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After Multiple Hearings, Atlantic Terminal PlanSet for Final Community Board Vote on June 18BY LIZ KOCHThe hot days of summer will be a time ofreckoning for Atlantic Terminal UrbanRenewal Area (ATURA) developer JonathanD a m * m m m m m * m a < * L a 1 . . a _______ lA %u2014 J J _ * kVki\\< an uvMA%u00abi ui uiv ivugtivfoivcu ucvtaiuiuconcerning his $230 mixed use project areissued over the next few months.Rose will be hearing on his request forFederal money from the Urban DevelopmentAction Grant (UDAG) program in the nextfew weeks. And the downtown CommunityBoard Two will vote June 18 on six UrbanLand Use Review Process (ULURP) itemspertaining to Atlantic Terminal and fiveitems related to Rose%u2019s Phase II office/retailBrooklyn Center development.Rose, who has repeatedly said that his project cannot be built without a Federal $16.25million UDAG, reapplied for the money thisspring and he and the project%u2019s co-sponsors,the Public Development Corporation, are anticipating a July decision on that funding.The City originally submitted an applicationfor the money in December, but it was incomplete, lacking a firm commitment fromthe Health and Hospitals Corporation tomove into one of the two office buildings inthe project. Still now, Rose is awaiting theratification of the deal by the HHC board ofdirectors.On the local level, the issue is also comingto a head and activity in recent weeks has increased as the local review process has intensified. A mandated public hearing was heldon June 5 on the Draft Environmental ImpactStatement released in April. The testimonyon the document was required for the projectbecause of the proposed use of the UDAG funding.Since Rose first announced his plan for thelong-vacant site a little over a year ago,numerous public information meetings havebeen held on the proposed development thatwould create 643 moderate and middle income condominiums, two office towers, up to255,000 square feet of new retail space (including a 50,000 square foot supermarket onAtlantic Avenue) and a 1,000 car garage.This past January, sections of the draft environmental impact statement (DEIS) werereleased for perusai. After more work wasconducted by AKRF and Parsons, Brinckerhoff, Quade and Douglass, the consultingfirms retained for the DEIS, the completeddocument was released in April and certifiedby the City Planning Commission thus setting %u2019the process in motion for the final review ofthe plan. Traffic congestion and increasedpollution levels were two of the obvious impacts of the project.The first stop in that six month process wasthe Community Board Two mandated publichearing on May 7 as part of the review process for the development under the City%u2019sUniform Land Use Review Process(ULURP).There, many local residents expressed concern about the cost of the condominiumstargeted for households with an income of$25,000 to $48,000 as being beyond affordability for many families now in the area. Theyalso voiced concern that Rose%u2019s retail element would adversely affect nearby shopping strips such as Fifth Avenue and that thesome 7,000 to 8,000 jobs predicted in the completed project may not go where they aremost needed: to locally unemployed andminorities. These concerns have continued tobe raised in every meeting since.DECISION BY OCTOBERNonetheless, the series of steps that beginswith the local public hearing and the board%u2019sdecision next week and will end with theBoard of Estimate decision at latest by October 20 are now following one another inrapid succession.The ATURA Subcommittee of CommunityBoard Two, made up of non-board membersand board members alike, voted recommendations to the Board%u2019s Planning and DistrictDevelopment Committee that approval of thesix ULURP items for ATURA be conditionedupon Rose applying for subsidies for lowincome and rental units in his project, andthat stringent equal opportunity and affirmative action programs be instituted as wellas programs to assist women and minoritiesto start businesses in ATURA. They askedthat the retail space be scaled down includingthe supermarket (also requested to be movedto Fulton Street). The resolution also askedthat the sales tax escrow account createdfrom the project be used for housing, jobs andsmall business programs encompassed in therennhitlinnThe resolution applied to the six ULURPitems concerning the disposition of 22 acresof City-owned property, land use changes,changes in the City map for the establishment of new streets and the demapping ofsome existing streets, and widening parts ofFlatbush Avenue and Atlantic Avenue. RoseL a A a I a a . A X . . A . A ----1 . J %u2014 _ _ A _ A - At _______ * _ 1*00 OJU3V A OillCllUlIlCIiW) IAI U1C MJUJULligmap and special permits pertaining to theZoning Resolution. The committee passed anadditional resolution, stating its opposition tothe planned 10-screen movie theater and requesting that it be reduced to five with onedonated for community use.REJECTED SEVEN POINTSRight on the heels of that meeting,however, the Planning and District Development Committee, met on June 4 and summarily rejected the seven points put forth bythe sub-committee and nearly unanim ouslyapproved 10 of the 11 ULURP items. KathyWylde from the New York City Housing Partnership, who put together the housingpackage for the project, told the committeequite simply that the demands for subsidizedhousing could not be met because there wasnot %u201ca source of subsidy funding for new construction.%u201d She pointed out that existingfunds applied for renovation of buildings andnot new buildings.Councilwoman Mary Pinkett, who also attended the meeting, concurred and addedthat possible money could only come from areal estate tax increase and %u201cas of today,there is nobody who wants to vote for that increase.%u201d On the issue of jobs and minorityrepresentation, she pointed out that alreadyexisting organizations and programs couldserve the function intended in the subcommittee%u2019s recommendation. Rose stressed thathe would work together with the board%u2019s Affirmative Action Committee and that theboard would be alerted six weeks before bidding on a job for the project took place socompanies interested in bidding could bealerted.The sales tax escrow fund was the onlyitem to remain but was altered by a recommendation from committee member TonyManheim that %u201cthe sales tax escrow accountfund be exclusively spent within Board Twoand with consultation and approval of Community Board Two. The recommendation tothe board passed 11-0. The committee alsovoted down the proposed reduction intheaters with Rose agreeing that %u201cif thespace does not work, it can be converted tooffice space.%u201dAlthough, the Brooklyn Center part ofRose%u2019s project has received less attentionthus far than ATURA, the committee havingalready approved the disposition of the Cityowned property located within the BrooklynCenter Urban Renewal Area which stretchesalong Flatbush Avenue, hesitated on anotheritem that would eliminate, discontinue andclose Rockwell Place between Fulton Streetand Lafayette Avenue.%u201cIt%u2019s not my sense to oppose BrooklynCenter. It just seems to me premature.We%u2019ve already recommended site control.We%u2019re not saying we would never endorse it,%u201dsaid Tony Manheim. Several members of thecommittee voiced concern over the closing ofthe street and the proposed demolition of thePioneer Warehouse.Rose speaking in defense of the BrooklynCenter project said: %u201cWithout the street wedo not have a developable site,%u201d and pointedout that success in marketing ATURAdepended in part on being able to tell banksand companies interested in moving intoATURA that future opportunity for expansion would exist in the Brooklyn Center. Thecommittee approved the application by avote of 5-3-2.When they came for the Federally mandated hearing on the Draft EnvironmentalImpact Statement on June 5, both critics andsupporters said that they would continue toseek compromises from the developer inregard to housing, jobs and businesses.WILL ACCELERATE GENTRIFICATIONTed Glick, head of a group called theATURA Coalition and a member of theATURA subcommittee, said at the meetingthat the project would accelerate gentrification, adversely impact small businesses onnearby linear strips, increase traffic and airpollution, and provide jobs not beneficial tothe community. %u201cThere will be usher jobs.How much do they pay? Not much,%u201d hestated.%u201cThere are alternatives,%u201d he said. %u201cThevote by the committee does not change thevalidity of the seven points as a way that thednvelnmiwiil nnn nnu>*ul %u201d Ka%u201cWe%u2019re serious about this plan and we won%u2019tstop. 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