DDDB Holds Fifth Fundraiser Against the Yards
Develop Don’t Destroy Brooklyn, the Atlantic Yards watchdog organization, held its fifth annual Walk Don’t Destroy fundraiser on Saturday, which raised over $40,000 according to the Atlantic Yards Report. City Council Member Letitia James, DDDB spokesman Daniel Goldstein, actor John Turturro, and about 200 others walked the 2.3-mile route, which included a stop at Borough…
Develop Don’t Destroy Brooklyn, the Atlantic Yards watchdog organization, held its fifth annual Walk Don’t Destroy fundraiser on Saturday, which raised over $40,000 according to the Atlantic Yards Report. City Council Member Letitia James, DDDB spokesman Daniel Goldstein, actor John Turturro, and about 200 others walked the 2.3-mile route, which included a stop at Borough Hall, headquarters of Borough President Marty Markowitz, a supporter of the Atlantic Yards development. This is about working-class people, Ms. James said as she marched across Atlantic and Flatbush Avenues, according to The New York Times. This is about saving our homes and businesses against billionaires. We want our community back. The cash raised by the event will presumably go towards DDDB’s efforts to prevent the Atlantic Yards stadium and residential development project, such as its current lawsuit against the MTA for negligence of due process in its sale of land to developer Forest City Ratner.
Staying Power at Fifth DDDB Walkathon [AYR]
Walking Against the Bulldozers [NY Times]
Atlantic Yards: Suit Filed Against MTA [Brownstoner]
Photo by Tracy Collins
Guilani wanted a football stadium built on the West Side. Bloomberg, campaigned against it.
It may be that the West Side project has yet to get off the goround- so does AY. It isn’t the developer that’s the problem (or the cure)- it’s the City. They can make or break a project. But here you are claiming only Ratner is capable and all your examples to prove your point only indicate what any developer has to content with. None of your examples prove your point, only that the City makes or breaks them. Of course Ratner can be successful- politicans are smoothing his way. The ESDC is making it easy- by bypassing regs. Let’s see how good he is without any of that.
Benson, please identify how it is you think Ratner is capable of this project?
“Your whole point was that Ratner is the only developer capable of building something of this size. I disagree.”
Bxgrl;
Once again: please identify the developers who are capable of taking on a project of this scale, based upon their track record in NYC.
Regarding the Far West Side development: may I respectfully recommend that you read up on the history of this project because what you state in your latest post is completely incorrect. Giuliani had nothing to do with this project. It was first proposed by Bloomberg. See this link, which shows that the rezoning of this area took place in 2005, well into Bloomberg’s term, and at his urging:
http://www.plannyc.org/taxonomy/term/661
Furthermore, it has always involved housing and offices, and these components are NOT defeated, only the stadium was defeated. They are slated to be built by Related and Extell, two very large developers in this town. Of course, however, as I mentioned, the project has yet to get off the ground.
FSRG- I lived in Brookyn, just a few blocks away form Metrotech and I heard, with my own ears, how wonderful it would be. How it would bring life back to downtown Brooklyn, blah, blah, blah. It’s not a complete failure- but it failed to deliver on its promise. The Marriot was not built because of Metrotech. It was built because downtown Brooklyn had thriving businesses, and was convenient to downtowm Manhattan. Because Bloomberg was desperate to keep business in NYC and began pushing Brooklyn as a viable, less expensive alternative. The Marriot was begun before Bloomberg took office but I can say from first hand experience, until Bloomberg came in, Metrotech basically sat there. Except for the FDNY anchoring it. It wasn’t till Bloomberg came into office that Metrotech became really successful.
That said, Metrotech is still no indication that Ratner is going to be able to build AY- since letting Gehry go, one has to wonder how much of his plan and promises he will keep.
benson- 2 things-
1. You don’t read my posts
2. You shift your arguments to fit the need as when you started talking about women in Afghanistan in response to NotIgnorant.
Your whole point was that Ratner is the only developer capable of building something of this size. I disagree. That he is the only one with the fortitude to see projects through? Well if that were the case, there would be a vast empty wasteland in Manhattan, and you can bet if the City and ESDC kissed everyone’s ass the way they did Ratner’s, everyone would be able to bring big projects to completion. Neither Metrotech nor Atlantic Terminal are nearly as big as Ground Zero, and I am sure Joe Sitt will follow through, despite everything.
The other projects you mention have other issues and problems. Don’t even start the Ground Zero discussion- it would take days to sort out what’s happening down there but I’ll remind you that it is a far more complicated situation than AY. The city is fighting with Joe Sitt over Coney Island- not kissing his butt, like they are with Ratner.
And if you remember correctly, instead of slipping and sliding on your own arguments, for years all that was ever proposed fot the Manhattan Yards was a stadium- from Guliani to Bloomberg. the housing and office space was an add on to them. Those ideas were defeated. Not doomed by a poor developer. So let’s stick to real comparisons, not red herrings.
Here is the problem….it is basically impssible to argue with people who try to claim that Metrotech is a failure – when any honest, sober and unbiased assesment would acknowledge the near complete success it has been.
“It is dead at night”
Yeah and? So was Wall St until about 8yrs ago. Metrotech wasnt built as a mixed use 24/7 development – it was built to HELP retain white collar jobs in NYC and it worked! In fact it worked so well that, the most successful Marriott hotel in the nation was developed next door, and thousands of more hotel rooms are going up, thousands of residential units are being built in the neighborhood and Brooklyn is considered a viable and attractive location for living and business……You may not be aware of it – but when Metrotech was proposed, Brooklyn was considered a dying boro in conventional wisdom.
The notion that a business district with private businesses, including publishing, finance and law exists in Downtown Brooklyn could be viewed as anything less than a triumph is just revisionist history….no one expected or wanted Metrotech to be some kind of mixed use 24/7 neighborhood, it was supposed to be an Office park to retain Cos from going to JC – mission accomplished
The NYS and city offices in Metrotech pay well over market rates to subsidize the well under market rents given to the commercial tenants. Ratner wins, we lose. Enough!
Bxgrl;
Oh, and I should have also said: once again, please identify one other developer who has completed a project of this scale in NYC in the past 25 years.
Bxgrl;
We can all have our opinion on Metrotech and the Altlantic Terminal as finished products. The point is that they ARE a product, and Ratner saw them through despite numerous obstacles akin to what he is facing with AY. He saw them through and completed the projects. That is precisely my point, and you don’t address it. You cite the difficulties of the other projects, even though some of them avail themselves of the same “tools” as Ratner. Exactly!!! They don’t have the fortitude to see the projects through. Bruce Ratner, on the other hand, has had the last laugh in all of his contested projects.
Finally, before you laugh too hard about the West Side, I suggest that you understand what the heck I am talking about. I’m talking about the MTA and City’s proposal that the LIRR rail yeards on the Far West Side be developed, i.e. a platform be built over them and then housing and offices over that. In that case, the MTA opened the process up to all developers. Where is that project at???