Quote Of The Day: ‘Heights Residents Who Balked About Traffic Are Running Out To Buy’ Barclays Tickets

By on September 27, 2012 7:50 am in Brooklyn Heights, Downtown Brooklyn, Sports, Traffic

In a story about art installations that will decorate Brooklyn’s new Barclays Center—including a 20×110-foot mural by Brooklyn-based artist Mickalene Thomas and a 70-foot mural from Cuban-American artist Jose Parla created at his studio two blocks from the arena—Forbes.com contributor Lynn Douglass offers a curious quote about nearby Brooklyn Heights…

She writes: “Can this local-inspired art help bridge the divide with those who spent years trying to block the sports arena from the heart of Brooklyn?

In an interesting turn, some of the same Brooklyn Heights residents who balked about traffic patterns before the Center was built are running out to buy tickets.”

Huh? Douglass offers no statistics to verify Heights’ residents alleged enthusiastic support of tix sales… Things that make you go Hmmm.

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  • Dudeface

    Wonder if her editor made her put it in. Agreed that it doesn’t make much sense for a variety of reasons. Heights folks would not be driving to the arena which seems to be what the comment implies. As such, see nothing contradictory in a Heights resident buying tickets and still objecting to the traffic overflow. I

  • Todd

    She obviously meant Prospect Heights residents. Just bad editing.

  • BH’er

    agree with Dudeface, you can object to the traffic issues and push for changes to help mitigate the impact and still take advantage of the venue

    that’s like saying that if you didn’t vote for Obama, you can’t accept the tax rebate he gave out

    the venue is built, enjoy it!

  • Boerum Bill

    2 years ago at Atlantic Antic: “DOWN WITH RATNER! DOWN WITH RATNER!”

    This year’s Antic: “Oooo, Green Day, January 16! Sweet!”

  • Matthew Parker

    Why assume Brooklyn Heights or Prospect Heights. Perhaps she meant Crown Heights? :-)

  • GHB

    Anybody agree that those big light blue plastic letters are really fugly? Reminds me of the signage outside a suburban bank

  • Bloomy

    @GHB I don’t know if my sarcasm detector is off today, but Barclay’s is bank.

  • Teddy

    @Matthew Parker

    I don’t think there are too many residents from Brooklyn Heights checking out Jay-Z this weekend. More likely Barbra Streisand next month.

  • cadmangal

    And, why wouldn’t Heights folk go to a jay-Z concert. Don’t assume. I for one have no desire to go to a Streisand concert.

  • Teddy

    @cadmangal

    You’re right, my mistake. Just for the record, I don’t have any desire to go to a Streisand concert either. Katy Perry on the other hand…

  • Mr. Crusty

    I will be at the JayZ concert tomorrow (business related) but what I am really looking forward to is the Rolling Stones.

    After Brooklyn native Jay-Z plays three shows in September, followed by Smashing Pumpkins and Barbra Streisand in October, the Barclays Center will welcome the British: The Rolling Stones are heavily rumored to be playing two shows in November. Good thing liquor license was secured!

    “A source tells Billboard the gigs will be part of a 50th anniversary tour, with two shows at the O2 Arena in London and two at the Barclays Center: “Richard Branson and Australian promoter Paul Dainty will promote, and the source says the Stones will be paid $25 million for the four shows.”

    Billboard also points out that Mick Jagger and Keith Richards said they wouldn’t go on tour this year, but then Richards told BBC, “We’re playing around with the idea and had a couple of rehearsals. We’ve got together, and it feels so good… There’s things in the works; I think it’s definitely happening. But when? I can’t say yet.”

    Looks like November at Barclays is all about the legendary icons—with Bob Dylan playing the venue on the 21st, and… Justin Bieber on November 12.”

    http://gothamist.com/2012/08/30/rolling_stones_to_play_barclays_cen.php

  • hoppy

    Jay-Z’s got 99 problems but B.H. ain’t one.

  • north heights res

    This Brooklyn Heights resident, who is definitely worried about traffic, is going to the Who’s Quadrophenia gig at the Barclays Center in November.

  • Lynn Douglass

    Hi, I totally meant Brooklyn Heights. There were lots of meetings for Heights residents–a discussion point was that traffic spillover from the arena sight would clog the already busy streets leading to the Brooklyn Bridges.

    Anyway, Go Jay-Z!!!!

  • Park Lover

    Great acts coming to Brooklyn– too bad they have to play in a Rusty Armadillo. How long before we can demand a makeover?

  • Mr. Crusty

    I think the esthetic of the rusty armadillo will grow on you in time.

  • David on Middagh

    Oh, for crying out loud. Rustiness is out. Shininess is in!

  • Neighbor Hood

    Sure it’s a freaking eyesore.
    Sure it costs taxpayers appx 300 MILLION tax dollars.
    Sure Ratner reneged on almost every promise.
    Sure it displaced residents and will be a cluster f*&% on event nights.
    But relax…it will grow on you.
    (you know, because you really never had a choice)

  • Mr. Crusty

    Shorter Neighbor Hood. “Waaaaaah, waaaaaaah”

  • Jorale-man

    Neighbor Hood is right to a certain extent. The arena is a decidedly mixed blessing to me. The full-time jobs that were supposed to have been delivered have not materialized to date. On the other hand, a local sports team and concert events have arrived.

