Politics & Government

Brennan Ditches Push for More Atlantic Yards-Area Parking

After plans to draft legislation requiring more on-site arena parking, residents were upset the move would draw more vehicles to the neighborhood.

After Assemblymember Jim Brennan that he would introduce legislation to “compel” Atlantic Yards developer Bruce Ratner to provide more on-site parking for the Barclays Center, after coming under fire from constituents and commenters on and others, Brennan has ditched any such plans.

“Mr. Brennan believes that the most important matter related to Atlantic Yards at this time is the regarding the EIS,” said Lorrie Smith, the Legislative Director for Brennan’s office, reffering to Wednesday's decision that the ESDC, which oversees the project, needs to conduct another review of the project plan. “He will be urging ESDC not to appeal, but to perform a meaningful assessment of the area.”

Brennan announced that he was in the early stages of drafting legislation to require more parking for the mega project earlier this month, saying that the 1,100 parking spaces Ratner plans to provide for the arena is insufficient given the size of the space.

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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, but residents responded to the legislation with concerns that it would encourage more people to drive to the arena on game days, rather than take public transportation.

“He does not want to leave the impression that he was encouraging automobile traffic to come to the arena.  He will now be looking at mass transit alternatives to assist in bringing people to the area,” said Smith.

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“[He] learned that ESDC had relieved Ratner of the obligation to provide 2300 units of underground parking at the site, and suggested that there needed to be compensation for those places,” she said. “He later learned that these parking places were related to the delay of the residential portion of the project.”


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