Municipal Art Society

The Municipal Art Society has launched a Web site and campaign critical of the proposed phasing for Brooklyn’s Atlantic Yards project, claiming the creation of parking lots in place of existing buildings will blight the area.

Because of the long time frame that will likely be needed to build the project—developer Forest City Ratner puts the slated completion date at 2018, though critics say that’s too optimistic—the footprint could be filled with parking lots (though Forest City denies that charge, claiming it will be public open space with trees).  read more »

At a panel discussion last night on development in the city, multiple community organizers and the Reverend Calvin Butts, pastor of Harlem’s Abyssinian Baptist Church, criticized the process of forming community benefits agreements (CBAs) in order to bolster public and governmental support for large development projects.

The tool seems to be a technique increasingly favored by developers of controversial projects, who negotiate with members of the community, agreeing to include in the CBAs provisions for things such as affordable housing and local jobs.  read more »

Kent L. Barwick, the president of The Municipal Art Society, will step down in early 2008, according to a press release distributed earlier today.

Mr. Barkwick is serving his second term as president of MAS and was the entity's first full-time executive director. After stepping down, Mr. Barwick will become president emeritus and will help MAS on various projects and initiatives.  read more »

In an otherwise critical sound-off on Atlantic Yards, Municipal Art Society head Kent Barwick tells StreetsBlog that there is still, in his eyes, hope for the mega-complex.

"I don't think this project is substantially designed in its later phases," he said, pointing out that it could be a decade before construction begins on much of the housing and retail space even if the ESDC rubber stamps the project this winter. "Battery Park City and Riverside South got redesigned several times before they got built," observes Barwick.

-Matthew Schuerman

In an otherwise critical sound-off on Atlantic Yards, Municipal Art Society head Kent Barwick tells StreetsBlog that there is still, in his eyes, hope for the mega-complex:

"I don't think this project is substantially designed in its later phases," he said, pointing out that it could be a decade before construction begins on much of the housing and retail space even if the ESDC rubber stamps the project this winter. "Battery Park City and Riverside South got redesigned several times before they got built," observes Barwick.

- Matthew Schuerman

A remnant of the Civil War may trip up the Ikea store planned for Red Hook, Brooklyn. The Municipal Art Society announced on Tuesday a lawsuit against the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which plans to allow a parking lot for the Ikea store on what was once a graving dock.

The society is suing to require the Corps to do a full review of the effects of the Ikea on all historic properties in the area, including the dock, which dates to the 1860s. "The law requires a proper historic review, and the public deserves it," said Municipal Art Society president Kent Barwick in a statement.

The society filed the lawsuit in U.S. District Court on Friday.

The nonprofit's full release after the jump.  read more »

- Tom Acitelli

TUESDAY 7:30 a.m. ABNY Breakfast: Mayor Bloomberg and Governor (Jeb) Bush together on stage! This will be cheaper than waiting for their $1,000-a-plate campaing fundraisers to start. At Hilton New York, 53rd and Sixth. WEDNESDAY 11 a.m. You haven't forgotten Jane Jacobs already, have you? Architectural historian Matt Postal leads a Municipal Art Society walking tour of the Village legend's haunts starting at the AIA Center for Architecture, 536 LaGuardia Place.

6:30 p.m. JANE JACOBS VS. ROBERT MOSES: How Stands the Debate Today? Another reminder about Jane Jacobs, this one featuring all the top names in urban planning, starting with Amanda Burden, Michael Sorkin, Nicolai Ouroussoff, Brad Lander and others . This one though it fully subscribed, so you can show up and wait in line or just wait until next week, when the Wagner School will do its own tribute. CUNY Graduate Center, 365 Fifth Avenue at 34th Street.

THURSDAY 9 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Manhattan on the Move: A Transportation Agenda for a Growing City. For real transit nuts: six and a half hours about making connections and reducing congestion. Former Bogota, Columbia, Mayor Enrique Penalosa, a celebrity among progressive urbanites, speaks in the morning.

Refreshing

Yesterday morning, Manhattan Borough Prez Scott Stringer stood in front of a petite crowd of protestors -- eight folks from the Municipal Art Society, plus many more cameramen and reporters.

Why were they there? "Black mail advertisement!" Mr. Stringer said. "Excuse me. Black market advertisement!" He gestured to the Citibank billboard behind him, a mammoth ad that wraps around the entire Flatiron Building on scaffolding.

"If you see it on a scaffold," he said, "it's not legal."

"This is a sophisticated operation yielding millions of dollars. The Munipal Art Society identified 44 of the worst spots, and close to 80% were never inspected or fined. 29% are on landmarked or historic buildings! If Philadelphia can register legal ads, so they can go after the illegal, why can't we?"

We can. The Department of Buildings just passed new regulations against outdoor advertising--which involve registration and $25,000 fines against "visual clutter." But that new law wasn't mentioned by Mr. Stringer.

Yet maybe this corporate graffiti is an implacable enemy: four trees blocking the view of a Chelsea cell phone billboard were recently cut down. No one seems to know why.

