A Department of City Planning and Economic Development Corporation joint
public meeting to discuss the environmental impacts of the Downtown Brooklyn
Plan assuming the development of the Atlantic Yards arena plan, is scheduled
for Monday, Feb. 23, at 6 pm in Borough Hall.
The Downtown Brooklyn Plan, a complex rezoning project that paves the
way for soaring office towers, is currently wending its way through the
city’s land use review process and was the subject of a hearing last
Wednesday.
The city announced plans to amend the environmental impact statement for
that plan following developer Bruce Ratner’s purchase of the New
Jersey Nets last month. In December, Ratner unveiled plans to build a
$2.5 billion arena, office tower and apartment complex stretching east
onto Prospect Heights from the intersection of Flatbush and Atlantic avenues.
The Ratner plan would include nearly 8 million square feet of development
— the equivalent of almost four Empire State Buildings — including
4,500 residential units.
The tallest of the 17 buildings, proposed for Flatbush and Atlantic avenues,
within the boundaries of the Downtown Plan, would reach 620 feet, more
than 100 feet taller than the nearby Williamsburgh Bank building, which
is currently the tallest structure in the borough.
The arena plan also calls for widening Flatbush Avenue by 10 feet between
Atlantic Avenue and Dean Street.
The arena plans are expected to face a much less rigorous state environmental
review process.
