Norman Oder

"No-brainer": Cirrus crows about leveraging $200M of discounted debt to control Atlantic Yards
normanoder.substack.com/p/a-no-brain...
The Real Deal asks: can Cirrus's union-built, workforce housing model work?
Answer: maybe. Still, the speculator seems to have achieved a coup in Brooklyn.

OK, Barclays Center finally circulated its monthly calendar for neighbors, four days late.

Has the Joe & Clara Tsai Foundation's Social Justice Fund really invested $25M "in Brooklyn" since 2020?
normanoder.substack.com/p/has-the-ts...
The owners of the BK Nets made big promises in 2020.
Their summary shows significant efforts, but big gaps.
Tax breaks & investment gains are far larger.

Barclays Center February 2026 event calendar: 21 ticketed shows. (What about private events? They didn't circulate info.) A few days before each month, the Barclays Center circulates a monthly calendar of events to neighbors, including when doors open, and when ...

Barclays Center February 2026 event calendar: 21 ticketed shows.
atlanticyardsreport.blogspot.com/2026/02/barc...
What about private events?
They didn't circulate info, as they usually do, so I'm just drawing on their website.

Welcome to the Second Supplemental EIS! A $2M+ Contract for Consultant AKRF Expect a judge-proof document easing project changes. Is there any funding for a civic response? Plus: some past bad predictions.

Welcome to the Second Supplemental EIS!
A $2M+ contract for ubiquitous consultant AKRF
normanoder.substack.com/p/welcome-to...
Expect a judge-proof document easing Atlantic Yards project changes.
Is there any funding for a civic response?
Plus: some past bad predictions. (See image)

My Atlantic Yards workshop coverage now updated with full video from the nearly 2-hour event.

Some interesting questions/exchanges in my coverage now hyperlinked to video timestamps, as well

No info yet on subsidies, tax breaks, sought.
Developers didn't quite answer Qs about project's real density, nor their (unmentionable?) junior partners.
State official was very vague when asked if big Atlantic Yards winner, the owner of ArenaCo & Nets, could be asked to pay
2/2

Workshop yields a few clues on the future of Atlantic Yards, but big questions still loom
normanoder.substack.com/p/workshop-y...
Developers might re-start construction in 2 years.
They (vaguely) promise lower-income housing. (It depends on “public resources.”)
Accountability? Stay tuned.
1/

As Brooklyn Nets’ Value Booms, a Missed Opportunity With the Arena A $688 million Koch family (!) investment shows the enormous upside for NBA team owners.

It is complicated.

The initial developers actually lost a lot of $.
So did their successors.
(Now there's a third developer team.)

The 2nd, and 3rd, owners of the Brooklyn Nets, and the Barclays Center operating company, made bank.
commonedge.org/as-brooklyn-...

Just FYI, if you haven't weighed in,
NY State survey on the future of Atlantic Yards (aka Pacific Park) closes tonight at 11:45 pm.
esd.ny.gov/atlanticyards
Survey results will be integrated into the Community Engagement Report, which is anticipated to be released next month

How Dense Would Atlantic Yards Be? Very Dense. At a proposed 9,000 units and 19,000-plus residents over 22 acres, would the project have any peers? Advocate last month: "It does not feel like community. It feels like towers."

How Dense Would Atlantic Yards Be? Very Dense.
normanoder.substack.com/p/how-dense-...
At a proposed 9,000 units and 19,000-plus residents over 22 acres, would the project have any peers?
Advocate last month: "It does not feel like community. It feels like towers."

New (Unofficial) Images Suggest Supersized Atlantic Yards Must Be Far Larger Than Hinted How could 2.1M square feet of bulk be added to five sites over the railyard?

New (unofficial) images suggest supersized Atlantic Yards must be far larger than hinted
normanoder.substack.com/p/new-unoffi...
How could 2.1M sq. ft of bulk be added to 5 sites over the railyard?
We need candor from NYS officials
tks @bennkeel.bsky.social for estimating scale based on limited info

After 7.5 Years as BSE Global, Brooklyn Sports & Entertainment Wisely Retakes Original Name, Focusing on Local "The Brooklyn Way," though, relies on secondhand concepts of "Unfiltered Authenticity" & "Relentless Hustle" Also, hints about One Hanson, but not hotel.

