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)
I am not a practicing economist with access to the necessary data (and neither are any of you)so I cant accuratly answer your question – anecdotally and logically I know that 1000s of people work in Metrotech in relatively high paying financial sector jobs that certainly if would not exisit in Brooklyn if not for that development.
I also personally know many people who were exposed to Brooklyn from working here and have subsequently decided to live and raise their family here.
Anecdotally and logically, I know all the jobs in the AT and in the BONY Tower werent in Brooklyn when all that was at the site was dirt.
BTW I am not a “fan” of Ratner, he is a developer, he develops, virtually the same as any developer (although he was 1 of the 1st to be willing to do so in Brooklyn) – I am generally pro-Brooklyn development. If some other developer wanted to build an arena housing and offices @ AYs I probably would favor that (over doing nothing) – The idea that Ratner is personally evil is so absolutly juvenile and intellectually based on nothing as to make those espousing it look like fools. (BTW he might be a jerk or a super nice guy – I have no idea – and neither do you, nor is it relevant)
I have tried to honestly answer your question care to answer mine?
The Williamsburg Savings Bank was built during a different era (can you say cheap immigrant labor, receiving no benefits and having no legal protections whatsoever).
That being said what is wrong with the architecture of Atlantic Terminal and Bank of NY tower above it – what similar development built in NYC in the last 10 years do you feel is better.
As for your critism of the jobs created by AT – this is a perfect example of how the critism of Ratner is so absolutly ridiculous.
He build Metrotech which is virtually all office buildings and people say the jobs only go to white people, then he builds AT and you say all the jobs are for minorities.
Again I will ask what Office or Retail development built in NYC during the last 20 years was done better and why?
The obsessive hatred is what Ratner deserves and its a good start. This is your typical good vs evil story, the type that could make for a hollywood ending. I think we willbe getting a bit more national press in a little while. Just a hunch. Here’s looking at you, Ratner.
“The bulk of the jobs are low-paying and only for minorities”
Here we go again with the class arrogance. Minimum-wage jobs are often stepping stones to better things. Plus, they allow college students (which, I’m sure, there are many working at the stores in Target, Pathmark, etc.) to earn money for school. In any event, it’s a hell of a lot better than a massive vacant lot. David is right. This obsessive hatred of Ratner is almost comical.
every time I see the Williamsburg bank building and then look at the Ratner debacle next to it (Atlantic Center), I’m reminded of the true disdain that he has for Brooklyn and its peoples. His buildings are all prefab and of the cheapest grade. No nuance, no sense of good design, everything an affront to the local environment.
On top of it all, the businesses are always national firms sucking out money from the local economies. The bulk of the jobs are low paying and for minorities (you don’t see white people working there) , any white collar workers flee his building and the area at night.
who needs him to alter a way of life that been around for a century already?
tearing down buildings that are basically sound but just old (like much of nyc) continues his dictatorial and disdainful policies of treating anyone who isn’t for him like scum.
he is the least visionary of people… a schlocky (sic) schnorr of a person who lives and dies by the bottom line. what happens to others doesn’t matter much. forget about the quality of their lives and their childrens’ future. ONLY HIS LIFE MATTERS
it’s so easy to see through his company’s schemes by just eyeing
the lowest common denominator.
It is amazing that AY opponents will critisize every single thing the guy does.
This just in……Ratner sometimes doesnt seperate his garbage!!!!
Anon 4:57,
Thanks for the clarification.
There’ll still be plenty to do when this issue is concluded, but if Ratner when turned away from doing this thing, I think a “Peace and Joy Break” will be appropriate before moving onto whatever the next mess is.
In this particular case, the bad language came from someone who’s against us, so it just reflects badly on that side. However, I can imagine a well-placed curse on the appropriate party to be a good thing – it just needs to be used judiciously.
Relax, people. Before you know it, these buildings will be history and the Ratner opponents will have moved on to their next losing battle. They’ve lost on every count so far and will continue to do so. Ratner is rich and powerful beyond their wildest dreams and simply unstoppable.
Look like (*&*($? Have you never walked around lower Prospect Heights before? Those are perfectly fine buildings. It’s a neighborhood. What look like s*&(*(* are, hmm, Atlantic Terminal, Metrotech, and that ghastly lapse of logic known as Atlantic Center. Ratner seems awfully good at creating blight, don’t you think?