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]
what school district will this fall into? I’m looking to buy and looking at public grade schools and think I’ll stay away from whatever grade school this place is zoned for
Call me cynical but who’s to say Ratner and the Pols didn’t have this plan in mind? However Public won’t be appeased when they figure out they are paying even more for Ratner’s folly. DDDB will on this like white on rice. Good!
It’s time that Brooklyn politicians start realizing that Brooklyn birds-in-the-hand are worth a heck of a lot more than Manhattan birds-in-the-bush. Time to pay more attention to the people who already live here, not those who may come from Manhattan for their luxury housing.
Take a look at the NY Times web page:
http://www.nytimes.com
scroll down a bit and look on the left where there is a slide show including an interview with Gehry and someone else involved in the design of the project. Amazing amounts bullshit thrown around! (Duck!) Also more looks at the model.
I would like to see the Nets in Brooklyn, as well. Its the 70-80,000 new residents with no additional infrastructure (subways, schools, roads and playgrounds) that I object to. Its also, among other aesthetic and practical considerations (such as increased population density), the highrises in a low-rise residential neighborhood that I object to.
cut the size by 1/3 but cut the price by 2/3? Is this usually MTA fuzzy math?
“(3) Propose to build something that no one in affected community and environs want.”
Saying no one wants it is a bit presumptious. I would like to see the brooklyn nets, and I live in the area
The man is a genius. (1)Acquire well-know basketball franchise. (2)Obtain development rights via political cronies for challenging development site with promise to pay large enough acquisition price so that non-arms lenght, insider, old-boys network deal does not smell as much. (3) Propose to build something that no one in affected community and environs want. (4) Wait for grass roots opposition to take root. (5)Make modifications to building plan that causes public to howl even louder. (6) Wait for politicians to feel pressure from constituents and offer to subsidize project by 310 million so that developer builds something less controversial. (7) Public is appeased; developer gets to keep more of his money but obtain roughly the same profit margin.
Priceless.
I guess we are dealing with it by working through grass-roots organizations and politicians (most of whom have been remarkbaly resistant to representing their constiutents as opposed to moenyed interests) to ameliorate the impact of this oversized development. As strane as it is, we in NY have an opportunity denied the high growth areas of the country. While still experiencing economic growth we aren’t burdened by the huge population expansions of Florida, Texas or California. We can then begin to plan for a more sustainable renewable futire. Isn’t that the ethos motivating folks who renovate brownstones and renew neighborhoods which have been marginalized? It is hard to walk thro=ugh Metrotech and the Atlantic Yards mall and not think that this guy (Ratner) should not be allowed to radically redefine my neighborhood just because he is rich and powerful and has suckered the state to subsidize his folly. The proposed reductions in size are reasonable, although I begin to feel that developers like Ratener and Silverman (?) at the WTC use development as a threat to get pay-offs from you and me to refrain from destroying our neighborhoods. All that said I am more hopeful that the ongoing antiRatner agitation will have a positive effect on its final shape. I guess I reject the idea that I, as a citizen, have no influence over my future and that of my community.
i hate ratner and all he stands for. greed is destroying america.