Rally Round the Mega-Project
Develop Don’t Destroy Brooklyn and AY Report bring word of a rally Forest City Ratner is organizing at Borough Hall this Thursday afternoon to demonstrate support for Atlantic Yards. The event is called “Brooklyn Day,” and, as AY Report writes, it suggests FCR isn’t considering Atlantic Yards a “done deal.” The poster for Brooklyn Day…
Develop Don’t Destroy Brooklyn and AY Report bring word of a rally Forest City Ratner is organizing at Borough Hall this Thursday afternoon to demonstrate support for Atlantic Yards. The event is called “Brooklyn Day,” and, as AY Report writes, it suggests FCR isn’t considering Atlantic Yards a “done deal.” The poster for Brooklyn Day says it’s being held in honor of “Brooklyn’s renaissance; The progress of Atlantic Yards; Affordable housing, union jobs and community development; and The return of professional sports to the borough.” The event seems primarily pitched to construction workers (they got their own invitation separate from the poster above) and, aside from the promise of union jobs, the promo material emphasizes that AY will bring the Nets to Brooklyn. Per AY Report: “The rally poster suggests that the developer is de-emphasizing the promises of affordable housing—after all, the developer has 12+ years to build Phase 1, and no deadline for Phase 2—and returning to the old mantra of basketball. After all, the basketball motif dominates the poster and, at the top, ‘The Nets moving to Brooklyn!’ appears in larger type than ‘support the Atlantic Yards Project.’ Can the iconographic power of the flag and the Brooklyn Bridge nudge the stalled project forward?” Desperate times call for desperate rallies? It’ll be interesting to see how many legitimate supporters of Atlantic Yards the event draws and whether any anti-AY people show up for a counter-rally.
At Borough Hall on Thursday, Another FCR-Organized AY rally [AY Report]
Ratner Calls Rally In Support of…Ratner [DDDB]
3:15, regarding the “Unity Plan”, which developer is actually going be able to execute this plan? Would said developer have the resources to obtain financing in the current climate? Is this plan real or just the wet dream of a bunch of hippie urban planners? Hypothetically, the Unity Plan would serve as a bridge between Ft. Greene and Prospect Heights. In reality, we would lose one group of NIMBY’s (DDDB) and undoubtedly some other group of NIMBY’s woud come out of the woodwork… and that Goddammned hole will be there for the rest of our collective lives.
“I AM black, and I haven’t heard myself OR any of my black neighbors saying that Ratner “played” Hebrert Daughtry and or anyone else, so I guess we just happen to know different black people. Be real – it’s YOUR opinion that Ratner used Daughtry/ACORN/the black community”
actually a lot of people said that about Ratner- including some of the community groups. And there are black community organizations now involved in the class action lawsuit to stop him. i won’t lie to you and say I’ve never heard someone in my community be pro-AY but by and large mi neighbors don’t support it. Maybe the thing is that we each tend to speak with and listen to people who agree with our point of view?
I’m not trying to infringe on you or your community- I’m not telling you who are or what the Black community thinks- I can only go by my own experience and I’ve stated what I personally know.I have lived in Black communities most of my adult life, was married to a Black Man for 18 years, and have had the honor as been accepted into a great community. So my perspective is not that of a white gentrifier (poor and bitter renter 🙂 ), or a matter of nimbyism. but facts do speak for themselves and a close look at what he actually promised in return for their cooperation -as well as subsequent events-pretty much supports my belief.
What it also points out is that the importance of the Black community is such that Ratner had to deal with the community. So again, if you think I’m insulting you or the Black community in any way you are sorely mistaken- but that’s your problem, not mine.
I’d really be interested in hearing your argument for unfettered use of eminent domain because that is an issue of extreme importance to neighborhoods like Crown Heights and Bed-Stuy. where do you stop? Anyone can make an argument for anything but if you want to undermine the whole concept of home ownership and communities, by all means use eminent domain all you want. I don’t think you’ll be happy with the results.
And as 3:15 noted- DDDB did have a reasonable plan. (Thanks 3:15).
2:08:
“You don’t like the Ratner deal, and that’s understandable. But do you happen to have a reasonable, workable solution? No. Does DDDB? No. On the other hand, Ratner’s deal, while imperfect (as almost any plan is, considering it involves human beings), will obstensibly create affordable housing, jobs, entertainment and fill up that g**damned hole I’ve been looking at since I was a KID.”
