Ratner Won't Hear Second Engineering Opinion
December 22, 2005, NY Post — Developer Bruce Ratner has taken the first step toward demolishing six “hazardous” buildings in Brooklyn that stand in the way of his basketball arena — but he’s refusing to let local lawmakers have an engineer analyze the structures. “They’re only allowing elected officials with no engineering experience to access…
December 22, 2005, NY Post — Developer Bruce Ratner has taken the first step toward demolishing six “hazardous” buildings in Brooklyn that stand in the way of his basketball arena — but he’s refusing to let local lawmakers have an engineer analyze the structures. “They’re only allowing elected officials with no engineering experience to access the buildings, which defeats the purpose,” argued Councilwoman Letitia James (D-Brooklyn). James — along with fellow anti-arena politicians Rep. Major Owens and state Sen. Velmanette Montgomery — planned to tour the former parking garages and tenant-evicted apartment buildings today with an engineer who volunteered his services to them. But they opted out after being told the engineer was persona non grata. All the buildings are in the footprint of the developer’s planned $3.5 billion residential and office complex anchored by an NBA arena at Atlantic and Flatbush avenues.
Ratner ‘Razes’ Stakes [NY Post]
(Picture of press release from Laetitia James, 12/22/05)
The Underberg building may be beyond saving, but there is no evidence (beyond what Bruce Ratner says) that the buildings on Dean St (which were occupied until 1 year ago) are in such a state. And even if he does get the go-ahead to tear them down, no construction is to start until he’s assembled his entire parcel which will take years and years — the only people going to work here anytime soon will be a demolition crew if he does tear down those buildings.
I’ve walked by these buildings and they do need to come down. This whole area is a big eyesore and wasteland. The politicians are all talking self serving and don’t care about the people. Lets build this thing aleady and get people to work.
I’d be jumping up and down about anyone who wanted to wantonly raze several blocks of perfectly nice, even architecturally distinguished, buildings, where people live and work, in order to create a totally disproportionate complex of towers that will radically change the character of the neighborhood and overburden its already heavily travelled streets and transit links.
Avalon Christie Place looks nothing at all like AT 1) because the structures that exist are at AT are shopping malls and an office tower, whereas Avalon Christie is a residential building with ground floor retail, containing (evenutally) a pool that will be open to the community and 2) because we don’t know what the rest of Ratnerville will look like at all — certainly not the Michael Graves design put forth, but it will include towers of some sort, whereas Avalon Christie place does not extend much higher than the surrounding structures.
Kenmare Square is an ordinary building with some waves in it that does not tower over surrounding structures, and that was built on a vacant lot. No-one’s homes were destroyed to build it.
The Sculpture for Living was built on a parking lot.
And I notice you said nothing about the World Financial Center — is that because it’s over 20 years old or because the contrast with Ratner’s projects a la Metrotech is just too crushing? That’s the sort of office/retail complex Brooklyn should have — why are the citizens of Brooklyn settling for second-rate suburban-style wastelands instead?
Now excuse me for getting sloppily sentimental for a bit — I’d just like to say how much I enjoy this blog and all the work that Brownstoner puts into it, and how I truly appreciate the dialogue and differing viewpoints that one encounters here, and to wish everyone a very happy holiday.
Babs I’m impressed that you answered my question but you sort of prove my point about Ratner – in terms of architechture, and execution the projects you cite projects differ from AT like a ‘dime or ten pennies’
Avalon Crystie Place looks just like AT (except much,much bigger)
http://info.rentnet.com/property/50/473350/photo/473350.p05.jpg
AT=
http://www.fcrc.com/images%5Cprojects%5Cgalat21b.jpg
Kenmare Sq is just an ordinary building with some waves in it
http://www.tropolism.com/archives/2005/09/one_kenmare_squ.php
and Sculpture for Living has been attacked on exactly the same grounds the plans for AY have been :
http://pith.org/core/related-astor/
I truly believe you are fooling yourself if you think the anti-Ratner folks (or yourself) wouldnt be jumping up and down screaming about how bad AT is if Ratner had instead built any of the developments you mentioned –
Guess who built the ugly Court Street movie theater — Ratner! My question is why we have to let a single developer own and build such a large (bigger than WTC site) part of the city? Why can’t the site be opened up to multiple builders and owners — inject some competition into the process? If AY is built, Ratner will decide what services are available to a large section of the city. If someone other than Ratner owned one of the building in MetroTech, you might be able to eat a decent meal there, or get coffee when you have to work on a weekend. It might be a 24 hour community as Marty is always pushing.
I’m no fan of the Union Square area, but the Whole Foods/DSW/Filene’s complex is better looking than AT to my mind. Ditto the Avalon Christie (combination commercial/residential), not to mention Kenmare Square, Andre Balasz’s new building (luxury condominiums plus commercial downstairs). Even The Sculpture for Living, reviled though it may be elsewhere, is way better than Ratner’s characterless, on-the-cheap schlock.
Offices/shops — what about the World Financial Center? Or is that over 20 years old?
The public sector has said nothing about these buildings or, officially, anything to do with Ratnerville, because the public sector has been deliberately shut out of the whole process since day one.
I didn’t see a response to my question. My understanding is that the public sector agreed these buildings are unsafe. Are we all so zealot that we would permit a human life to be placed in jeapordy?
And again my question goes unanswered