yards can be found in the Field Research subpage. Critics of the Atlantic Yards development project argue that the use of eminent domain is condemning large quantities of historic properties in route of making way for high rise apartments that will tower over the low rise landscape of downtown Brooklyn. Residential opponents further see traffic, parking, noise, people and pollution as major causes of concern. The overwhelming question however revolves around property values; not if gentrification will occur but to what extent. Commercial and residential properties surrounding the Atlantic Yards development could see up to a trifold increase in their real estate values. Critics fear that the development will “transform surrounding neighborhoods prized for their street of tree-lined brownstones and low-key living” (Berger, 2012). The following subpages will address the issues currently facing renters, owners and real estate brokers as individuals attempt to strike gold in the real estate rush in Prospect Heights. |
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Sources
Plambeck, Jospeh. "Tucked Between Passed and Future in Brooklyn." Http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/17/realestate/17living.html?_r=3&partner=rss&emc=rss. New York Times, 14 Apr. 2011. Web. 15 Apr. 2012.
Lee, Chang. "Atlantic Yards (Brooklyn)." Http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/subjects/a/atlantic_yards_brooklyn/index.html. New York Times, 17 Apr. 2012. Web. 20 Apr. 2012.
Berger, Joeseph. "Impact of Atlantic Yards,for Good or Ill, Is Already Felt." Http://www.lib.ncsu.edu/citationbuilder/cite.php?source=newspaper. New York Times, 16 Apr. 2012. Web. 25 Apr. 2012.
Desbien, Nick. Personal Interview. April 24, 2012.
Cover Photo by Sam Krueger
Lee, Chang. "Atlantic Yards (Brooklyn)." Http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/subjects/a/atlantic_yards_brooklyn/index.html. New York Times, 17 Apr. 2012. Web. 20 Apr. 2012.
Berger, Joeseph. "Impact of Atlantic Yards,for Good or Ill, Is Already Felt." Http://www.lib.ncsu.edu/citationbuilder/cite.php?source=newspaper. New York Times, 16 Apr. 2012. Web. 25 Apr. 2012.
Desbien, Nick. Personal Interview. April 24, 2012.
Cover Photo by Sam Krueger