That’s the point. Ratner doesn’t have a workable deal. He has a land grab. His goals is to get control of the 22 acres, then once he does he build whatever he feels like. If his plan were workable he’d share the financials, he’d have the money, he’d have the land, he’d have a rendering of the project that shows mor than just the arena and 3 buildings. If his plan were workable, he wouldn’t be manufacturing a rally on Thursday.
Now, you as, does DDDB have a workable, reasonable solution? Yup, along with a number of pols and scores of community groups. vist: http://www.unityplan.org.
You’ll get affordable housing, jobs, entertainment (is that a public good worthy of eminent domain??!) and that g**damned hole will be filled.
There is nobody, literally nobody, who doesn’t want to see the rail yard developed. It’s too bad those 8 acres weren’t enough for Bruce Ratner, and instead he bid off more than he could chew.
“Bxgrl – 12:40 here.”
Sorry…I meant 12:36.
Bxgrl, I am pro-AY, but I really appreciate your thoughtful and even handed defense of your positions. What pisses off most of the pro-AY folks on the blog are the assertions that are Ratner “plants”. I would profer that a hole in the ground surrounded by abandoned buildings is per se “blighted” and an appropriate use of eminent domain (probably a much clearer application of eminent domain than the case that was made to clean up Times Square in the 90’s). However, I really appreciate your position.
Bxgrl – 12:40 here. I AM black, and I haven’t heard myself OR any of my black neighbors saying that Ratner “played” Hebrert Daughtry and or anyone else, so I guess we just happen to know different black people. Be real – it’s YOUR opinion that Ratner used Daughtry/ACORN/the black community, although I am sure others like yourself share that opinion. I wholly disagree, and find ANY suggestions that he has done so to be insulting. I’m sure Daughtry and ACORN feel similarly.
I disagree on your point about eminent domain. Let’s just leave it at that. From where I sit, I find your side of this argument to be quite slippery indeed.
You don’t like the Ratner deal, and that’s understandable. But do you happen to have a reasonable, workable solution? No. Does DDDB? No. On the other hand, Ratner’s deal, while imperfect (as almost any plan is, considering it involves human beings), will obstensibly create affordable housing, jobs, entertainment and fill up that g**damned hole I’ve been looking at since I was a KID.
You say, “There has to be a better way for AY than just this one idea.” Maybe there is. Better yet, maybe there’s even a PERFECT plan that will make EVERYONE in Brooklyn satisfied! That would be just great. But unlike you, I’m not willing to wait another 45 years to listen to more talk. I like most aspects of this deal and I support it. I’m ready for AY to go ahead.
No, that’s very true- but what kind of a balance sheet are we showing? You can collect money from development but what’s the sense if it costs you more to do that than to just leave it and wait? Or wait for a better, more realistic plan? There has to be a better way for AY than just this one idea.
BXGirl – you can’t collect much in taxes from empty lots or an MTA rail yard.
12:36- I’m not the only one who says Ratner played the community groups, nor am I the one who kept saying that if you were against the AY project, you were obviously prejudiced. I live in a Black neighborhood and I have heard enough of my friends and neighbors complain that they felt used by Ratner- I see no reason to disagree. The reality is that Rev. Daugherty and Acorn and others went for the money with no real guarantees. They let themselves get paraded around and today, where is the big coalition? Why do I hear my neighbors saying Daughtry was played for a fool and so was Acorn? So on the plus side, no he didn’t ignore the community. On the down side- he used them to market his idea and get money.So if you’re feeling insulted, it’s not by me.
As far as your feeling on eminent domain- you’re on a very slippery slope. Eminent domain was set up for specific reasons. What you’re advocating is the ability of any private developer to come in, decide he wants the land, market it as to the greater good and basically be allowed to steal someone else’s property. So who defines greater good? the developer? the state? (Not a good idea there). People with more money than you?
12:40 – your argument is good on paper. In reality who suffers most when taxes for goods and services aren’t collected by governments? And whose taxes will go up to compensate? By the time these developments are supposed to begin paying taxes, they seem to get extensions, or find new ways to get out of it. In the meantime the cost to the rest of us keeps growing- we never get a break even point, let alone see a real benefit. So since any benefits go into the developers pocket, why should taxpayers fund any of it. For all the whining conservatives do about the government not being our babysitter, or complaining about rent subsidies, they certainly have no problem when it comes to helping their already rich friends. Think I’m wrong? Look around at what’s happening to the economy. sure its so much more complicated, but our attitudes about money and spending have a lot to do with it.