Assemblymember Hakeem Jeffries’ bill (A11431) reforming Atlantic Yards governance has passed the Corporations, Authorities and Commissions Committee.

PHNDC and the other BrooklynSpeaks sponsors support the new legislation and are monitoring the legislative progress closely. "For the last three years, BrooklynSpeaks sponsors have advocated for transparency with respect to project governance, as well as for the involvement of the public in the decision-making process. This legislation is an important first step towards those goals,” said Jo Anne Simon, District Leader of the 52nd Assembly District. “We encourage all Brooklynites and New Yorkers concerned about accountability at Atlantic Yards to sign our online petition calling for swift passage of this legislation.”

The BrooklynSpeaks petition is available at http://www.PetitionOnline.com/reformay/petition.html.

State Senator Velmanette Montgomery has introduced a similar bill (S08193).Both bills direct the ESDC (Empire State Development Corporation) to establish a subsidiary corporation for planning and oversight of Atlantic Yards.

“We look forward to hearing further details regarding the constitution of the oversight subsidiary in the weeks ahead, and urge both the ESDC and our State legislators to look to the BrooklynSpeaks roadmap for governance reform as a guide to building a platform for informed decision-making on the project,” added Deb Howard, Executive Director of the Pratt Area Community Council.

“Atlantic Yards is still the only State project with no formal oversight or meaningful public representation in decision-making. It is long past time that the special treatment enjoyed by this developer end, and Atlantic Yards is brought onto the same platform as other large ESDC projects,” said Gib Veconi, of the Prospect Heights Neighborhood Development Council.