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S i n c e 1850.BROOKLYN OFFICES: A tlantic A venue & C ourt Street %u2022 18th A venue & 65th Street18th A venue & 86th Street %u2022 N ew kirk Plaza & Foster A venue %u2022 MANHATTAN OFFICE:Lexington Avenue & 34th Street %u2022 BRONX OFFICE: 1416 East Avenue, ParkchesterQUEENS OFFICE: Bay Terrace S hopp in g Center, B ayside %u2022 NASSAU OFFICES:H illside Avenue, East of H erricks R oad, W illiston Park %u2022 A &S S hopping Center,M anhasset %u2022 SUFFOLK OFFICE: W alt W hitm an S hopping Center. H untingtonM em b er F D IC*1986independent Savings Bank Equal O p portunity LenderATURA ApprovedC o n tin u e d fr o m Pane 3step for the project in the City%u2019s Uniform Lana Use Review Process (ULURP) that began with a vote of approval by downtown%u2019s Community Board Two which overwhelmingly approved the plan on June 18. The City Planning Commission unanimously approved the project plans on August 18.Last month, Rose received news that a Federal UDAG of $10.7 million had been awarded to the City for his project. The announcement of the award came just shortly after Rose Associates signed a letter of intent with the City%u2019s Health and Hospitals Corporation to be the first major tenant in one of the two projected office towers. The City agency plans to consolidate its four offices in the development, renting roughly 415,000 sq. ft. of space.Groundbreaking for the housing component of the project is expected in the spring of 1987 and the office and retail space will break ground in the fall. The project is primarily funded through private investment, but some public monies are also being used, in addition to the 99-year lease of the City-owned land for the commercial development.The Atlantic Terminal portion of the project will be funded with $5 million from the Municipal Assistance Corporation (MAC) surplus monies and a $10.7 million UDAG to be used toward the development of the Atlantic Terminal Office Building and to %u201cwritedown%u201d the cost of the residential units. Approximately $20 million from the City%u2019s capital budget will be used to finance demolition and site clearance, street paving, and the Phase I parking garage, among other projects. In addition, the developer will receive an as-of-right tax exemption under the City%u2019s Industrial and Commercial Incentive Program for a period of 13 years. Industrial Revenue Bonds will also be used to finance a portion of the commercial development.Pros And ConsOf Atlantic PlanArgued At APre- Vote HearingWhen the Board of Estimate opened its public hearing on Atlantic Terminal project shortly after 1:30pm on Oct. 9, the chambers at City Hall in Manhattan were packed with Brooklyn residents, businessmen, and organization representatives waiting to speak their views and their input on the project. Over the next five hours, non-stop like clockwork, speakers strode up to the microphone, spoke for the allotted three minutes, and resumed their seats.Every 20 minutes the sides would change to permit the other side to voice their opinion. As the afternoon wore on, more and more speakers entered the room, stepping quickly up to the microphone until even the clerk taking names began to lose track of who the speakers were. With over 100 people speaking, approximately an equal number of people spoke against the project as in support of the project.For the opposition, the issue of low-income housing, job opportunities and pollution were the big issues. People speaking in favor of the project pointed to the jobs it would bring to Brooklyn and the transformation of large vacant lots to shopping, housing and cinemas.The hearing opened with statements from those opposing the project, including seven elected public officials who testified against Atlantic Terminal. Assemblyman A1 Vann called for low-income housing and provisions for hiring minority contractors in the project%u2019s construction. Assemblyman Roger Green, whose district encompasses the Atlantic Terminal site, called for a division in the housing now planned, with 20 percent sold for market rate, 40 percent for middle income and 40 percent for lower income.Park Slope Assemblyman Jim Brennan condemned the City for its sole source selection process by which Rose Associates was chosen as the developer and called in question the validity of the Board of Estimate vote when members of the board received campaign contributions from developers. A representative for State Senator Velmanette Montgomery voiced the senator%u2019s position that 20 percent of the project%u2019s housing be available for low-income families.The great majority of the people who testified that day were not public officials, however, but people who lived in the vicinity of the Atlantic Terminal Urban Renewal Area and who said they would be directly affected in their daily lives by the creation of the project, whether positively or negatively.Harold Wolchek, a professor of economics and labor relations at New York City Technical College, was one of the speakers in support of the project, saying, %u201cEighty percent of the student body at the school are minorities. How can you train people for jobs that don%u2019t exist?