Council of Brooklyn

Neighborhoods
Home     About Us     Atlantic Yards     UNITY     Press Releases     Contact Us     Site Map     AY Impacts      
Data Bulletin 1
Friday, August 4, 2006
Today’s bulletin details information and study standards which seem to be missing from the DEIS. This information is necessary for our engineers to perform meaningful analysis of the DEIS results. It is difficult to understand the implications and accuracy of some of the conclusions drawn by the DEIS without information about what standards or parameters were used to develop those conclusions. This information is being formally requested ASAP from the ESDC.

DEIS Initial Response - Requests for Information
Community Facilities

Where’s the study of Fire Dept. response times?
Historic Context
A full disclosure of how the project will “disrupt” Brownstone Brooklyn should be part of the required material.

Infrastructure
1) "Final stormwater analysis and management plan for the Atlantic Yards Development Project: Summary Report" prepared by HydroQual Environmental Engineers and Scientists, dated July 7, 2006 (mentioned in footnote on page 11-3)

2) "Draft amended drainage plan" prepared by Vollmuth and Brush Planning and Engineering, April 2006 (mentioned in footnote on page 11-3)

3) "Final impact of the Atlantic Yards Project on Local Sewer Infrastructure: Summary Report" Prepared by HydroQual dated July 7, 2006 (mentioned in table footnote on page 11-35)

4) "DEP draft rules and regulations governing the construction of private sewers and drains" NYCDEP (mentioned in footnote to table on page 11-5)

5) Flack+Kurtz, May 25, 2006 report used to estimate sanitary sewer flow with water conservation

New research and analysis that ought to be done
Review HydroQual reports and seek to determine whether modeling performed is adequate
Questions to resolve:
Where does the stormwater runoff from the existing rail yards currently end up?

Air Quality (missing information)
  • All CAL3QHCR input and output files for CO, PM10, and PM2.5 on CD-ROM.
  • All AERMOD input and output files for CO, SO2, PM10, and PM2.5 HVAC sources on CD-ROM.
  • "The ratio of anticipated versus modeled boiler load" used in the adjustments described on DEIS page 14-34, and the basis for the specified ratio.
  • All AERMOD input and output files for industrial sources on CD-ROM.
  • Meteorological input data files on CD-ROM.
  • Worksheets showing calculations of air pollutant concentrations from parking facilities.
    For construction impacts chapter:
  • Appendix F 17b on paper, particularly pages 1-4.
  • All CAL3QHCR input and output files for CO, NO2, PM10, and PM2.5 on CD-ROM.
  • All AERMOD input and output files for CO, NO2, PM10, and PM2.5 on CD-ROM.
  • Worksheets showing calculations for fugitive dust emissions.
  • Dispersion model input and output files on CD-ROM for fugitive dust emissions.

 

Noise
Yet, AKRF does not discuss the potential impact of “Marginally Unacceptable” with respect to reading and learning. The evidence is overwhelming that outside noises adversely affect learning in school. I would like to see a discussion of these impacts in the EIS analysis.

Open Space
Need more detail about how open space and building bases meet, are related.

Urban Design
More detail about how open space and building bases meet, are related.

Traffic and parking
(Some VERY early observations)

  • Appendix 3 figures illegible (have ordered 11 by 17 originals) making review of the Atlantic Yards traffic impacts impossible in a timely manner.
  • In general, traffic volumes for baseline for 2006 appear lower than reported for 2002 for the Downtown Brooklyn Redevelopment Plan EIS.
  • No-Build assumptions do not include millions of sq. ft. of new development within their limited study and tens of millions of sq. ft. of new development that will impact travel outside the study area, thereby significantly under reporting No-Build conditions.
  • The assignment of No-Build trips is not provided in backup to the DEIS; these data are essential to checking the resulting No-Build conditions.
  • Trip generation rates continue to rely on three decade old data for midtown Manhattan; there were apparently no original data collection for this project in spite of its size and in spite of our continued recommendation for surveys; this is of particular importance for luxury Condo occupants that tend to own more cars and travel more.
  • Assignment of Atlantic Yards trips actually results in a reduction of travel; how a 9 million sq. ft. project can result in the reduction of travel on our roads is a mystery (because no back up documentation is provided, it is impossible to establish how they can report negative travel).
  • Level of Service (LOS) estimates continue to utilize Highway Capacity Manual (HCM) procedures ignoring spill back that is widespread throughout the study area; we continue to ask that they utilize a simulation model (the problem is that a simulation model—we are developing one—shows gridlock conditions without Atlantic Yards).
  • LOS is presented in the report as a black or white dot; the actual LOS results are presented in a 216 page appendix; without a huge amount of work the reader of the EIS cannot possibly establish the severity of project impacts.
  • Mitigation will have marginal impact (in effect, tinkering around the margins) shifting problems from one intersection approach to another; a great many intersections will be left with severe LOS F conditions (gridlocked) after mitigation. Plus, no effort is made to mitigation spill back problems (not recognized by HCM procedures).