Municipal Art Society

Public Presentation
June 15th 2006

Outline

1.Learning from Brooklyn

2.The Planning Context
3.The Principles
4.The Alternative Plans
5.The FCR Plan

Learning from Brooklyn

1. Great neighborhoods
2. Great streets
3. Great parks
4. Lively streets and public spaces

Learning from Brooklyn

Great Neighborhoods

Prospect Heights

Credit: Project for Public Spaces

Learning from Brooklyn

Great Public Streets, Boulevards

Cobble Hill

Eastern Parkway

Learning from Brooklyn

Great Parks

Fort Greene Park

Learning from Brooklyn

Lively streets, public spaces

Fort Greene

Borough Hall
Credit: Project for Public Spaces

Learning from Brooklyn

Lively streets, public spaces

Fort Greene

Outside BAM

In the beginning

Source: Native New York

Historic Brooklyn
Flatbush and Dean Street, early 20th century

Source: Brooklyns Park Slope

Historic Brooklyn
Fourth Avenue, looking North, early 20th century

Source: Brooklyns Park Slope

Historic Brooklyn
Fifth Avenue, early 20th century

Source: Brooklyns Park Slope

Now.

Source: New York from the Air

The Planning Context

Credit: Forest City Ratner

The Planning Context

The Planning Context

Principles

1. Respect the existing neighborhoods

2. Dont eliminate streets
3. Create a real public park
4. Promote lively streets
5. Dont choke the streets

Principle #1

1. Respect the existing

neighborhoods

Principle #1

Queens West:
Extreme density
adjacent to a
low-rise
neighborhood

Principle #2

2. Dont eliminate streets

Principle #2: Dont eliminate streets

Rockefeller Center and Tudor City added streets to
the grid to increase connectivity

Rockefeller Center

Tudor City

2. Dont eliminate streets

Stuyvesant Town took streets away

Pre-war streetgrid

Post-war streetgrid

2. Dont eliminate streets

Metrotechs private streets make it feel like an enclave

Principle #3

3. Create real public parks

Principle #3: Create real public parks

Stuyvesant Town open
space is surrounded by
buildings and feels
private

Principle #3: Create real public parks

By contrast, most public parks feel public because
they are bordered by public streets

Ft. Greene Park

Cobble Hill Park

Principle #4

4. Promote lively streetlife

Principle #4: Promote lively streetlife

Promote diverse, streetlife-generating retail
Blank facades vs. streetlife

PC Richard building, Flatbush Ave.

Boerum Hills Atlantic Ave.

Principle #4: Create lively streets

Promote diverse, streetlife-generating retail
Chain stores vs. locally owned
Large stores vs. small stores

Chain Stores

Sahadis, Atlantic Ave.

Principle #4: Create lively streets

Promote diverse, streetlife-generating retail
9am-5pm activity vs. evening / nightime
activity

Atlantic Center

Brooklyn nightlife

Principle #5

5. Dont choke the streets

Principle #5: Dont choke the streets

Credit: Joe Holmes

Principle #5: Dont choke the streets

Alternative Plans

1.Unity Plan
2.Pacific Plan
3.Principles for Responsible
Development

Unity Plan

Pacific Plan

Source: Douglas Hamilton

Principles for Responsible Development

Respect the context and scale of the existing
architecture in host communities.
Include a diversity of uses
New development should promote linkages
among neighborhoods by avoiding superblock
development and by creating additional streets.
No currently open street should be closed and
the current street grid should be maintained.
Mandate that any open space be publicly owned
and easily accessible so as to maximize public
access.

The Ratner Proposal

INSERT TWO MODEL SHOTS

FCR currently
proposes
8.7 Million sf
of
development

Credit: Gehry Partners

a) Density Comparison
8.7M square feet 3 Empire State Buildings

ESB is approx. 2.8M sf (Source: NYC Department of Finance, RPAD)

Density Comparison
8.7M square feet 23 Williamsburgh Savings Banks

WSB is approx 360000 sf

(Source: NYC Department of
Finance, RPAD)

Density Comparison
8.7M square feet 2200 brownstone houses OR
over 85% of Prospect Heights
Source:
Average
brownstone
approx 30004000 sf
Prospect Heights
(shown in red)
contains approx
9.8M sf of
development

The FCR Proposal

Credits: above, Gehry Partners, below, Olin Partnership

Principle #1

1. Respect the existing

neighborhoods

Principle #1

1. Respect the existing

neighborhoods
Dont block the clock
Dont overwhelm the surrounding
neighborhoods
Reuse existing buildings on-site

Principle #1: Respect the existing fabric

Dont block the clock

Left, current view down Flatbush; Right, view with proposed FCR
buildings (Credit: Gehry Partnership)

Principle #1: Respect the existing neighborhoods

FCR

Alternative

100ft height limit

Principle #1: Respect the existing fabric

Dont overwhelm the surrounding neighborhoods

Above: typical townhouse scale

FCR Model Photo (credit:

Gehry Partners)

Principle #1: Respect the existing fabric

High
density

Low
density

Principle #1: Respect the existing fabric

Reuse existing buildings on site

Ward Bakery

Principle #2

2. Dont eliminate streets

Rockefeller Center
Stuyvesant Town

Principle #2: Dont eliminate streets

Forest City Ratner Proposal: demaps parts of 5th
Avenue and Pacific Street

Principle #2: Dont eliminate streets

Alternative: Keep 5th Avenue and part of Pacific Street,
add new streets going across the railyards

5th Avenue

Forest City Plan

Alternative

Principle #3

3. Create a real public park

Cobble
Hill
Park

Stuyvesant
Town

Principle #3

3. Create a real public park

Credit: Olin Partnership

Principle #3: Create a real public park

Forest City Proposal showing open space surrounded by
buildings

Principle #3: Create a real public park

Alternative showing potential open space bordered by
public streets

Principle #4

4. Promote lively streets

PC Richard building, Flatbush Ave.

Boerum Hills Atlantic Ave.

Principle #4: Promote lively streets

FCR is attempting to wrap Arena with continuous retail

Photographs of FCR Model (Credit: Gehry Partners)

Principle #4: Promote lively streets

Unclear whether retail (in red) on eastern part
of the project will be successful
256,000 sq ft of retail in the program: Unclear
what kind of retail it will be

Adapted from rendering by Olin Partnership

Principle #5: Dont choke the streets

Project could add 40,000 more
vehicle trips (source: NY Times)
How can this be mitigated?
Encourage use of public
transit to get to arena
Congestion pricing
Residential parking permits
Traffic calming measures

Principles

1. Respect the existing neighborhoods

2. Dont eliminate streets
3. Create a real public park
4. Promote lively streets
5. Dont choke the streets