HRA Plans Catch Flack at CB2

470 Vanderbilt, the huge commercial building between Fulton and Atlantic, has had a rocky past, but with a change in ownership back in late 2007 the mammoth building’s fortunes appeared finally to be in turnaround. Plans for a new residential building on the property’s Fulton-facing parking lot are in the works, and after years of almost total vacancy, the former telecom building is getting traction with commercial tenants, including a Quaker school and the Human Resources Administration. It was the HRA lease that was up for discussion at last night’s Community Board 2 meeting. The government agency is currently finalizing terms of its 20-year lease for 400,000 of the building’s 600,000 square feet. HRA Deputy Commissioner Jim Whelan said the occupancy would bring in approximately 3,300 employees and Food Stamp and Job Center visitors every day. The issue confronting the community board the lack of a transportation or parking plan for this significant influx of new people to the area. (HRA’s lease doesn’t include the building’s parking lot which is still slated to become residencies.) “We’re anticipating all our employees will be using public transportation,” said Whelan a DCAS representative. When community board members pointed out how far the nearest subway station may seem for some, he suggested the Atlantic Avenue stop, at which point the crowd broke out in laughter. While one woman was concerned about the influx of HRA visitors (“They’re not the best people in the world,” she said) most were upset the HRA had done absolutely no analysis of the impact their arrival would have on the surrounding community. Residents said parking was difficult enough, with traffic problems already looming due to Atlantic Yards. As a last ditch effort, HRA proposed the idea of an employee shuttle bus from the Atlantic Avenue station, and residents wondered about parking permits for locals. “This is a bad situation, and you picked a bad time to move in,” stated a member in the audience. “This will only be a burden to the community.” On the other hand, if you’re a struggling store or restaurant owner along Fulton Street, you might feel differently about the prospect of a few thousand new potential customers.
Quaker School Coming to 470 Vanderbilt [Brownstoner]
470 Vanderbilt Lands Housing Authority as Tenant [Brownstoner]
470 Vanderbilt Cleared for ULURP Take Off [Brownstoner]
Big Plans for 470 Vanderbilt [Brownstoner]
So Long, Telecom: 470 Vanderbilt Gunning for Residential [Brownstoner] GMAP