New York, NY –
A draft environmental review of the proposed Atlantic Yards arena high rise project finds the massive development would have little impact on the environment or city services. WNYC's Andrea Bernstein reports.
REPORTER: The 4000 report finds the 16 high rises and Nets arena would have a negligible effect on air pollution, parking, sanitation, sewage, mass transit, or police and fire response times. Opponents reacted with disbelief, arguing that tens of thousands of new residents and sports fans would leave more of a footprint.
But developer Forest City Ratner's Jim Stuckey says the design took potential problems in account.
STUCKY: Here, what we did, what the state did is work very hard to basically use the document as a way of appropriately planning the project to get rid of impacts before they occur.
REPORTER: The report does say the project will eventually require a new school, notes that it will block views of the Williamsburg bank building, and that it will cast shadow over the stained glass windows of an historic church. And it says the traffic congestion could be worsened -- but can be eased with wider roads and transit incentives.The state has scheduled a hearing on the project in late august and it could vote to approve it this fall. Legal challenges are all but certain.
Award–winning journalist Andrea Bernstein is the Director of the public radio Transportation Nation project, a partnership with WNYC, The Takeaway, Marketplace, WAMU (Washington, DC), WMFE (Orlando), KUHF (Houston), YPR (Montana and Wyoming), and KALW (San Francisco). She is also a regular guest–host on the Brian Lehrer show.
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