Local Pols Want to See Ratner's Shrinkage
The Daily News reported this weekend that a group of six local politicians wants to cut back the size of the Atlantic Yards project by about a third. Led by Assemblyman James Brennan (D-Brooklyn) Assemblyman Roger Green (who’s been a big supporter of the project thus far) are introducing a bill that would reduce the…
The Daily News reported this weekend that a group of six local politicians wants to cut back the size of the Atlantic Yards project by about a third. Led by Assemblyman James Brennan (D-Brooklyn) Assemblyman Roger Green (who’s been a big supporter of the project thus far) are introducing a bill that would reduce the project to 6 million square feet. In exchange for the 3 million-square-foot reduction, they’re offering to cut the amount Ratner has to pay to the MTA from $450 million to $140 million; in addition, under the proposal, the state would subsidize the 2,000 affordable apartments that have been proposed–the logic being that therefore Ratner wouldn’t have to build as much to clear a profit.
Pols Try Cutting Ratner’s Yards by a Third [NY Daily News]
Read this and then tell us what you think. Too many people on this blog don’t have their facts straight.
http://atlanticyardsreport.blogspot.com/
Oh please! Not the same tired argument again-DDDB doesn’t want….blah…blah…blah…Honestly, can’t you come up with something new to say instead of always trying to make DDDB the bad guy?Seems to me that up until now DDDB hasn’t gotten the support of too many pols but now that they have some celebrities on board the media hungry pols are suddenly taking notice of how awful the Gehry design is. And I remember even you, David, not being overly thrilled with it. Oh Lord wrote a great commentary on the reality.
By the way, anon at 1:12- you must be pretty paranoid if you could complain about DDDB practices in that response to Brooklyn Guy. Isn’t that a bit pot and kettle? If you want to see the opposite side of the story read David’s posts on this subject.
There will not be 50,60,70 or 80 thousand new residents at AY –
The proposal is for 7,300 housing units – if you assumed 4 people per apt on average (which is ridiculously high when you consider that developments like this generally have a majority of 1br apts) you are at less than 30,000.
As for this political proposal – while I am sure many of those who previously complained about a give away to Ratner will support it anyway simply for their own selfish reasons; it is a waste anyway b/c DDDB et al don’t want an arena and wont sell even at 150% of fair market value – so this amounts to a give away to Ratner, a underutilization of prime mass transit accesible land all for no benefit in terms of quieting opposition. Typical short term thinking on the part of our politicians
Anon 1:12-
The problem is that the jobs that are going to be created are not going to be open to those folks in Red Hook projects, or won’t support them in the community once the stadium is built.
A 23-year old single mother who has two kids and lives in the projects won’t be able to afford any of the affordable housing Ratner is developing on her salary as a barista at the new Starbucks that will be opening. Nor will she be able to afford it as a ticket taker at the stadium or working retail at any of the other new shops that will be opening. Also, as the majority of the housing being built is luxury, women like that will find themselves unable to afford to live in the surrounding community as market rates for what is currently affordable housing will continue to rise with the influx of more money into the community.
I don’t know if “non-gentrified neighborhoods” were surveyed (and judging by this website there are damn few of these left in Brooklyn), but there is a difference between AY providing jobs, and providing employment that will allow people to stay in the neighborhood once Gehery’s beautiful new vision for Brooklyn has occurred.
You say your Brooklyn neighbors support the project because it will create more jobs and affordable housing. I think that it will not create the kinds of jobs or housing that will allow those folks in the projects to ever leave the projects. And I think that if you ask the “non-gentrified” they know that. What kinds of business are coming into the neighborhood? Are professionals (doctors, lawyers, architects, accountants, etc) being courted to move into the space? As far as I’m concerned Atlantic Terminal was Ratner’s opportunity show what his vision was for the neighborhood. And the results are Chuck E’ Cheese, Mc Donalds, and the Guitar Center. No one is moving out of the projects working at any of those places.
Brooklyn Guy — you didn’t answer my question (which I’ve noticed is a standard practice of DDDBers-instead of answering the question they attack the questioner’s motives/intelligence/naivete/etc). Has any of the AY opponents surveyed people in housing projects or other non-gentrified neighborhoods? Or made any efforts to find out what they would like at the site?
DDDB and the other opponents aren’t against affordable housing or jobs–the Extell alternative makes better sense for the community and offers both (as well as more money for the MTA). The Ratner PR machine has created this meme that if you’re against this fat-cat enriching public rip-off you’re somehow against affordable housing and jobs. Look past the movie stars and you’ll see that hundreds of people who have for years cared about housing and jobs in Brooklyn are against this total tax-payer ripoff. Making Bruce Ratner richer isn’t the only way to create affordable housing and jobs. He just wants you to think so. Fortunately more and more people are waking up to this massive Big Lie.
I’m wondering. Have those who insist that “no one in the affected communities and evirons” wants this project ever surveyed people who say, live in the Red Hook Houses and might want more job opportunities and affordable housing options than are currently available at a hole in the ground? (And before you start jumping down my throat, I am not debating the numbers of jobs and affordable housing, only pointing out that there will be more than exist now).
I would be more receptive to the arguments of DDDB and others if I thought they cared about the interests of all Brooklynites, and not just those who own brownstones and condos near the affected areas. I am especially turned off by their new celebrity board members. I really don’t care about Michelle William’s desire to protect her open space and clean air as much as I care about more opportunities for people living in housing projects besieged by drug dealers, for example. The people I know in my Brooklyn neighborhood, liberals all, think this project offers more good than bad because of the jobs/housing equation, not the impact on Boerum Hill’s light and space. But perhaps our support is considered invalid because we don’t live in the immediate vicinity?
PS 11 and MS 258 are the current zoned schools for that area. PS 9 is on Underhill and would probably get the ‘overrun’.
In all of the designs and re-designs, i have yet to see anything addressing the issue of schools. Will the 50,000 new residents of Ratnerville be singles, empty-nesters or families?
I hope PS 11 and PS 9 are doing all they can to wring some $$ out of FCR. I know that PS 321 is getting their $$ and they’re nowhere near the site.
By the time this is built and occupied your kids will be out of high school.
Geez, I thought I was only one old enough to still call it ‘grade school’.