December 22, 2005, NY Post — Developer Bruce Ratner has taken the first step toward demolishing six “hazardous” buildings in Brooklyn that stand in the way of his basketball arena — but he’s refusing to let local lawmakers have an engineer analyze the structures. “They’re only allowing elected officials with no engineering experience to access the buildings, which defeats the purpose,” argued Councilwoman Letitia James (D-Brooklyn). James — along with fellow anti-arena politicians Rep. Major Owens and state Sen. Velmanette Montgomery — planned to tour the former parking garages and tenant-evicted apartment buildings today with an engineer who volunteered his services to them. But they opted out after being told the engineer was persona non grata. All the buildings are in the footprint of the developer’s planned $3.5 billion residential and office complex anchored by an NBA arena at Atlantic and Flatbush avenues.
Ratner ‘Razes’ Stakes [NY Post]
(Picture of press release from Laetitia James, 12/22/05)