Bloomberg Steps Up Pressure on 421-a Carve-Out
Three weeks after calling for Governor Spitzer to veto the new 421-a legislation (which, among other things, gives Forest City Ratner another $300 million in tax benefits for Atlantic Yards without requiring any additional affordable housing), Mayor Bloomberg threatened to yank roughly half of the $205 million of city money committed to the project. “Pure…
Three weeks after calling for Governor Spitzer to veto the new 421-a legislation (which, among other things, gives Forest City Ratner another $300 million in tax benefits for Atlantic Yards without requiring any additional affordable housing), Mayor Bloomberg threatened to yank roughly half of the $205 million of city money committed to the project. “Pure and simple, it’s a giveaway,” a high-ranking city official told The Post. Bloomberg wants what State Senator Velmanette Montgomery and Assemblyman Hakeem Jeffries publicly called for two weeks ago–removal of the 421-a carve-out that exempts Forest City Ratner from complying with the standard requirements about how much and in what manner low- and middle-income units must be built. As handed to them on a silver platter in the new legislation by Vito Lopez, FCR could satisfy much of the affordable housing quote by building middle-income, rather than low-income, housing; it also could segregate the affordable housing into separate buildings and postpone the affordable portion of the project for years. (Bloomberg is also pissed off that the 421-a bill would squelch his plans for 10,000 subsidized middle-income units in Queens and elsewhere.)
Ratner’s Plan Hits Big $nag [NY Post]
Bloomberg Asks Spitzer to Veto Botched 421-a Bill [Brownstoner]
Pols Call for Ratner to Abandon 421-a Carve-Out [Brownstoner]
Photo by Tracy Collins
and, what about Mos Def? did i miss something?
I hope Bloomberg uses Ratner’s mother’s face as a toilet when he’s sick with massively explosive diarheea. The same goes for that whore Vito Lopez.
And Mos Def.
The big difference with the Yankee Stadium plans is that they were reviewed and approved by the local community board in that area. So there was input and concern for the current and future residents and visitors to that area by the community board and also by their elected officials. The proposed AY plan purposefully bypassed all local governmental review and was rubber stamped by a state agency that didn’t do any due dilligence at all, unless you consider cheerleading due dilligence during the “environmental review process.” And so after this quick rubber stamp initiative is it any wonder that there are so many problems with the AY project. Is it any wonder that this developer and his cronies were lying about what they were going to do on this site, about how much money they would make, about how they would benefit minorities who need housing and jobs. Lots of promises were made. And it’s clear that nobody believes any of their promises now. Not even the head of Acorn who signed an agreement promising not to speak out against the project is keeping silent on the giant scam that this developer has perpetuated against the citizens and taxpayers of this city and state. But there’s still time to stop him if the powers that be have the political will to help the people instead of helping some rich liar in a suit.
12:29, try miriam colon, HPD assistant commissioner for tax programs, 212-863-6263. her secretary will direct you to a staff member.
This is slightly off-topic, but does anyone know who in the city to call about the status of a building’s 421-a status? We moved into our building at the end of spring and are still waiting to hear. Thanks.
A done deal – NOT!
I’d be surprised if there’s any new construction at all on the site by 2010.
Besides the rail yard relocation.
while anything bad for Ratner = wonderful, who’d like to ask our Idealistic Mayor or Dan Doctoroff how to explain the Yankee Stadium, uh…not “giveaway”? (and how does “congestion pricing” in Manhattan benefit the air quality in neighborhoods where it is… worst? Like Sunset Park & parts of Red Hook, just to keep it local.)
while Bloomberg is no dummy (far from it), to think this is not a highly calculated political protest seems naive at best, duplicitious at worst.
The timing of this is interesting. Wondering if the hasty departure of FCR honcho Stuckey is connected to this latest round of Ratner sleaziness? Perhaps Bloomberg did get some decent American history lessons at Boston Latin…and remembers the chapters on the robber barrons finally. Thank you Mike!!!
Except for raising property taxes like a drunk sailor, Bloomberg is the best mayor we’ve ever had. I wish he’d put a 200% tax on gasoline and booze instead.