Ratner Reneging Already
The re-trade has begun, reports Brooklyn Papers. After promising the world to win approval, Ratner’s starting to reneg on promises already: Plans for a glorious, 52,000-square-foot publicly accessible recreational space on the roof of Bruce Ratner’s proposed Frank Gehry-designed basketball arena will not be open to the public, according to a document released last week…
The re-trade has begun, reports Brooklyn Papers. After promising the world to win approval, Ratner’s starting to reneg on promises already:
Plans for a glorious, 52,000-square-foot publicly accessible recreational space on the roof of Bruce Ratner’s proposed Frank Gehry-designed basketball arena will not be open to the public, according to a document released last week by the state authority acting as lead agent for the project…That private roof garden was the only green space locals were promised for the first 11 years of development of the 22-acre Atlantic Yards. Another promised 7+ acres of open space would be completed only after the rest of the project is done, estimated for 2016, according to the scoping document.
Ratner to Bar Public from Park [Brooklyn Papers]
Please go to
http://www.e-thepeople.org/petition/14927/view
If you wish to greatly limit the power of how “eminent domain” is used
Here’s something I picked up from nolandgrab.org that might give hope to Renogirl and others who are shocked by current abuses of the eminent domain system:
Go to http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,167137,00.html
to see a story about a guy who wants to build a hotel on an 8-acre piece of land owned by Supreme Court Justice David Souter as a way of protesting eminent domain abuse. Brilliant!
The vacant lots and the derelict Underberg building are completely heinous. I always hope something would be built at this site, or an open plaza created.
Then Ratner proposed a stadium and 7000 apartment squeezed into 3 blocks. I was excited by the interest in developing the area but not the proposed project.
A 19,000 seat stadium without an increase in public transportation will create traffic nightmares. 7000 new apartments squeezed into a 3 block area will overcrowd schools.
The city will not collect any property tax because the entire development is tax abated. 7000 new apartment will require increased police, fire and sanitation. Who pays for the increase in services? Not Ratner and not the new residents. Property Tax abatement.
The rooftop garden was the only redeeming aspect of this development. The garden would have interesting views and free publicly accessible plaza space which is completely lacking in Brooklyn.
Without the public plaza space on the roof of the stadium how will the surrounding community benefit?
Jobs and new housing can be created without a 19,000 seat stadium and 7000 apartments. People in Brooklyn have civic pride without a basketball team. Why can the Nets play in MSG? If the NY Giants can play in NJ, the Brooklyn Nets can play in Manhattan.
If the WTC plans can be changed why can’t the Atlantic Terminal plans be changed.
This is just one of many broken promises we’re starting to hear about from the scary 1984 world of Ratnopolis. Countless rental tenants have already moved out of the area and will never be compensated (and further collateral displacement as landlords jack up rents locally is just beginning); private business owners are still waiting for good faith negotiations with FCR over their properties, eg. Simon Liu whose situation has been described in local papers; the so-called independent community group BUILD, who has shamelessly shilled for the development, has just been exposed for claiming — on an IRS tax form no less — to have received millions of dollars in income from FCR; the complete failure of the New York Times to cover the story in any depth in spite (because?) of their business relationship with FCR who also happens to be building their new Times Sq HQ. The list goes on. Robert Moses must be chortling in his grave. This will surely go down in U. S. history as one of the most venal, anti-democratic urban developments of the last 50 years.
it maks me sick
surprise!
More tangibly, who do we contact to start a criminal investigation on the backroom dealings that led to this deal being approved and on community groups like Develop Don’t Destroy being shut out? Should this be sent to the Attorney General or higher up?
On another note, if Ratner doesn’t understand how emminent domain abuse destroys lives, maybe someone needs to propose a new highway where his little old mother lives, maybe then he’d get it.
More tangibly, who do we contact to start a criminal investigation on the backroom dealings that led to this deal being approved and on community groups like Develop Don’t Destroy being shut out? Should this be sent to the Attorney General or higher up?
On another note, if Ratner doesn’t understand how emminent domain abuse destroys lives, maybe someone needs to propose a new highway where his little old mother lives, maybe then he’d get it.
And Henry R. while you are at it.