PACB Gives Ratner What He Wants
After an Oscar-worthy head fake on Tuesday, Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, along with the two other members of the Public Authorities Control Board, George Pataki and Joseph Bruno, gave the thumbs up to Bruce Ratner’s vision for Atlantic Yards. “I am pleased the developer is committed to addressing numerous community concerns through several specific actions…
After an Oscar-worthy head fake on Tuesday, Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, along with the two other members of the Public Authorities Control Board, George Pataki and Joseph Bruno, gave the thumbs up to Bruce Ratner’s vision for Atlantic Yards. “I am pleased the developer is committed to addressing numerous community concerns through several specific actions that will result in significant neighborhood improvements,” said Silver. Last time we checked, traffic congestion, overcrowded schools and a surfeit of chain stores didn’t exactly qualify as improvements (though there were some last minute changes, including 200 more units of affordable housing and $3 million more for improvements to neighboring parks) but then again, pols who live upstate must have a better grasp of what’s better for Brooklyn than the four assembly members closest to the site. So where does this leave those who oppose the project? Eminent domain lawsuits, scale negotiations and a guy named Spitzer. From the beginning, the project has been a public-private partnership in which the public has not been represented, said Kent Barwick, president of the Municipal Art Society. The vote today reflected a process that simply did not allow New Yorkers to shape the project, and the result is a plan that will not work for Brooklyn.
State Approves Major Complex for Brooklyn [NY Times]
NY Board Approves Atlantic Yards Plan [Bloomberg]
The Nets Win! [NY Post]
Photo by f.trainer
“If so, that’s quite curious, since Brooklyn isn’t an imitation of Manhattan in any sense that I can see. But suppose you’re right. In that case, what we have to look forward to is Brooklyn’s being valued as a ebola infected imitation of Manhattan.”
Regardless of whether it is indeed an imitation of manhattan that is how brooklyn is priced (brookly is obviously cheaper than manhattan). an indeed many of the newly gentrified areas of brooklyn, (parts of parslope) do have a manhattan feel to them…..
11:09…a blatant lie. Ratner didn’t come in until the neighborhoods started coming up. your lies are so easy do disprove since the historic designation of Fort Green and Park Slope predates ratner’s blighted, ugly malls.
You forest city employees are very bad at lying…considering all the practice you get, that’s surprising.
1107. Why should Dan G be FORCED to sell to Ratner? And who created this situation? Goldstien…or Ratner by corrupting the state process and declaring a neighborhood with 700K condos ‘blighted’?
Why are you so outraged at the idea of Goldstien making money off property he owns, but the idea of Ratner making a billion in profit by robbing tax payers doesn’t bother you?
I grew up in pre-gentrified park slope in 5th avenue–at that time. despite borded up apartment buildings, and a desolate atlantic yards, no one cared about the integrity of brooklyn neighborhoods then. though desolate for some time, it was not until ratner started creating shopping malls etc that someone came along with any vision of how to change that area that was a huge eye sore for brooklyn.
now many of these newbie yuppies don’t want the atlantic yards project? my response: leave!!! i can’t wait to by my season tickets for the nets!
I agree. The real winner will be Dan Goldstein. He’s going to parlay a meager $30,000 condo down payment into a $1 million windfall. Dan Goldstein, if you have any decency, you should donate your immense profit to charity. Can you make this promise to us? It’s the right thing to do and the community would be forever grateful to you. How about it?
“ACORN is a race-baiting organization that bullies politicians throughout the state. And I hate to say it but I wonder if all this focus on Daniel Goldstein is because the supporters are antisemites?”
I agree about ACORN…but Frankly, if anything Pro-Atlantic Yards faction is heavily jewish with a few corrupt italians sprinkled in. Nearly all big name developers are jewish, and the support of them comes from jewish-owned papers and the jewish elite.
There are many Jewish people, mostly middle class, opposed to the project, DG is just the most visible but there are plenty. It divides mostly along class, but you’ll find the opposition tends to be german-jewish extraction, WASP and middle class Blacks, , pro tends to be east european Jewish, Italian.
Brooklyn is currently valued as an anemic imitation of Manhattan.
I doubt that property values will drop near the project. The areas will remain desirable, just desirable to different types of people for different reason.
Wow, anon 10:47, your post was the most hysterical and idiotic thing I’ve read on this board in quite some time. And that’s no easy thing to accomplish! Congrats…