Amid Protests, Atlantic Yards Breaks Ground

NEW YORK CITY-Six years after the project was first announced, city and state officials joined developer Bruce Ratner at a groundbreaking ceremony Thursday for Atlantic Yards. During the ceremony, which was bracketed by protests from community activists, Mayor Michael Bloomberg made a surprise announcement that the city had gotten a commitment from Forest City Ratner Cos. ensuring that at least 50% of the rental housing units in the project’s first residential tower will be affordable to low-, moderate- and middle-income families.

First phase of the project to be constructed will be the Barclays Center, an 18,000-seat arena that will eventually house the Nets basketball franchise. Site preparation has been under way for the past six months; Thursday’s ceremony marked the start of heavy construction. It is scheduled to open in 2012.

FCRC hopes to begin work on the first residential tower in the spring of 2011; the second tower, six to nine months later; and the third one, six to nine months after that. In a statement, Ratner says FCRC “will work closely with the community to ensure that construction progresses efficiently and with minimum impact on the surrounding communities.”