Local leaders blast P’ Heights gym project
Activists demand Cuomo shut down massive Pacifi c Park athletic facility
BY AIDAN GRAHAM
Activists and local leaders
are urging Gov. Andrew
Cuomo to put the kibosh on a
massive underground athletic
facility in Prospect Heights
— claiming state offi cials rubber
stamped the new development
without giving a second
thought to the public good.
“We’re giving benefi ts to developers
without proper public
comments and review — at the
expense of taxpayers,” said Assemblyman
Walter Mosley (D–
Prospect Heights). “This is only
going to benefi t the developers.
This is only going to benefi t
those who wish to sell us out.”
The proposed facility — a
105,000-square-foot fi tness center
and fi eld house — would be
located primarily underground
on Dean Street between Vanderbilt
and Underhill avenues,
and included as part of the Pacifi
c Park mega development
project, which was formerly
known as Atlantic Yards.
The space had been originally
slated for use as vehicle
parking until developer TF
Cornerstone decided to scrap
the garage and build a sprawling
fi tness facility instead.
The Empire State Development
Corporation, which is responsible
COURIER L 10 IFE, AUG. 30-SEPT 5, 2019
for overseeing the Pacifi
c Park development, gave the
new recreational facility their
stamp of approval on Aug. 15 —
ensuring the plan will go ahead
unless Cuomo intervenes.
The plan has angered activists
and local leaders, who argue
that the state is providing a
massive windfall to developers
without extracting any concessions
in the form of additional
affordable housing, or addressing
environmental concerns.
Councilman Brad Lander
(D–Park Slope) raised concerns
that the developers are already
lagging behind on their prior
commitment to build 2,250 “affordable”
apartments by 2025,
and demanded they present
a concrete plan to meet their
obligations — before the state
hands over additional building
rights.
“The community fought
long and hard to ensure that
the development of Atlantic
Yards would include a signifi -
cant commitment to affordable
housing, but we have yet to see
a real plan to meet the commitment,”
he said. “Now, the developers
are asking for more commercial
development without
making any additional promises
to provide public benefi ts
or to follow through on their existing
commitments.”
Assemblywoman Jo Anne
Simon (D–Prospect Heights)
basted the state for failing to
conduct a full environmental
impact study for the proposed
facility.
“We don’t know what kind of
impact it will have, because it’s
never been studied,” she said.
“We’re being asked to make decisions
with no information.”
Jack Sterne, a spokesman
with the Empire State Development
Corporation, said the concerns
were overblown, arguing
that the proposed fi tness facility
— equal in size to roughly two
football fi elds — constituted a
“minor modifi cation” the original
plan for the building’s basement,
and was not signifi cant
enough to warrant a new, fullscale
review.
Sterne also shrugged off the
affordable housing concerns,
arguing that the state had previously
secured concrete commitments
to ensure the housing
requirements would be met.
“Pacifi c Park has already
delivered over 750 affordable
apartments, and we expect hundreds
more to be completed this
year,” he said. “The project developer
made a legally-binding
commitment to deliver 2,250
units of affordable housing by
2025 — and we will hold them
and all of their partners to that
deadline.”
Gov. Cuomo’s offi ce did
not respond to requests for
comment.
The Empire State Development Corporation voted to approve a massive
new indoor athletic facility in the Pacifi c Park development.
Empire State Development Corporation
ADVERTORIAL
Kathy Ioannou: Life begins at 50
Brooklyn, NY – It’s been said that life begins at
40, but for this Brooklyn mom it’s more accurate
to say that life truly began at 50. That’s because to
celebrate her 50th birthday in 2012, Kathy Ioannou
from Dyker Heights decided to run the New York
City Marathon. The punchline: she wasn’t a runner.
Ioannou, a mother of three, was determined to
celebrate that special milestone birthday in a way
that embodied her renewed health and passion for
living an active lifestyle. Five years later, in April
2019, after completing the London Marathon, she
became one of the elite group of runners who has
completed the six World Major Marathons: NYC,
Chicago, Boston, Berlin, Tokyo and London.
Like every journey of a thousand miles, Ioannou’s
journey started with one step: she quit smoking.
“In 2007, I quit smoking after an 18-year nicotine
addiction,” she says. “I started eating healthy and
became physically active by joining a gym. Those
decisions might have saved my life.”
Looking back, Ioannou admits that her family
history and unhealthy habits increased her risk
for heart disease and stroke but through running
and better nutrition, she began seeing her blood
pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar numbers
improve. According to the American Heart
Association, these are key indicators of ideal
cardiovascular health.
“I truly wanted to regain my health for my
children and to be around for them for as long
as I can,” Ioannou said. “I encountered obstacles
that could have kept me down but just like the
little engine that could, I believed in myself, stuck
to my training plan and my goals and kept my
commitment to myself.”
Thanks to Ioannou’s example, her family has
adopted much healthier habits as well.
“I have gotten my family involved in yoga and
have tried to help them with smoking cessation
techniques,” she said. “My family has also adopted
much healthier cooking methods and we have
incorporated a lot more vegetables, fruits and foods
high in antioxidants and healthy nutrients.”
Earlier this year, Ioannou was recognized by the
American Heart Association’s Go Red for Women
movement for her commitment to improving her
health and inspiring the people in her life, receiving
the New York Lifestyle Change Award.
“I want to encourage other women and my
community in Brooklyn to take control of their
health,” she says. “When I first started running in
2014, I couldn’t imagine ever running more than
a 5K. I now have more energy than many of the
30-year-olds I run with and I can keep up with all
age groups at the gym. I feel strong on the inside.”
Ioannou says her life is happier, more satisfying
and she is no longer a hostage to nicotine or a
sedentary lifestyle.
“If I could share one message, it would be this:
it’s never too late to make a lifestyle change.”
When Ioannou is not running marathons around
the world, she stays active by walking and hiking
with her daughter and sons. She is committed
to celebrating life the way it should be – with all
of her heart.
“If we all work together to help each other live
healthier lives, imagine what a difference we
can make in the fight against heart disease,”
Ioannou says.
Kathy Ioannou is now a volunteer with the
American Heart Association. She encourages
communities to get active and get healthy. You
can start your journey to improved health by joining
the Brooklyn Heart Walk on Sunday, September
15 in Coney Island. For more information visit
www.brooklynheartwalk.org
/www.brooklynheartwalk.org
/www.brooklynheartwalk.org
