Additional details of proposed changes to the Atlantic Yards project emerged in March, including a request by developers Cirrus and LCOR for $350 million in new public subsidy for platform construction. Under the original agreement approved in 2009, it was understood that the project would be responsible for self-financing the the platforms. The developers also stated that the first phase of construction would include only a maximum of 500 low- and very low-income apartments, less than half of the 1,031 such apartments remaining to be provided under the terms of a 2005 affordable housing MOU.

In response, on March 30 six elected officials who represent districts overlapping the project area wrote to Governor Kathy Hochul expressing concern with what has been proposed so far. State Senator Jabari Brisport, Assembly Members Jo Anne Simon and Phara Souffrant Forrest, Brooklyn Borough President Antonion Reynoso, and City Council Members Crystal Hudson and Shahana Hanif asked the Governor ensure the following conditions are met with respect to affordable housing:

"The State must ensure the project provides the missing 1,031 affordable apartments for extremely low- to low-income New Yorkers committed under the 2005 affordable housing MOU from the existing approved project density, before factoring in affordable apartments to be committed in exchange for additional density that Cirrus and LCOR are seeking.

"At least thirty-five percent (35%) of additional housing from any increase in density that Cirrus and LCOR are seeking must be offered to households earning an average of 60% of AMI with at least 10% of the units offered at 40% of AMI or below. This affordability is consistent with New York City’s Mandatory Inclusionary Housing (MIH) program which was adopted as part of neighborhood rezonings in Gowanus and along Atlantic Avenue recently approved under the City’s ULURP process. The additional affordable housing at these AMI levels should be delivered in the early phase and completed at least in proportion to market rate and workforce housing, not held until the end of the modified plan.

On March 16, Empire State Development (ESD) released its draft findings from an online survey and three community engagement meetings intended to gather public input on proposed changes to the Atlantic Yards project. The findings will be presented at a final online public workshop to be held this Thursday, March 19 from 6:30-8:00PM. We encourage you to attend and let your voice be heard.

Here are our take-aways from the draft report:

The median annual income of most participants and respondents was more than $150K.

That’s important, because the report purports to show a large majority of the public favors affordable housing for moderate and middle income earners. It’s true the median income of participants tracks with the median income of Prospect Heights, which has risen over 40% from gentrification during the years since Atlantic Yards was approved. However, moderate and middle income levels make up only about 7% of the more than one million rent-burdened households in New York City.

• Shouldn’t Atlantic Yards’ housing address the much larger population of low- and very low-income households struggling to pay their rent, including those displaced from the neighborhoods surrounding the project since its approval?

A virtual panel discussion

City and State governments increasingly rely on public-private development partnerships to provide public goods such as affordable housing, open space, and job creation. Yet, recent experience with approved projects like Penn Station and Atlantic Yards, as well as questions about proposed projects like the Brooklyn Marine Terminal, raise concerns about major development projects not meeting their stated public commitments.

On December 15, we assembled an expert panel to discuss why it has been difficult to realize commitments for public benefits from government-sponsored development projects, and what can be done to improve outcomes in the future. Their experience and insight can help ensure mistakes of the past are not repeated in the next phase of Atlantic Yards. You're invited to listen to the discussion on our YouTube channel.