Beep's Flip-Flop May Lead to AY Changes
After being one of the Atlantic Yards’ biggest cheerleaders, Marty Markowitz attracted lots of attention for the moderation of his tone and his call for scaling back the project. Trying to retain some old-school Brooklyn cred, he’s now saying that none of Ratner’s new buildings should trump the size of the Williamsburgh Savings Bank. Cynics,…
After being one of the Atlantic Yards’ biggest cheerleaders, Marty Markowitz attracted lots of attention for the moderation of his tone and his call for scaling back the project. Trying to retain some old-school Brooklyn cred, he’s now saying that none of Ratner’s new buildings should trump the size of the Williamsburgh Savings Bank. Cynics, including The Times and some commenters on yesterday’s thread point out that this is too-little-too-late political opportunism and that he should have been pounding the table on issues like traffic and infrastructure months ago. We’d tend to agree. Regardless, though, Markowitz change in tune may have a measurable impact: The Post reports that Ratner indicated yesterday that he would consider reducing the height of Miss Brooklyn.
A Little Change of Tune from AY’s Biggest Fan [NY Times]
Ratner Yields a Bit to Building Anger [NY Post]
THE RAILYARDS AND RUN DOWN ATLANTIC AVENUE COMPRISES 90% OF THE DEVELOPMENT SITE AND YES IT IS INDEED DESOLATE! WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT? THE MERE SUGGESTION OF THE NAVY YARD DEMONSTRATES THAT YOU HAVE A NIMBY OPPOSITION TO THIS DEVELOPMENT. THE NAVY YARD HAS NO INFRASTRUCTURE OR TRANSPORTATION TO SPEAK OF. PLEASE EXPLAIN IN DETAIL WHY THE NAVY YARD IS BETTER THAN THE CURRENT AY SITE. YOU CAN’T, RIGHT? CASE CLOSED.
“However, this desolate area … ” – SuperAnon – your mistake is in this phrase – Prospect Heights is not a desolate area – it is a flourishing, stable community that may well be the equal of Park Slope someday. It has wonderful resources such as the Public Library, Brookyn Museum, is close to P. Park. Even the area in the footprint has the News Walk Condos, other renovated buildings, many businesses and at least one school. Look at all the development in PH. It is not desolate and that is the problem. It is our neighborhood, where are homes are. Also that is why people have suggested moving the arena to areas without population – such as the Navy Yards.
Yes, I agree. A better comparison would be the MCI Center in downtown Washington, D.C. Talk about urban renewal!?! The downtown DC development plan, which included the arena, was an across the board success. I challenge anyone on this site or DDDB to refute this incontrovertible fact. The arena project site was riddled with the same racial, socio-economic, traffic and infrastructure concerns as AY. However, this desolate area did not have a swarm of NIMBY maniacs trying to unjustifiably block its development. In this case, local politicians, city planners and residents understood the importance of density and upscale development to the city’s economic growth and future. Today, the MCI Center now serves as a model for successful urban development initiatives. The MCI impact zone went from a 6 to a 10 practically overnight. The community is now populated with trendy shops, restaurants, cafes and new residential and commercial buildings. Brooklyn in general, and AY in particular, is uniquely positioned to surpass the great success of MCI due to its (a) proximity to Manhattan; (b) clear transportation advantages; (c) immense population size; (d) unique sports history and lore; and (e) thriving nearby brownstone communities. I’m sorry to disappoint but I can’t see how this project is not right for Brooklyn.
I just re-read B’stoner’s original post for this section. Realizing that he, along with most people who still believe in what is good and right, could fathom that there is actually ZERO public oversight of this project. That nobody besides the 3 voting officials (Pataki, Sheldon Silver, and some other Pataki appointee) get to vote on the Atlantic Yards project. And they only get to vote yes or no. Everybody who is speaking now whether they are Joe Schmo or a bozo in a big office at Bklyn Borough Hall can do anything besides make comments that will be addressed somehow in an update to the environmental impact statement. Then that update along with the plan will get voted on (yay or nay) by the three guys in suits. All 3 of these gentlemen (for lack of a better word) have said publicly that they support the Atlantic Yards. So we collectively as Brooklynites can do little more besides hope to influence these 3 men. Markowitz may get thrown a bone by Ratner. But that’s all it would be is a bone. And politically it’s the same for Markowitz if he gets reduced size of the Ms. Bklyn bldg or not. He’s a polarizing figure. Most hate him. And he’s got nothing to lose or gain at this point. I think he believes he could run for Mayor. He is mistaken.
Democracy is supposed to be the way the future is decided in this neck of the woods. I think Castro probably couldn’t have orchestrated a better PR effort than what Ratner did at the so-called public hearing. This whole thing is a joke. No other public project proposed in this city has been railroaded like the AY proposal. Robert Moses had more consideration for the people and the architecture of this city. The only thing the future holds for Ratner is a lot of money for his family.
HOW IN THE WORLD ARE YOU GOING TO COMPARE YANKEE STADIUM IN A DESOLATE SECTION OF THE BRONX WITH BEAUTIFUL BROWNSTONE BROOKLYN?!?!? GIVE US A BREAK?!?!?
anyone been out to yankee stadium area lately? pretty sweet hood if you ask me, what with all the garbage and sports bars.
Long live Marty Markowitz, Bloomberg and Pataki!! These guys are dead on with respect to AY, Downtown Brooklyn and the Williamsburg/Greenpoint waterfront. Brooklyn is great now and will be even greater in ten years.
Governor Pataki, Mayor Bloomberg and Borough President Markowitz did not get to where they are in life because they are a bunch of underachieving, bumbling fools! They are successful and in positions of leadership, power and authority precisely because they are intelligent, pragmatic, forward looking, daring and, yes, visionary. These men are not pushing for the continued growth and development of Brooklyn in the form of AY and a developed downtown and waterfront because they want Brooklyn to fail. To the contrary, they believe firmly in Brooklyn’s promise and are simply making sure that Brooklyn continues to live up to it’s great potential. Yes, it’s indeed about the future and the future calls for both density and upscale development.
I’m probably just wasting my time trying to convince you otherwise; some people are big thinkers and others, unfortunately, can only think small. I’m siding with those who think big, who are truly committed to Brooklyn and who are first and foremost visionaries. DDDB and the rest of the anti-development crackpots are ill equipped to plan a community garden let alone the biggest development project in the history of the borough.
Brooklyn has over three million people living within its borders. It’s comprised of people from different socio-economic, national, racial, cultural and ethnic backgrounds; all of whom have a significant stake in the borough’s future. Downtown Brooklyn and the waterfront does not belong to the NIMBYs of Fort Greene, Prospect Heights, Park Slope and Williamsburg. Downtown Brooklyn and the waterfront belongs to all of Brooklyn; whether you’re from Prospect Heights, Bensonhurst, Brownsville, Marine Park or Flatbush. We thoroughly understand that as Downtown goes, so will the rest of the borough. As a result, it’s in everyone’s best interest that the fullest potential for downtown Brooklyn and the waterfront is realized to secure the brightest future for this borough and it’s residents. It’s the about the future people….the future.
If you haven’t seen Roman Polanski’s “Chinatown” – well, just see it, is all (it’s one of the Great American Movies, the way The Great Gatsby is the quintessential GAN).
Watched it yesterday and boy does it stand up…
Jake Gittes (Jack Nicholson): I just want to know what you’re worth. Over ten million?
Noah Cross (John Huston): Oh my yes.
Jake Gittes: I just want to know why you’re doing it. How much better can you eat? What can you buy that you can’t already afford?
Noah Cross: The future, Mr. Gitts, the future.