After 7.5 yrs as BSE Global, Brooklyn Sports & Entertainment wisely retakes original name, focusing on local
normanoder.substack.com/p/after-75-y...
"The Brooklyn Way," tho, relies on 2ndhand concepts of "Unfiltered Authenticity" & "Relentless Hustle"
Also, hints abt One Hanson, but not hotel.

The aftermath of the Pintchik sale: turnover after new owners of retail in blocks near Barclays Center raised rents, according to Park Slope Pulse
atlanticyardsreport.blogspot.com/2026/01/the-...
Note: I think this is mostly about general gentrification, not seeking arena-related crowds

BSE Global's Brooklyn Basketball Training Center hosts a social uplift event, but mainly $65/hour youth classes, with murky info on financial aid. So, is the Brooklyn Basketball Training Center, in the former Modell's store across Flatbush Avenue from the Barclays Center, a place for so...

BSE Global's Brooklyn Basketball Training Center hosts a social uplift event, but mainly $65/hour youth classes, with murky info on financial aid.
atlanticyardsreport.blogspot.com/2026/01/the-...
Center is in former Modell's, across from Barclays Center

New Views of Site 5: 2021 Schematic and Glass-Walled Structure. Plus: Unofficial Rendering This contrasts with the flat image, which ignored a Pacific Street loading dock, released at the recent workshop seeking public input.

New views of Atlantic Yards Site 5 across from arena: 2021 schematic & glass-walled structure
+unofficial rendering (tks @bennkeel.bsky.social)
normanoder.substack.com/p/new-views-...
Vs. the flat image, which ignored a Pacific St. dock, released at the recent workshop seeking public input

Pacific Park Conservancy, in report on 2024, ramps up its spending (and there was likely more in 2025). Will fixing the dog run be on the table? According to the latest Form 990 return ( here , and bottom) to the IRS, the Pacific Park Conservancy, which manages the project's publicly ...

Pacific Park Conservancy, in report on 2024, ramps up its spending (and there was likely more in 2025) on Atlantic Yards open space.
atlanticyardsreport.blogspot.com/2026/01/paci...
Will fixing the dog run be on the table?

Could new NYC Mayor @zohrankmamdani.bsky.social & his advisors recognize that tax-exempt sports facilities are low-hanging fruit to raise revenue, and take on not just Madison Square Garden but also the Barclays Center and the baseball stadiums?

A key trade-off noted in 2007:
“The question isn’t: 'Could the developer make a lot of money?' nor 'What is the public getting & what is the public paying?’ but rather, 'As things change in the future, who decides how the gains & losses are shared btw developer profit & housing affordability?'"

Atlantic Yards in 2026: The Future Looms, But Remains Murky (& Selectively Portrayed) Many questions for the next workshop. Also: what subsidies are sought? Can't we get more honest images? What's next from BSE Global's Brooklyn "ecosystem"? What's the surprise?

Atlantic Yards in 2026: The Future Looms, But Remains Murky (& Selectively Portrayed)
normanoder.substack.com/p/atlantic-y...
Many questions for the next workshop.
Also: what subsidiesR sought?
Can't we get more honest images?
What's next from BSE Global's Brooklyn "ecosystem"?
What's the surprise?

Barclays Center releases January 2026 calendar: 15 ticketed events, mainly Brooklyn Nets and Disney on Ice The Barclays Center yesterday released its January 2026 event calendar, with 15 ticketed events, including seven Brooklyn Nets games and six...

Barclays Center releases January 2026 calendar: 15 ticketed events, mainly Brooklyn Nets and Disney on Ice
atlanticyardsreport.blogspot.com/2025/12/barc...

Atlantic Yards in 2025: New Developers Enter, Propose (Much Larger) "Feasible Alternative" Many unknowns remain: subsidies, timing, accountability. Though Nets struggle & Liberty stumble, BSE Global debuts new training center, street festival, and arena renovations.

