Who Wants to Turn Brooklyn into a Big Parking Lot?

What is one of the absolute worst uses of land, environmentally speaking? A surface parking lot. In other words, the type of parking lot you see in front of Wal-Mart—one level, not above or below any buildings. (They're also just plain ugly...can you think of anything uglier than a large, surface parking lot?)

Where is the worst place to build a surface parking lot? How about in the middle of the downtown areas of one of the most densely populated counties in this nation.

A 1,100-space surface parking lot is being proposed as part of the Atlantic Yards project, a controversial planned $4.9 billion mall, residential development, and sports stadium, in the downtown area of Brooklyn, New York. While the Empire State Development Corporation (ESDC) and project developer Forest City Ratner are portraying this as a temporary parking lot, it has been revealed that the parking lot may sit there for up to 25 years.

The environmental review for the Atlantic Yards project used ESDC and Ratner's initial estimate that the project would take 10 years. With the project expected to last up to 25 years, the environmental review does not meet legal requirements, and, thus, a number of groups are pushing for a halt to the controversial project until this review is adequately performed. The 25-year potential time frame is apparently written into the development contract between New York City and Ratner, but was not revealed in legal battles over the project last November.

There are indeed lots of reasons why people in the neighborhood are fighting tooth-and-nails against this development, as detailed in the blog Atlantic Yards Watch. But there are a number of reasons why people in favor of sustainable urban transportation and development around the country should also be up in arms.

For one, motor vehicles are the largest net contributor to climate change and a major source of air pollution. (In climate terms, cars are even worse than planes when it comes to this issue, per passenger mile.) Sprawling parking lots encourage unnecessary  automobile use, and especially don't make sense in Downtown Brooklyn, where there are literally 6 major subway lines within blocks of the proposed development.

What's more, runnoff from urban areas (rain or other water hitting the ground and then running off urban surfaces into our waterways) is considered to be the 4th largest source of water pollution in rivers and streams and the 3rd largest source of water pollution in lakes, according to the National Water Quality Inventory. Surface parking lots are a major cause of such runoff, and this one could deliver more pollution to New York City's already stressed-out waterways.

Recommendations from people opposing a quarter-century of surface parking in this location are to contact Mayor Bloomberg, the NYC DOT, and your City Council representatives if you live in NYC (especially Brooklyn).

You can start doing so by signing the petition below or calling your representatives.

Photo Credit: jkonrath via flickr (CC license)

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