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P ' d IT O W A L SCelebrate Brooklyn Is Something To CelebrateCelebrate Brooklyn's 1988 summer testival ot performing arts made its Dow last weekend in Prospect Park and this season's schedule offers the most comprehensive program yet for this seven-year-old summer series that has made the Ninth Street Bandshell a major \fans.The emergence of the series as a major venue for Brooklyn artists and their companies is a logical extension of the growth of the arts community in our borough. To see the schedule this year studded with performances to be presented by companies and groups whose organization has been fostered by Celebrate Brooklyn %u201cimpressario%u201d Burl Hash %u2014 first class and very serious artistic organizations like Musicians of Brooklyn Initiative i MOBI) and the Brooklyn Dance Consortium %u2014 is further testimony to another idea whose time has come. Coupled with musicians ranging from the Brooklyn Philharmonic Symphony to the WUliamsburg Jazz Ail-Stars and including other programs of home-growntalent that span the spectrum from Afro-Brazilian to Bluegrass, the summer schedule offers something to please everybody. The organization of a program that ranges fromShakespeare to Doo Wop is also a real testimony to the eclectic range of performing artstalent in our borough.The addition of wrinkles this year to Celebrate Brooklyn like the shared sponsorship ofits opening dance series, running through June 29, with the Brooklyn Academy of Music, isanother terrific development. The logical evolution of a year-round %u201cseason\ing artists puts the art where the people are the result is great for both audiences and performers.Summer is a great time to celebrate and enjoy our magnificent Prospect Park and thisseries is yet another reason to visit this living treasure.P j o M M U N I T Y p O R U M views of read ersAtlantic Terminal Project Needs To Be More Neighborly For SupportIn response to the continuing dialogueon the Atlantic Terminal Urban RenewalArea (ATURA) which The Phoenix has encouraged vis a vis its %u201cCommunityForum%u201d section, I submit the attachedpiece.You have my compliments forfacilitating a valuable exchange of ideas,as well as for the continued excellentcoverage on downtown Brooklyn. ThePhoenix deserves %u201ckudos\tion of free speech and democratic debate.Keep up the excellent work! %u2014 Keith Getter, Park Slope Fifth Avenue IxrcalDevelopment Corporation.BY KEITH GETTEREconomic development is not a simple yesor-no situation. There are a variety of optionswithin any one development plan. I, for one,am not an opponent of development forATURA. ATURA%u2019s development signifiesthat Brooklyn is ripe for investment whichbodes well for job-creation and other community gains.However, ATURA development will changethe face of Brooklyn forever. The proposedproject is on public land and involves hugepublic investments. The strength of thereview process for such projects is the encouragement of public participation.Through such participation, I, and others,have raised concrete objections and offeredconstructive suggestions not in the spirit otopposition but with the hope of making thecurrent proposal more comprehensive andfar-reaching in a positive sense.Our hope is to extend the potential benefitsof the development to as many as possible,reflecting an %u201cinclusionary vision of society%u201dembodying the critical needs of all incomelevels and sectors. It is to this end that concerns for small-businesses, targetted jobcreation programs, low-moderate incomehousing, secondary displacement, and quality of life and health issues have been raised.TOO EARLY IN PROCESSUnfortunately, battle-lines have beendrawn too early in the review process. Manycitizens who have constructively commentedon aspects of the proposed plan which theywish changed to hopefully make the projectmore responsive to their perception of community needs have been branded as %u201copponents,%u201d chastised as %u201cagainst development,%u201d and accused of fostering a %u201csocialservices dumping ground.%u201dThis name calling simplifies the debateand does an injustice to community participation. The main concerns of affordablehousing, jobs, and quality of life and healthissues are concerns echoed by CommunityBoard Two%u2019s %u201cDistrict Needs Assessment%u201dand are not radical theories proposed by selfinterested parties %u2014 they are as American asapple pie and ice cream.That 87% of the people in the Ft. Greenearea can not afford the currently proposedhousing prices for ATURA is a fact that mustnot be ignored. That most of the jobs targetted for the office towers are likely to be existing jobs transferred from Manhattan tothis area, as stated in the DEIS, is information that must not be ignored. The sevenpoints voted on by the ATURA subcommitteeon May 28 %u2014 the only subcommittee whichstudied the issues for over a year %u2014 should begiven some weight.NEEDS OF NEIGHBORSThese points are feasible, and are supportive of our neighbors. We are not talkingabout creating a social service dumpingIf the Board of Estimate believesin socio-economic integrationthan it should conditionallyapprove the A TURA plan byadopting seven points.ground, and resent this labelling. We arespeaking about the needs of hard-workingneighbors who live next door and down thestreet.Contrary to previous comments, BatteryPark City Funding and other City dollars canbe used for new construction to create affordable housing. The sales tax escrow account,estimated by Jonathan Rose to be upwards of$5 million in Phase I and up to $12 millionthrough the life of the project, is available. If$2% million of this account were appropriated to affordable housing, then 124grants of over $20,000 each could be createdto bring the cost of housing down to affordable levels.If $2 million were appropriated to assistsmall businesses, then $1 million could be used to create 50 grants or low-interest loans of$20,000 each targetted to start-up costs forminority and women-owned businesses andanother $1 million could be used to preservelinear strips throughout the 1-3 mile radius ofthe project vis a vis facade improvementgrants and the like. This still leaves $M>million for other use, plus $7 million morethrough the life of the project.If the City Planning Commission and theBoard of Estimate believe in socio-economicintegration and inclusionary development,then they should conditionally approveRose%u2019s ATURA plan by adopting the sevenpoints approved of by the ATURA subcommittee on May 28. These points supportdevelopment but condition it on making theplan conform to community concerns whichecho Community Board Two%u2019s own needsassessment.ADOPT THESE SEVEN POINTSThe seven points adopted by the ATURAsub-committee of Community Board Twoare:1) That the developer apply for subsidiesfrom the city and state and make a commitment to build a mix of low-income (up to$15,000), moderate-income (up to$25,000) andmiddle-income ($25-48,000) units, in a mix ofrent-stabilized rental units and units ownedby the buyer;2) That special programs be instituted toallow minority/women-owned and locallyowned businesses the opportunity to startbusiness on ATURA. These programs shouldinclude creative leasing arrangements andfinancial assistance to help with start-upcosts;3) That an open call for bids from minoritycontractors for work before and during construction be made for contractual work; thataffirmative action and equal opportunity procedures be established for all retailers,businesses, government and office jobscreated; and appropriate programs beestablished with the local community tofacilitate targeted job training programs;4) That the types of retail stores withinATURA be stipulated before development,and that the square footage of the retail component of the plan be scaled down to be morein line with the office tower market so as notto capture the market of the surroundinglinear strips;5) That the sales tax escrow account go exclusively into the above housing, jobs andsmall business programs;6) That the size and location of the supermarket proposed for the So. Portland/Atlantic Ave./Ft. Greene PI. site be dependentupon the needs of the surrounding community, and that it be relocated to another ATURAsite at least one block away from existingnon-commercial structures, such as churches, apartment buildings, communitycenters, etc.; and7) That the proposed lb-screen movie complex be reduced to 5, with one of them beingset aside for community use, and a concomitant reduction as far as the amount of spacetaken up by the theatres.fteiui Getter is executive director ot thePark Slope 5th Avenue Ixical DevelopmentCorp., serving 600 merchants from Flatbush Ave. to 24th Street.%u00a7 I G N O F T H E p M E SThe quintessential New York City subw ay scene. (Phoenix/Kirk Photo)Page 20, THE PHOENIX, June 26, 198%u00ab