A Parking Lot Grows in Brooklyn

To encourage higher occupancy in auto travel to and from the arena and to discourage single and two-person auto trips, approximately 600 of the 1,100 parking spaces available on-site for use by fans at a Nets basketball game would have a three or more person requirement after 5 PM on game days. This would be advertised for fans purchasing tickets on-line. The objective is to encourage increased vehicle occupancy by using a location incentive. The remaining 500 spaces would be dedicated to suites and premium seating and would not be subject to the HOV parking requirements.

The Atlantic Yards project is being billed as "transit-oriented development," but the project Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) is notably defensive about a big parking lot for construction workers.

Less than six months ago, Forest City considered a hybrid of both interim surface parking and temporary open space for the southeast block of the development--at least by 2010, after the lot had been used as parking for construction workers. The idea was rejected as impractical, since parking was deemed more necessary, according to the Atlantic Yards Final Environmental Impact Statement. So maybe it's the road not taken. Or maybe the concept remains, to be proffered as a compromise at crunch time, when the developer and the Empire State Development Corporation need to get Atlantic Yards past Sheldon Silver and the Public Authorities Control Board.