Rally Planned to Oppose Atlantic Yards Demolition
The controversial Atlantic Yards Project will be the subject of a protest rally on Sunday, as community members work to prevent the demolition of two city blocks to make room for temporary parking lots.
"Rally Against Demolition for Parking" was spearheaded by BrooklynSpeaks.net, a website that organizes and encourages community members to petition their elected officials regarding more public involvement in the development of the Atlantic Yards. Gib Veconi, a member of the Prospect Heights Neighborhood Development Council, claims that the demolition is typical of Forest City Ratner's reneging of promises, refusal to open the plans to public discussion, and lack of consideration for the surrounding neighborhoods.
Opponents are concerned about how "temporary" the parking lots will actually be. The lots are part of the second phase of development, and will ultimately be built upon, but many experts, including Laurie Olin, the project's landscape designer, predict that the second phase will take close to 20 years to complete, leaving the unsightly parking structures exposed for the entire time.
Many officials are also questioning the necessity of the parking lots. "Providing 1600 surface parking spaces next to the third largest transit hub in the city is not only unnecessary, it is contradictory to the whole rationale for the project's location," said Jon Orcutt, Executive Director of the Tri-State Transportation Campaign.
The rally will take place on April 15 at 2 p.m., and will be held on Pacific Street between Carlton and Vanderbilt avenues, which is the location of one of the proposed parking lots. The rally will last 90 minutes and feature music from the Lafayette Inspiration Choir and singer Dave Hall, as well as speeches by various Brooklyn elected officials.
In addition to the rally, Brooklynspeaks.net also organized a letter writing campaign, in which New Yorkers wrote to Governor Eliot Spitzer asking for change in the Atlantic Yards Project. The more than 6000 letters were delivered to the offices of the Empire State Development Corporation Tuesday morning.
"We're holding this rally to send a message," explained Veconi, "that the community wants this development delayed. We want the mayor and the governor to halt the demolition until alternatives can be explored. We're hopeful that Governor Spitzer, given his background and history of reform, will stave off the demolition."
|
Linear Mode
