Brennan to Push for More Atlantic Yards Parking
Assemblymember Jim Brennan plans to introduce legislation to force Barclays Center developer Bruce Ratner to provide more parking.
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Those already drafting their contingency plans for a parking nightmare once Barclays Center opens may soon have something to look forward to.
While the Department of Transportation is still only “considering” residential parking permits to cope with the impending parking pain once the 18,000-seat arena opens for the 2012 basketball season, Assemblymember Jim Brennan is drafting his own plan to keep game-goers from taking up precious neighborhood parking spaces.
Brennan is gearing up to introduce legislation that would “compel Ratner to provide more parking,” he said last week.
Brennan said that the 1,100 parking spaces Atlantic Yards developer Bruce Ratner plans to provide for the arena is insufficient given the size of the space. Residents have long worried that on game days, parking in the neighborhood will be nearly impossible and have pressed the city to initiate residential parking permits.
“We’re going to force them to provide more off-street parking,” said Brennan. “There is no reason that Forest City Ratner should be allowed to not provide parking.”
According to an aide from Brennan’s office, the legislation is still “very preliminary” and will require significant research before it proceeds.
Eric McClure
2:41 pm on Wednesday, July 6, 2011
This is an absolutely awful idea. Providing more parking will only encourage more people to drive, creating even more congestion and gridlock. This arena shouldn't have any parking at all -- wasn't that the idea of building it adjacent to a transit hub?
Here's an excellent distillation of the problem with oversupply of parking: http://www.connectnorwalk.com/wp-content/uploads/The-High-Cost-of-Free-Parking.pdf
Jo Grossman
5:35 pm on Thursday, July 7, 2011
Unfortunately, common sense is not so common. No parking at all makes much more sense if this awful project is to go through!
Jo Grossman
Park Sloperstein
3:17 pm on Wednesday, July 6, 2011
“There is no reason that Forest City Ratner should be allowed to not provide parking.”
Actually, Jim Brennan, there are a number of very good reasons why all of the local civic groups around the new arena have publicly stated that they want as little parking as possible. More parking = more driving. Period.
If you want to guarantee that lots of people drive to the arena on game nights, then supply plenty of parking. If you want to guarantee that few people drive to the arena on game nights, then choke off the parking supply and create incentives for people to use transit.
Jim: You are wildly out-of-touch on this issue. Community groups have stated very clearly: We want residential parking permits and an extremely limited on-site parking supply at this new arena. This is the way to ensure less gridlock, pollution and cruising for parking on our neighborhood streets.
Read Rachel Weinberger's study, "Guaranteed Parking, Guaranteed Driving."
http://www.planetizen.com/node/35753
Ken
4:57 pm on Wednesday, July 6, 2011
I say tear the arena down and provide some real public good. State of NY, you evicted a 1000 residents and businesses. Show us you have the public's interests at heart. This project is a damnable folly. This development is a blight and an insult to the citizens of Brooklyn. The legislature should be made ashamed of itself and hounded out of office!
Billy Jack
9:30 pm on Wednesday, July 6, 2011
Has Brennan lost his mind?
Jo Grossman
5:33 pm on Thursday, July 7, 2011
Yes, Brennan has clearly lost his mind!
Jo Grossman
Dan Bill
4:48 pm on Saturday, July 9, 2011
I cant wait for the barclays center! When it gets done, im gonna go to alot of games.
Paula
11:02 pm on Saturday, July 9, 2011
This is absolute insanity. Brennan has absolutely zero clue on this issue.