Back Room Sweetheart Deal for Ratner
August 20, 2005, Brooklyn Papers — The same day they signed a widely publicized agreement setting aside land for developer Bruce Ratner’s proposed Atlantic Yards project, top officials of the Pataki and Bloomberg administrations signed a separate pact with the developer, granting him the right to build up adjacent urban renewal sites without city review….
August 20, 2005, Brooklyn Papers — The same day they signed a widely publicized agreement setting aside land for developer Bruce Ratner’s proposed Atlantic Yards project, top officials of the Pataki and Bloomberg administrations signed a separate pact with the developer, granting him the right to build up adjacent urban renewal sites without city review. That second agreement was never made public, but it turned up this week in the state’s response to a fairly broad Freedom of Information Act request made by a neighborhood group opposed to the Atlantic Yards plan.
The document stipulates that Ratner would be able to obtain the development rights to build nearly 1.9 million square feet of residential and commercial space on properties north and west of the Atlantic Avenue rail yards, exceeding the current zoning for those sites, without having to put the proposal through the city’s lengthy land use review process. That review requires public hearings before the community board, borough president, City Planning Commission and City Council. The developer currently operates the Atlantic Center mall and leases space to a Modell’s sporting goods store on those potential development sites. The Modell’s block also contains a PC Richard & Son electronics store. Ratner is currently negotitaing with the state-controlled Metropolitan Transportation Authority to build over the Long Island Rail Road storage yards across the street to build a professional basketball arena as part of the Atlantic Yards plan. Should he fail to work out a deal for that property, the second MOU stipulates, Ratner could still build on the two new sites, but would have to either abide by current zoning or gain city approval to surpass it.
Double Dealing [Brooklyn Papers]
IMO I think the design for the arena is pretty cool. I also think they picked a perfect spot for it – near the subways, a train station, and over a rail yard.
Also, Roz, New York City needs housing: market rate and affordable housing. After all – you need rich people to live in market rate apartments and pay taxes so the poor people can receive subsidies from the city. I don’t think this is bad (in fact I support it), but the money has to come from somewhere.
God Bless All
David is right. Something like a half a million people a day pass through this area on their way to work, shop or home. Adding 25,000 people max a few nights a week will make NO DIFFERENCE what so ever. Its fine if you oppose this project because you don’t like Ratner or you hate the Nets or whatever, but please lets be intellectually honest about it.
The Atlantic Yards project is currently shaping up to be 17 high rises (average 35-45 stories, with one tower over 60 stories) and as many as 7,200 housing units. I’d love to see an architecturally innovative development go up on that site but, hey, isn’t this insanely over-scaled, even by the standards of midtown Manhattan? And the affordable housing component is a scam: FCR has just added 2,800 condos, + there are 2,250 market rate rentals and 2,250 “affordable” rental units. But the income levels allow people earning up to $104,000 a year to qualify. Infact, there will be approx 230 units for people at that level vs. 120 for people earning the lowest allowable income of $21,500. The majority of the apts are reserved for people earning $35-65,000 and, since the rents will be based on 35% of income, depending on the size of the apt some of these will be very, very close to market rate. The Nets arena is frankly a Trojan Horse created by a PR-savvy developer. This is all about sneaking in a vast development with an absolute minimum of public oversight. Did y’all know that, although local groups are fighting this, there’s a better than even chance there will NO community input into the enviromental review for the project? Infact, FCR will commission and pay for the review themselves. Talk about conflict of interest and lack of due process!
how recent is that landfill? it seems like they’ve stopped using for a while, at least a few years. how long does a landfill have to be deserted for building to take place?
it is a bit out of the way, but flushing is too. would it take more money to build an L train than the subsidies and tax breaks forest city ratner is getting on the atlantic yards?
No, the reason anon 5:15 is not answering is because I’m exasperated by the rather condescending, bullying, alpha-male-wannabe tone some of the posts are taking and I don’t want to be dragged into it.
You’d think that since we all most likely live a few blocks from each other we could keep things a bit more civil, anonymously or not.
anyhow, as other posters have said before, the neighborhoods around the atlantic yards aren’t blighted, it’s just the site itself (and some of what ratner has already built around it). I’m all in favor of something getting built there but I don’t trust Ratner – if this is such a great deal for the brooklyn, why so much behind-the-scenes favoritism to get it done?
what about the old landfill by starrett city? but, i think already somethings slated for there, but there’s enough room there for anything you could think of, and that area is more blighted than fort greene, clinton hill, park slope and bococa.
Anon 5:15pm won’t answer your question, because there is no better place for development than the Atlantic Yards. Let’s not lose this great opportunity to create jobs and affordable housing in favor of leaving the area in its current dumpy state.
re: “you got a job that lets you comment on blog entries all afternoon” ???? uh, David, those who live in glass houses….
re – Penn station only having 2 subway lines, the B,D,F,Q,N,R,W trains are a block away.
saying that total gridlock is better than what we have now is perhaps not the most convincing argument.
Here’s a novel idea on how to solve traffic problems: don’t drive! If I had a penny for every time I met someone who lived in Brooklyn and worked in Manhattan, yet still owned a car, I’d have more money than Ratner. Use the goddamned subway, folks!