State to Evict Holdouts in Seven Properties in Atlantic Yards Footprint
You may have thought everyone in the Atlantic Yards/Pacific Park footprint had already moved, but nope, there are a few households still left. The state already seized title from seven of the remaining properties, a few of which are residential, above, and there are at least two families still living in them. One of these…
You may have thought everyone in the Atlantic Yards/Pacific Park footprint had already moved, but nope, there are a few households still left. The state already seized title from seven of the remaining properties, a few of which are residential, above, and there are at least two families still living in them. One of these has a newborn. Also, the three houses at 491-495 Dean Street, above, are good-looking 19th century buildings.
And guess what? The remaining families want equivalent homes somewhere else in Prospect Heights, which would cost about $3,000,000 or so each. The state says they should be satisfied with a $1,500,000 property in Bed Stuy or Crown Heights, said the Atlantic Yards/Pacific Park Report, which attended a hearing on the matter Thursday. One of the owners pointed out his property is worth even more as a development site for a skyscraper.
We were surprised to read all this, knowing that condo owner and anti-Atlantic Yards activist Daniel Goldstein and others got much more for their slighter holdings.
By the way, P.C. Richard and Modell’s will also be condemned, to make way for a 250-foot tower.
What do you think would be fair compensation for the homeowners?
Nearly All in Atlantic Yards Footprint Have Left; State Moves Toward Residential Eviction [AYR]
Photo by AYR
Mayor de Blasio was all for this project which means taking from the little guy to give to the big developer. IS this what he meant in his State of the City Address “to put an end to economic and social inequalities”? Yes he can get more dwelling units on each of these lots by giving them to a developer, the de Blasio plans are actually about making those developers much better off then everyone else. (What better way to assure solid financial support for the mayor’s next election campaign!)
Why are we all letting these politicians and developers pull the wool over our eyes with phony jargon on “affordable housing”. It won’t be long to swaths of neighborhoods are taken by eminent-domaine for what this administration calls the public good of large housing developments that are all about making the top 1% much richer while everyone else is made indebted to those big developers for life.
Wow, I feel the rub. When I moved here the movie house on Flatbush Ave was XXX rated; now its a clothing store. The restaurant on Park Pl was a hot wire (I had a gun held to my head there when I was 9), and GAP was full of hookers and their johns. Gays were beaten with baseball bats and homeless people were literally ignited in Prospect Park. I don’t miss the abandoned buildings. I don’t miss being in fear of my life! But surely everyone who has commented here today will understand the need to fight for the things we love.
I am not alone in saying that this place connects me to my personal past and a much older historical past that enriches my understanding of the human condition. And when it is gone, the next generation will not even know what’s missing. It will be placed outside the realm of human possibilities Let’s exert control where we can and make the developers pay dearly for their privilege.
No, my assertion comes from FCR statements in the past. The poster I’ve replied to has already been proved a liar on the tax assessment issue, which makes it curious that you’re not attacking his post. But, yeah, I’m a FCR employee :). Not that such an attack really bothers me (it’s just really childish and shows a lack of substance).
My mistake, I witnessed a 100% increase not 50. Prices doubled … duh
I witnessed a 50% increase in 6 months between 1995 and 1996. Prices fell a little during the recession but PH real estate was was smoking HOT. I suggest you Google the article about Amy Watkins the young women who was stabbed in 1999. The NYT article refers to the already gentrified neighborhood of Prospect Heights.
Or, search for real estate stories about PH, pre-2000. By the mid 90s, realtors were pushing the neighborhood as the new Park Slope. (The AIA Guide to New York erroneous listed the area around Carlton Place as within the area of Park Slope, further strengthening the PS connection.) But, perhaps most importantly, people with money began to use housing as piggy banks, leveraging existing holdings in an attempt to capture greater profits..
I cannot tell you exactly how the AY has effected prices because the issue is too complex and gives me a headache, but to identify 2000 as the point PH became affluent is a factual error that can easily be checked. Especially the parts that bump Park Slope.
I find it very hard to believe that FCR made no prior offer to them in the 10+ years process this battle has been ongoing. In fact, FCR has publicly stated multiple times that they made offers to all private homeowners in the AY project footprint. And why wouldn’t they? It would be insane and anti any business sense for FCR or any company in this situation to not try to have the issue resolved early on by offering to buy out at a particular rate, thereby saving, in this case, over a decade’s worth of legal fees and getting a better rate on the properties as well. That’s standard ED practice. Also, the assessed tax values for the homes on that block ARE NOT circa $3 million (www.city-data.com/ny-properties/assessments/Brooklyn/D/Dean-Street-43.html). Even if they were (which they aren’t), the fact remains that they were no where close to that when this process began. The owners could’ve taken a nice payout over a decade ago and bought a nice market rate building in the area, but instead chose to stay and fight for a higher price. Nice try pushing the’s “facts.”
The AY project was announced in 2003. After buzz about the project got started, the neighborhood transformation and massive price increases really took off. I’m not saying tha PH prices were stagnant pre-AY announcement and construction, but as the article I linked to above notes, price increases in the area greatly outpaces other neighborhoods and Brooklyn as a whole due to the project. Denying the impact that AY has had on home values is very bizarre and ignores the reality of the situation.
I watched the prices double before the AY. You are living in a vacuum. Park Slope has also exploded. Should we attribute the record breaking prices to AY, or should we give some credit to the architects who built world class recreational facilities around superlative 19th century buildings. Many people could not afford to live in NYC or Brooklyn Heights/Park Slope. They found PH had many of the amenities of more expensive neighborhoods. You know what demand does to prices when stock is limited? Developers have figured it out. Don’t you think the 1990’s economic boom had any effect on rising prices?
The prices started to jump before AY, or the Pacific Project, was approved. Prospect Heights had many of the amenities that Park Slope is famous for and that is what attracted people interested in a brownstone Brooklyn lifestyle. Values are relative, my parents paid a record braking $1200 for their brownstone 45 years ago. Around 1995 PH houses were worth about $300.00, six months later prices doubled. Rising property values are what attract developers. They don’t usually invest in ventures that are losing value. Ever hear the expression a victim of your own success? I invite you to look it up … Might want to also checkout the redlining that keep Park Slope and much of Brooklyn depressed in the 70’s. Don’t forget to adjust the figures for inflation!