Atlantic Yards in 2025: New Developers Enter, Propose (Much Larger) "Feasible Alternative"
normanoder.substack.com/p/atlantic-y...
Many unknowns: subsidies, timing, accountability. Though Nets struggle & Liberty stumble, BSE Global debuts new training center, street festival, & arena renovations.

That's ≈875 people/acre
2) Since not building the B1 tower (over the Barclays Center) & preserving the valuable plaza helps arena operator BSE Global, can/will Empire State Development, the state authority that oversees the project, seek any payment from BSE?
#AtlanticYards
2/2

Third workshop seeking public input on the project set for Jan. 22 at 6 pm, on Zoom. Attendees can pre-submit up to two questions. (See mine.) Today, Empire State Development, the state authority that oversees/shepherds the project, announced that the third workshop, of four, seekin...

3rd workshop seeking public input on the future of Atlantic Yards set for 1/22 at 6 pm, on Zoom
atlanticyardsreport.blogspot.com/2025/12/thir...
Attendees can pre-submit up to 2 Qs
Mine:
1) What other large real estate projects in NYC have a density comparable to what's proposed (409 apts/acre)?
1/

December Digest: Workshop on the Public Realm, Discussion About Megaprojects The project is complicated; a look at some other press coverage reinforces that.

December #AtlanticYards Digest: Workshop on the Public Realm, Discussion About Megaprojects
normanoder.substack.com/p/december-d...

The project is complicated; a look at some other press coverage reinforces that.

Former Assemblyman Roger Green calls for new homeownership agenda to stem loss of Black population. (What about Atlantic Yards affordable condos?) Former Brooklyn Assemblyman Roger Green, who served from 1981-2007 and represented the proposed Atlantic Yards footprint when the project w...

Former Assemblyman Roger Green, interviewed on @spectrumnewsny1.bsky.social Inside City Hall by @errollouis.bsky.social, calls for new homeownership agenda to stem loss of Black population.
atlanticyardsreport.blogspot.com/2025/12/form...
What about the Atlantic Yards affordable condos?

What I Noticed at the Barclays Center "The Fighting Spirit of Brooklyn" (via Modelo), a Coney Island boardwalk homage (!), and the obscured Meditation Room. (Authenticity?) Plus (unsurprisingly) pricey concessions.

What I Noticed at the Barclays Center
normanoder.substack.com/p/what-i-not...

"The Fighting Spirit of Brooklyn" (via Modelo), a Coney Island boardwalk homage (!), and the obscured Meditation Room. (Authenticity?) Plus unsurprisingly pricey concessions.

As NY Liberty named world's most valuable women's team, a new partnership with Alipay+, owned by Tsai-led Alibaba. Plus Ionescu deal (as salary supplement?) Forbes on Dec. 17 placed BSE Global's New York Liberty at the top of its first-ever list of  The World’s Most Valuable Women’s Sports Teams ...

Synergy! As NY Liberty named world's most valuable women's team, a new partnership with Alipay+, owned in part by Joe Tsai-led Alibaba.
Seems less abt marketing < brand building
atlanticyardsreport.blogspot.com/2025/12/as-n...
+Liberty star Ionescu signs deal w/Alipay parent (as salary supplement?)

Can Public-Private Development Projects Be Fixed? Well, Maybe. But it requires better monitoring, new procedures (approve in phases?), and better execution. Plus, legislators and the public must step up. The press, too.

Can Public-Private Development Projects Be Fixed? Well, maybe.
normanoder.substack.com/p/can-public...
It requires better monitoring, new procedures (approve in phases?) & better execution
Electeds+the public+press must step up
#AtlanticYards
@joannesimonbk52.bsky.social @jabaribrisport.bsky.social

Previewing Panel on "How to Fix Public-Private Development" One of the panelists wrote "No More Atlantic Yards!" Well, some things might be done now, but it takes political will.

Previewing Panel on "How to Fix Public-Private Development"
normanoder.substack.com/p/previewing...
One of the panelists wrote "No More Atlantic Yards!" Well, some things might be done now, but it takes political will.