    The question is whether the center can contain traffic congestion and prevent noise and trash from overwhelming the area. And also whether it can also deliver new business to the local stores. Time will tell.

  • stuart

    such reactionaries,
    get over it. time goes on, things change, younger people take over, older people drop dead. it’s life.

  • Mr. Crusty

    Sounds like all the dire fears of huge traffic jams were overblown. From tonight’s article in the NY Times on the opening night concert:

    “To get a sense of the center’s impact, Stephen Levin, a city councilman, patrolled the blocks around the arena with constituents as concertgoers arrived. In the hours before the doors opened, though, traffic on the main avenues did not seem unusually heavy. Fifteen minutes before curtain, a fire truck zipped past the arena without incident.”

    http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/29/nyregion/barclays-centers-opening-is-met-with-protests.html?pagewanted=all

  • Jorale-man

    Interesting too how the reactionary pro-real estate faction always weighs in immediately with their knee-jerk support of any development project — whether it’s the velodrome or Barclay’s or something else. You can’t always reduce every complex quality-of-life issue to “get over it” and “move on.”

  • Mr. Crusty

    Interesting too how the reactionary anti development faction always weighs in immediately with their knee-jerk opposition of any development project — whether it’s the velodrome or Barclay’s or something else.

  • Mr. Crusty

    So how about the horrors of gridlock traffic everyone against the Aren proclaimed with so much certainty? Never materialized.

    “As vehicle traffic kept good pace in the street, the Commanding Officer of the 78th Precinct, Captain Michael Ameri said that traffic was lighter than other Friday nights he’s seen.

    “I’m in a good mood because traffic is moving well. But this is what we expected, we have a plan in place and it’s working. I can’t ask for a better night,” Captain Ameri said, whose precinct expanded to include the arena on Sept. 25. “We dedicated a lot of planning with numerous city agencies like the MTA and DOT, with the FDNY and the community and it worked out exactly how we wanted.”

    Let this be instructive when you hear of all the horrible problems some new development might bring whether it be BBP, a pedestrian bridge, a velodrome, a Bosert Hotel conversion, etc. not that these concerns should not be explored and analyzed thoroughly but don’t fall prey to the “sky is falling” NIMBY crowd that is against anything, ANYTHING that is proposed and that makes wild and unsubstantiated claims of catastrophic doom.

  • hicks st guy

    I drive, garage it in the Heights, and I don’t give a fig about the traffic. are we to stop development because of possible traffic? idiocy.

  • Neighbor Hood

    To the Barclays apologists…
    NYC Independent Budget office study header:
    “Net gain to Ratner, loss to public: IBO says developer saves $726M on arena; city loses $40M plus another $180M in opportunity costs.”
    Traffic is/was just one of many concerns about this and other developments. To say “see there wasn’t a big traffic jam so any opposition was wrong” is ridiculous in the extreme.
    We are talking here (and with other projects like BBP) about private developers swindling OUR tax dollars for private gain, often also at further expense to the community.
    Are we not to be outraged that 100’s of millions of OUR tax money was funneled to this man on the basis of fabricated maps, studies and promises (practically every one of which has not materialized as they were promised).
    Are we to hand over our neighborhoods and tax dollars to any/every developer without question or be accused of obstructionism?

  • Mr. Crusty

    @Neighbor Hood: “To say “see there wasn’t a big traffic jam so any opposition was wrong” is ridiculous in the extreme.”

    Well, they were wrong on that particular issue now weren’t they? And that was what I was referring to. The “opposition” always throws in all kinds of horror stories to hype up opposition to a project. They often do so without any real evidence or facts. So tell everyone that there will be traffic gridlock, that their neighborhoods will be swamped with people looking to park, yada, yada, yada and you are sure to get community opposition. It is disingenuous in my opinion and I see it all the time with BBP

    If you want to make an economic argument against the arena that is fine, do so. And at the end of the day this is a democracy and if you disagree with the decisions our elective representatives make then vote them out of office. That is how it works.

    I don’t pretend for a moment to think that I know if the project will be a net plus or a net loss for the citizens of New Yorkers. That computation is well above my pay grade (and I assume yours as well) but the powers that be decided it would be a good thing for the city. Disagree with that? Fine. Election day is around the corner. Now stop your whinning and enjoy this beautiful new arena which will bring pride, culture and entertainment to the citizens of Brooklyn. I for one welcome the addition.

  • BH’er

    this BH resident attended the JZ concert last night

    Took the 2/3 from Clark – train was less crowded than every train going to Yankee Stadium (+)

    People crossed the streets (with help from crossing guards) and cars drove down the roads… buses passed and traffic did not look terribly unusual (+)

    After the show ended, we left with the masses, herded our way to the 2/3 platform and got a seat for the ride home – train was crowded, but not nearly as full as trains coming home from the Bronx (+)

    The venue is so much better than MSG – no contest – better food and drink options (no Manhattan prices and no special Yankee pricing either), seating was great and 20k people watched JayZ rock BK (+)

    People ate, drank, enjoyed the venue… OWS had couple rep’s, but the red carpet was out, everything looked good

    Was a little weary of suspicious cars looking for parking in the hood, but didn’t see anything outwardly suspicious

    I think it passed all tests – any thoughts?

  • cadmangal

    Wish I there. Knew it would go well.

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