ESDC Seeks Final Evictions Today
And then there was one. It was widely reported earlier this week that Freddy’s Bar, the long-time gathering place of Atlantic Yards opponents, had made plans to relocate at the end of this month. And now, with the ESDC set to formally request eviction orders from a Brooklyn Supreme Court judge today, The Brooklyn Paper…
And then there was one. It was widely reported earlier this week that Freddy’s Bar, the long-time gathering place of Atlantic Yards opponents, had made plans to relocate at the end of this month. And now, with the ESDC set to formally request eviction orders from a Brooklyn Supreme Court judge today, The Brooklyn Paper is reporting that all of the remaining residential hold-outs except for one have cut deals to relocate. We have successfully worked to find comparable or better housing for every family in the footprint except one, said Forest City’s MaryAnne Gilmartin. Not surprisingly, the last man standing is Daniel Goldstein the founder and face of Develop Don’t Destroy Brooklyn. Based on a post on Atlantic Yards Report, however, his recalcitrance could have more to do with practicality than principle at this point: He’s still being low-balled on the value of his own apartment ($395 per square foot compared to a market average of $475 in Prospect Heights) and has only been offered apartments in two buildings so far. The final screwing in a screwed up process.
Goldstein Now, Officially, the last Yards Holdout [Brooklyn Paper]
ESDC Suggests Comparable Condos [Atlantic Yards Report]
Curtain to Fall on Last Atlantic Yards Holdouts [Crain’s]
Freddy’s Finds Amnesty in Park Slope [Brownstoner]
Our government in Albany is great! Paterson, Spitzer and Pataki have been the greatest governors we could ask for, so the oversight of the Atlantic Yards project have been exemplary! We can’t expect our state government to keep up its phenomenal record if people object to it, so Dan Goldstein is just standing in the way progress.
Daniel Goldstein’s personality and its perceived flaws and imperfections have nothing to do with fighting the good fight. In fact, it is probably a lot better to be an arrogant SOB in order to do so. I don’t care if I like him or not. I’ve never met him. I will continue to applaud all of his efforts in fighting FCR. Somebody had to be the front man or woman, and he is well suited for the task. Had he been less well off, he might not have been able to last. Had he been a “nice guy” he would have gotten bowled over by the sheer force of lawyers and obfuscation in this case. He was the perfect person in the right place at the right time. If he received fame, ego-stroking or name recognition from all of this, so what? It still took years out of his life, and in the end, he has to watch his home fall under the wrecking ball. And we all lose.
>more time …with DDDB
DIBS, I did, quite a bit. But it’s not worth talking about with closed-minded people who side with the Rat.
I agree with you, be_rude. The Gehry arena was far mroe interesting but I’m guessing it would have not been built in any case. Far too expensive.
M4L- I think he always planned to do the arena first- I’m not sure any towers would have been built by the time the bubble burst. Anyone know?
bxgrl, you’re right. But if some of those towers were completed and slow to no sales, them towers might be affordable housing now (ie city buys thems cheap from bankrupted Ratner)
I applaud Daniel Goldstein, DDDB and others for fighting a landgrab by Forest City Ratner, aided and abetted by New York. Nobody believed we stood much of a chance, and I’m surprised we’ve lasted this long, but even in losing this battle many more are now aware of how government and business really operate in this city, state and country, and are better prepared to fight the next one.
And to all those who support AY and deride Daniel & DDDB: I hope that the gov’t doesn’t decide that “the public” would be better served by forcing you out of your home. You might just need allies like Daniel and DDDB.
Ratner may well be secretly thrilled that he wasn’t in the midst of building when the bubble burst.
However we shouldn’t be thrilled the bubble-era Gehry arena was lost due to DG’s stalling tactics.
dibs:
Re: Pac Bell Park…
Not the same situation at all.
No one was buying $600,000 apartments in the area.
Also, it was driven by a local and a local group that went out of their way to have something useful as well as profitable.
Ratner is so not that. he is political hack from the Koch(?) administration who has played his cards well with a 20+ year plan for Brooklyn. Does anyone here have a 20 year plan for anything except their next Real Estate Flip?
Also,
You have fake studies, judges with no backbones, lazy, incompetent or worse media, local groups who got trinkets for value because they were PLAYED and people here want to castigate daniel because they dont like him?
Who cares if you like him or not. If the aforementioned is true there should be political blood on the floor.
It seems to me it is about whether we have an actionable memory in Brooklyn or, as I fear it has historically been, it is too fragmented to be effective.
Which would have made it worse, bupe. Talk about being underwater. I have a feeling Ratner is secretly thrilled he wasn’t already in the middle of construction when the bubble burst.