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]
To say traffic is a red herring (David at 12:52) shows a complete lack of understanding of the issue.
The arena is one thing, as most of that traffic is off-peak (7:30 or 8:00 pm starts for most events). Dont forget, however, that the project also includes thousands of units of housing and hundreds of thousands of feet of commercial space too.
The traffic associated with any commercial development there will be huge and difficult to address. Atlantic and Flatbush are already at or near capacity during the AM and PM peaks. Adding thousands of office workers will make matters worse.
Ratner has changed the mix to more housing and less office because that is what the market dictates, but also because there will be less congestion to mitigate.
Traffic is already a colossal problem in downtown Brooklyn and this will make it much much worse.
Changing trains at Jamaica is a pain – take it from someone who used to do it twice a day. Most suburbanites would rather drive.
And Madison Sq. Garden is over Penn station, which is far more accessible from the suburbs. Yankee and Shea stadiums are not exactly in the center of bustling residential and retail areas, so I think perhaps you are comparing apples to oranges here.
For anyone who has ever tried to cross that area of Flatbush avenue with small children, traffic is most certainly not a red herring.
Whatever does go up there, please don’t let it be as ugly as the Atlantic Mall and PC Richards/Modells.
Thank you! Well that solves the Times’ mystery “blase” reporting. Viva Nueva York!
RE The NY Times and Ratner. – Ratner is building the Times new headquarters in Manhattan and hence they seem reticent to criticize after the Atlantic Yards project.
Few LIRR trains stop at Atlantic? I think there is train to Jamaica about every 10 minutes rush hours and about every 1/2 hour later in evening and mid-day.
Does anyone get the impression that the New York Times is? How come we haven’t seen the same kind of coverage they gave to the West Side stadium?
yeah, somehow i haven’t heard anything proposed about how to manage traffic. it’s a nightmare at the junction of atlantic and flatbush already.
we’ll all be looking at something just as ugly and 10x as big.
Whether you’re pro or con on Ratner Yards, you have to wonder what on earth they’re going to do about the traffic. Do you really think Nets fans from Queens or Long Island are going to take the G train or one of the relatively few LIRR trains that stop at the atlantic ave. station? Those of you who look forward to walking to Nets games, that’ll probably be the fastest way to get there anyhow…