%u201d he asked. %u201cThere are thousands of jobs at stake that will go to people in Brooklyn rather than people in New Jersey or South Dakota.%u201dRepresentatives from the Brooklyn business community also spoke in favor of the development. %u201cFulton Street is only a part of a vision we have for Downtown Brooklyn,%u201d Michael Strasser of the Fulton Mall Improvement Association said. %u201cAtlantic Terminal is exactly the kind of development we%u2019ve worked for and it will be a catalyst for future office development in Downtown.%u201d%u201cWe%u2019ve believed in Brooklyn and Fort Greene since 1929 when the Williamsburg Savings Bank was built,%u201d said Robert Stober, assistant vice president of the Williamsburg Savings Bank, whose tower stands across the street from ATURA. %u201cNo other plan is at hand. The greater good of the City must be served.%u201dHortense (Tee) Beveridge, executive director of the Pratt Area Community Council, also spoke in support of the project. Gordon Russell, a resident of Fort Greene, stressed %u201cWe need the Rose plan.%u201d Martin Orlofsky, owner of Midtown Florist and developer of a smaller ATURA parcel across the intersection from the Rose site, also arrived in mid-day to say his piece: %u201cI feel we not only should approve this project, we should throw these people a party.%u201dSpeakers opposing the project addressed in large part the low-income housing crunch in New York City and the effect of the massive project on the surrounding Fort Greene community. Barbara Williams, a resident of the Brooklyn Arms Hotel on Ashland Place, pointed to the problem of homelessness. %u201cVote after you consider the parents and children at the Brooklyn Arms Hotel,%u201d she said. Mildred Davis, a resident of Fort Greene echoed her sentiment. %u201cThe City is ignoring its moral responsibility to provide housing for those who need it most,%u201d she said.Residents of South Portland St. had another angle on the problem. They charged that the traffic analysis had been incomplete and neglected the effect of heavy traffic that would be diverted on to their street. %u2014 Liz KochSPEAKING IN FAVOR:A m ong th ose w ho s p o ke during publichearings for th e project were: City Councilw o m an M ary Pinkett; R ichard T. A nderson,R egional Planning A ssoc.; Perry Davis, V.P.,N e w York C ity P artnership; H arold W elch ok,N e w York C ity Tech n ical C ollege; D eborahPope, N ew T h e ater of B rooklyn; Jam esS tu ckey, P resident of P u b lic D evelopm entC orporation; M ich ael S trasser, Fulton M allIm provem ent A sso ciatio n ; R obert Stober,A ss t. V.P., W illiam s b u rg Savings Bank;H o rten se B everidge, PA C C ; Bob Keller,Brooklyn U nion Gas; D orris G olom b, FortG ree n e resident; G ordon Russell, FortG ree n e resident; M artin O rlofsky, M idtow nFlorists; Richard N orto n, Fort G reene residen t; Patricia Phillips, P resident, S. OxfordC ivic League; Bob O lh erkin g , executive d irecto r, Brooklyn D evelopm ent A ssociation;K athleen B est, resident; A lfred M ullio, resident; R egoberto Sabio, F o rt G reene resident;K athy W ylde, N ew Y ork C ity Partnership; andLeon G olom b, N ew Fort G reene C o m m ittee.SPEAKING AGAINST:A m ong th o se w ho s p o ke against the proje c t or for m o d ificatio n o f th e Board ofE stim ate item s being voted on this day were:A ssem blym an A lbert V an n; A ssem blym anR oger Green; A ssem b lym an Jam es Brennan;M ark G riffith , speaking fo r A ssem blym anC laren ce N orm an; Linda W alls, speaking forS ta te S en ator V e lm a n e tte M ontgom ery;C harles H arg att, C o m m u n ity Board 2; TedG lick, A TUR A C oalition; Edith Riese, FortG reen e resident; Joe Ferris, form erA ssem blym an; John G o rdon, Teacher;S h ero n e Perry, social w orker, Brooklyn A rm sH o tel; M ildred Davis, F o rt G reene R esident;B arbara W illiam s, B rooklyn Arm s H otel; RonA shford, A TU R A C oalition; Brian Sulliavan,S en io r Planner, Pratt In stitu te; Keith G etter,E xecutive D irector, F ifth Ave. Local Rev.C orp: Pete W illiam s, M e d g e r Evers C enter forLaw and S ocial Justice; C ouncilm em berS teve DiBrienza; Pam M ille r, Save O ur Shops;Miuitj ivii/oioiidii, iviclnjpuiiiaii Cuunv.ii on H ousing; A rthur Steir, Brooklyn C hapter, N ewY ork Civil Liberties U nion; Ann Pasm anick,N e w York S ta te Ten an t N eighborhood C oalition; Joan R eutershan, S. Portland Ave. B lockA ssoc.; M artin G o ld stein, S. Portland Ave.B lock A ssociation; and R uth G oldstein, S.Portland Ave. Block A ssoc.Page 4, TH E P H O E N IX , O c to b er 16, 1986