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
I am personally very opposed to the whole AY thing as I think its fug and I dont want to deal with the headache, traffic, general annoyances and change to Brooklyn “feel”.
That said, there wont be any prop value drop for most. Did property values in Manhattan drop because more people lived there? b/c the schools are more crowded? b/c there are office buildings in certain areas? Of course not!
Yes, it will change the more residential feel of Brooklyn (at least in that area) and I am sad about that. But for anyone but the people who have homes in the immediate area to worry about long termp prop devaluations or Queens being “better” than Brooklyn, dont lose any sleep over it.
I think it is racism that allows Pataki and Silver to greenlight this project. I mean the guy is out running around for the NY Times today on the top of land he’s bought that will become state parks. So clearly rich, white people in Westchester do need parks. But for the poor people in Brooklyn…cram them in, give them the horrible Nets, that will cheer them up (even if they can’t buy tix.) 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? Enough already with the BS personalizing of the issues of the condemnation to focus on him. Most of the people at risk of being evicted by this plan are renters and are so darn poor. So it’s convenient for the supporters to focus on a wealthy man with a jewish last name I think. Let’s call it what it is: racism. I’ll bet you anything that when the teenagers who might end up living with their folks in the “affordable housing” component try to hang out in AY-ville after dark that a whole bunch of rent-a-cops will pounce on them and send them home. The future of Prospect Heights will probably resemble a gated off version of Roosevelt Island.
what was pataki’s motivation>?
what was silver’s?
I know pataki went to law school with ratner but that doesn’t begin to explain this level of corruption.
Remember there was that FCR exec who almost bought in Clinton Hill, Brooklyn and didn’t because his wife didn’t want to live near so many people that weren’t as lily white as herself. Maybe they bought in Queens? That could explain it.
If property values in the areas around AY drops it will not be becasue of any issues relating to the development it will be becasue of the hysteria that is being created by opponents of the project.
I for one LOVE brookln and am looking forward to AY and the Brooklyn Bridge Park (hopefully in my lifetime).
BTW, for all those scared homeowners in FG and PS who are worried about property values, I will be happy to take your (landmarked) brownstone off your hands (I have $1.6m to spend). Please let me know if you are interested.
anon 10:13
So people should be forced to sell their homes to FC? What possible justification do you have to this?
What possible justification allows the government to force middle class homeowners and businesses to sell to a billionaire developer?
Don’t believe the hype. Our conversative state courts will back the opponents of this illegal plan to condemn and take away private property for a developer’s personal gain. This is not going to fly. But in the meantime let’s just sit back and enjoy the insane rantings of the paid off supporters of the AY plan and our sad, forgotten neighbors in the county of Queens (how strange is it that we’ve never heard from you folks before…could it be that the nasty PR machine at Ratnerville has caught a pre-holiday bug and came up with another round of negativity for the holiday season?)
Actually, I think this make Queens even more irrelevant than it already is –if that’s possible!
Damn this is depressing.