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Dear Community Board 2, 6 and 8 District Managers:

Develop Don't Destroy Brooklyn would like to thank your Community Boards for arranging the November 29th meeting announced at the November 10th meetings. We too are frustrated that the MTA and ESDC have rebuffed your invitation to speak directly the community.  And we are even more deeply frustrated that the Mayor and Governor have not even responded to your letters to them.

As you know, we have repeatedly requested time at your meetings to present the Atlantic Yards Development Workshop Proposal-AYDWS (www.dddb.net/public/AYDWS.pdf) initiated by Councilwoman James, under the direction of lead architect Marshall Brown. CB 6 and 8 rejected our request to present this alternative to Mr. Ratner’s proposal, and CB2 suggested we could do so at a yet-to-be-determined later date. But a later date is too late. We'd like the public to see this plan at the November 29th meeting. The reasoning behind forbidding a presentation of the AYDWS plan, given by CB 2 and 6 is faulty. You've told us that the AYDWS plan is not a plan with an application, and we don't have the rights to the rail yards and therefore we can't present it. Clearly Forest City Ratner also has nothing but a proposal, without application to the Boards, and has yet to attain rights to the rail yards.

Unfortunately—in a pattern that has become all too common-- FCR, BUILD and ACORN, all proponents of the Ratner proposal, were given inordinate amounts of time to speak to the Boards on November 10th, and almost no time was given to opposing views. Opposing views have yet to receive equal times at any of your meetings.

And now we are told that, on the 29th, FCR will be given even MORE time to present what will likely be the same information (or lack of information) they've already presented at multiple fora over the past year. This continued inequity of access for the public is not in keeping with your community boards’ mission. As your flier for the November 29th meeting says: "Brooklyn Community Boards 2, 6 and 8 are co-sponsoring this meeting as part of the Community Boards’ Charter-mandated responsibility to disseminate information, conduct substantial public outreach and give members of our communities an opportunity to learn firsthand about proposals which affect our districts."

In the interest of fairness and outreach to the community, we urge you to allow Marshall Brown equal time to that given FCR to present the AYDWS plan to the public on November 29th. As the meeting is billed as a public meeting for information gathering, it is wholly appropriate to present a community plan to develop the rail yards. In addition, we insist that FCR present specific financial information which was promised by them to the City Council last June.

Further, we'd like to hear from FCR whether they have changed even one aspect of their proposal in response to community concerns, that have been repeatedly expressed at their presentations, such as: primary and secondary displacement, height and scale, character of the community, traffic and transportation, other environmental issues, and public subsidies
Thank you for your hard work and for your prompt response


Develop--Don't Destroy (BROOKLYN)
Steering Committee
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RESPONSE FROM COMMUNITY BOARD 6

Dan,

Our Chairperson has already responded to your request for an opportunity to present the AYDWS to our Board.

Best,
Craig

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RESPONSE FROM COMMUNITY BOARD 2

Dear Mr. Goldstein:
 
Ms. Shirley A. McRae, Chairperson of Community Board 2, remains committed to providing Mr. Marshall Brown the opportunity to present the Atlantic Yards Development Workshop Proposal in the near future.  I do not believe that it will be "too late" if Mr. Brown's presentation comes after the November 29, 2004 public information meeting where Forest City Ratner Companies will present its proposal.  I personally look forward to seeing a formal presentation of the ideas expressed at the February charrette, which I attended in part.
 
Ms. McRae and I appreciate your patience.

Robert Perris
District Manager