Development Watch: Atlantic Terrace
While the future of affordable housing at Atlantic Yards is unclear, there’s been some progress on Atlantic Terrace, the mixed-income development a stone’s throw from the AY footprint. There was a ceremonial groundbreaking for the project back (rendered at right) in October, and workers have dug the big hole that’ll eventually get filled with 80…
While the future of affordable housing at Atlantic Yards is unclear, there’s been some progress on Atlantic Terrace, the mixed-income development a stone’s throw from the AY footprint. There was a ceremonial groundbreaking for the project back (rendered at right) in October, and workers have dug the big hole that’ll eventually get filled with 80 co-ops, 50 percent of which will be affordable to low-income families and 20 percent of which will be affordable moderate-income earners. Last year there were stories in the Observer and Post about how plans for solar panels on the building’s roof had to be scrapped because the looming shadows of AY high-rises would interfere with harnessing sunshine. Perhaps dark days for AY help that design facet see the light of day.
AY-Area Affordable Housing: Made in the Shade [Brownstoner]
Mixed-Rate Building Next to Atlantic Yards [Brownstoner] GMAP
There are solar access laws around the world but two years ago attending a talk at a fairly progressive architecture office in their offices in Downtown Brooklyn (in the framework of a sustainable architecture conference run out of CUNY), when I asked if they had thought about solar access, issues, regs, what they thought of them, etc. I was met with dumb looks.
They were touting how big deal they were because they’d been consultants on the 4 Times Square building (I think it’s “4”, no?) which got solar panels on it…uh-huh…and looks very late 90’s early 00’s …just more lattice work and junk on that building to be a maintenance nightmare and then start rusting and falling to the street below someday.
Anyway, I asked them if they had thought about how this new massive building was now blocking other people’s sun. And I asked if they could tell me exactly how many kilowatt-hours the panels produced on a typical sunny day at peak performance…more dumb stares…I pondered how efficient these the array was since it was vertical AND around sides of the building that were really not optimal, not just the optimal side, that maybe it was just dressing on top to feel good about.
Let’s say I wasn’t that popular during Q&A but I’ve never been too shy at asking questions.
NYC realllly needs solar regs but not coming any time soon here!!!
Now if this were in enlightened California, they could install the solar panels quick and then no-one could shade them later. Or maybe that law’s only for trees.