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Trilingual sign on back of Ratner's retail outlet across from arena: "Please don't urinate here!"

Some neighbors of the in-progress Barclays Center arena have expressed dismay over one specific potential impact: patrons urinating on the streets, sidewalks, and stoops.

One of the most vocal, Brooklyn Bear's Garden coordinator Jon Crow, has even called it the "urina," provoking pushback from arena boosters.

But are such fears really invalid? There's a problem already in the neighborhood.

On Monday, April 30, I walked around the back of the P.C. Richard store at Flatbush and Fourth avenues, which, along with Modell's (home to a Brooklyn Nets press conference) make up "Shops at Atlantic Center Site V," developed by Forest City Ratner.

(The parcel, also known as Site Five, is part of the Atlantic Yards site and destined for a 25-story building, at least at some point. It is directly adjacent to the Bear's Garden.)

Warnings stern and plaintive

On the back of the P.C. Richard store, I saw the notices in the photo at left. "No! You can't urinate here!" one message said sternly. The others, in English, Spanish, and French, were more polite: "Please don't urinate here.!"

Apparently a good number of people--well, most likely men--have not been following those instructions.

The video below depicts the signs above, plus a similar sign on a facing entrance to the garage. Note that the video narration identifies the location as the back of Modell's--it's actually the sibling building, P.C. Richard.

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