See also: NY1 (and Curbed/MAS)  read more »

Update: Citibank says it will "look into the matter" of its Flatiron eyesore. - Max Abelson

Our junior senator joins the chorus of those calling for extending the public comment period on Atlantic Yards, following City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, the Municipal Art Society and, as we previously reported, Eliot Spitzer. Speaking out for more public input is easy for a politician. In this case it has the added benefit of pushing decisions into the next governor's term in office. (Brooklyn Daily Eagle via Norman Oder) -Matthew Schuerman

The Times reports the Municipal Art Society has leveled criticism on the Atlantic Yards Plan.

George Pataki renominated a landlord lobbyist for chairman of the State of New York Mortgage Agency.

Newsday reports on Tom Suozzi's embattled campaign day. —Nicole Brydson

Well, can it work? As objective reporters, The Real Estate is not about to weigh in on that one. But tomorrow night, The Municipal Art Society will be hosting a public meeting asking that very question.

The full release is after the jump.  read more »

NY1 reports that the Greenpoint warehouse that is/was burning in what fire officials are calling a suspicious fire is owned by one Joshua Guttman (also spelled Gutman). Why is that name familiar? He owned a property in Dumbo that also burned down two years ago. That fire was investigated for arson. We have a call into the fire department to see if that investigation ever wrapped up.

The Municipal Art Society meanwhile says it had been advocating landmark protection for the burning complex, known as the Greenpoint Terminal Market.

(We should note the city deed for the Greenpoint property does not mention Guttman, though that doesn't mean he doesn't own it.)

-Matthew Schuerman

The Municipal Art Society's president for communications passes on this communique from Kent Barwick, president of the M.A.S. (with spellin' lessons--our bad).

"The Municipal Art Society did indeed develop two alternative site plans for the Ikea project that would meet their publicized program needs while preserving the rich history of the site. And, it is true that Ikea rejected both of these alternatives, in one case for financial and political reasons and the other for newly disclosed operational reasons. Nevertheless, these two alternative plans demonstrate another fact we've long known: talented design professionals can develop creative solutions to challenging problems when there is a will to do it. But, so far Ikea has been unwilling to even try.

We continue to hope that Ikea will recognize that they can build their store and their parking lot, while saving Civil War-era buildings and a functional ship repair dry dock that dates to the Lincoln Administration. They can also save high-skill, high-wage jobs on the working waterfront by allowing the shipyard to remain open. When it comes to Brooklyn's historic past and its promising future, Ikea can be a hero in this matter and we hope they will be.

PS: I'd like to gently point out to the original writer that it's Erie Basin and Erie Canal, not Eerie.

Kent Barwick, President, Municipal Art Society"

-Matthew Grace

Spokesman Jamie Van Bramer e-mailed The Real Estate with this statement from Ikea's Joseph Roth.

"IKEA's Brooklyn store underwent an extensive and thorough review under the City's ULURP process and our plans received virtually unanimous approval at every step. The project that received final approval was developed over the course of more than two years with significant input from residents, community groups and City officials. In fact, IKEA's innovative plans to include a 'working waterfront' barge facility, to expand the public waterfront esplanade and to retain the property’s historic gantry cranes and a portion of the drydock were all the result of public suggestions and input.

"The plans approved by the Community Board, Borough President, City Planning Commission and New York City Council also were always very clear that the drydock would not be maintained in its present form. Further, the Municipal Art Society's never presented their proposal during the months-long public review process.

"Nonetheless, the IKEA project team did review MAS's proposal and at the request of Community Board #6, IKEA representatives attended a public meeting last June in Red Hook--after the project had already been approved--to explain its findings to Community Board #6 members and the public. At that meeting, IKEA's land use counsel, their architect, and their store operations team provided a detailed, point-by-point explanation of the legal, financial and operational reasons why the MAS scheme could not work. Among the most noteworthy was the fact that one of MAS's proposals would even require IKEA to purchase an additional parcel of land and begin the entire ULURP process again. Clearly, this was not realistic or viable, and our team was clear in their reasoning for rejecting it.

"We look forward to developing the IKEA Brooklyn project--which has earned significant, widespread support throughout Brooklyn and beyond--that was approved last fall by the City of New York."

-Matthew Grace

Preservationist group Save the Chelsea Historic District is sponsering a free symposium tonight, "Preserving the Integrity of the Historic District," at 7:30 p.m. at the German Evangelical Lutheran Church of St. Paul (315 West 22nd Street). Speakers include Kent Barwick, former chair of the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission and president of the Municipal Art Society and State Senator Tom Duane, among others. -Matthew Grace

The Municipal Art Society, in concert with the Metropolitan Waterfront Alliance, the Save the Graving Dock Committee, the Roebling Chapter of the Society for Industrial Archeology and PortSide, opened its exhibit last night at the Urban Center, Big Box on the Basin.

The impetus for the exhibit is Ikea's development of the former Todd Shipyard on the Eerie Basin in Red Hook. Part of the shipyard is currently occupied by Graving Dock No. 1, a massive concrete canyon cut into the shipyard for maritime ship repair, and its pumphouse (which is half-demolished as of now).  read more »

The M.A.S. is trying to get Ikea to preserve the graving dock, even going so far as to commission an alternative design for the Ikea store that would allow the two to co-exist--and the graving dock to remain in operation.

Some of the city's most influential preservationists are vowing to block plans to build a huge new t  read more »