New York, NY —

Hundreds of Brooklynites are expected to voice their opposition to the Atlantic Yards project at a public hearing this afternoon. As, WNYC's Elaine Rivera reports, it's the one chance for people to speak on the mega project's environmental impact.

Brooklyn residents will be lining up outside Klitgord Auditorium where they will be given three minutes to give their thoughts on developer Bruce Ratner's proposal. They will respond to the environmental impact statement which got preliminary approval from the Empire State Development Corporation last month. The 4,000-page report stated that the 16 high rises and a Nets arena in downtown Brooklyn would only have a negligible impact on the environment or city services.

But challengers say they don't believe it. They want to try to force the state agency to draft another statement. They also want to push for an extension for written statements, which are due at the end of next month.

The meeting, which starts at 4:30, is expected to go through the evening. For WNYC, I'm Elaine Rivera

Photographer Jonathan Barkey's Atlantic Yards photo simulations from Develop Don't Destroy
Atlantic Yards: A Vision For Downtown Brooklyn