Yards Scale-Back: Token or Meaningful Move?
Big news on Atlantic Yards on Friday. First, Ratner announced that he was axing 440 market-rate condominiums for a total of 475,000 square feet. According to James P. Stuckey, the new plan “allows for more open space, narrows the scale of the buildings and reduces overall bulk and density, but it also gives us the…
Big news on Atlantic Yards on Friday. First, Ratner announced that he was axing 440 market-rate condominiums for a total of 475,000 square feet. According to James P. Stuckey, the new plan “allows for more open space, narrows the scale of the buildings and reduces overall bulk and density, but it also gives us the flexibility to maintain our commitment to affordable housing.” While the overall number of floors would shrink, some buildings would be even taller than originally planned. (Hmmmm.) Separately, the Empire State Development Corporation said it would expand the main geographic area under study and increase the number of intersections where the traffic impact will be examined. Marty says he’s “delighted” by the changes but not so Dan Goldstein: “The whole thing is still bigger than it was when it was announced.”
Arena Complex Shrink by 5% [NY Times]
Final Scope Document [DDDB]
The number of people displaced is not an issue. From what I’ve read, the bigger issue seems to be about the power of eminent domain and whether or not this development is an abuse of that right.
I doubt that you would be as vocal a supporter of AY if it was your house, apartment or investment property that was being ‘taken’. Especially, if you were being deprived of future equity in neighborhood that’s on the rebound.
Nothing is proceeding except the removal of some unoccupied buildings, … on other fronts
the State funding isnt even in place yet and you can be sure if “massive” issues are revealed in the EIS that arent addressed it wont be forthcoming. All the other planning etc must be done because if the ok is given, economics and politics dictates the developer must start digging right away.
Finally I wish people would stop citing displacement of residents as if it was the “Trail of Tears” > as of the last final scope for the EIS – there were THREE condiminium owners and 57 renters on site
David, another flip side to that question is, why is the AY development proceeding so aggressively when the environmental analysis report isn’t completed yet. It sounds like a done deal to me and the potential nightmares of this development is just an after-thought. Those of us who want to set down roots are potentially stuck with a huge mess after the developers/investors/flippers have made their profits and ran for the hills.
“Winning online debates???? where”
OK, David, you got me there. I was trying to be generous…
“And it’s unrealistic to blame the anti AY people for their lack of “success.” They don’t have the money or the connections Ratner does but it is a measure of their success that they forced a huge debate with so little resources. And while Ratner will continue to live the life of luxury no matter what happens at AY, the residents and businesses who are fighting him stand to lose everything.”
I disagree with the contention that AY opponents cannot be blamed for their lack of success. There are many methods of protesting and fighting, and the contest strategies favored by AY opponents are poor choices with someone as powerful as Bruce Ratner. The approaches of Bertha Lewis and Herbert Daughtry were more prudent. While opponents malign Lewis and Daughtry as sellouts, the latter were intelligent enough to see that Ratner was too powerful to stop – hence, they jumped on the bandwagon and made sure that they got something for their organizations. In the end, Bertha Lewis will be able to take credit for a minimum of 900 units of affordable housing, while Tish James, a candidate who placed affordable housing at the top of her campaign list, will go down in history as someone who fought overtime to block the AY. Clearly, James cares more about alleged overdevelopment than she does about affordable housing.
I have mixed feelings over your statement about footprint residents losing everything. Some of the wealthier residents, such as Dan Goldstein, have ample resources to move on. Others will suffer, but the 900 units of affordable housing, IMO, will more than compensate for that.
Anon @11:16 isnt the flip side why are opponents of the plan are so vehemently against the plan and yet the EIS isnt completed yet.
Well, a successful strategy is no measure of the worth of a plan. They are really two different things. And it’s unrealistic to blame the anti AY people for their lack of “success.” They don’t have the money or the connections Ratner does but it is a measure of their success that they forced a huge debate with so little resources. And while Ratner will continue to live the life of luxury no matter what happens at AY, the residents and businesses who are fighting him stand to lose everything. And the strains and burdens on the area will affect a much wider radius than the footprint.
Well I just think that it’s ironic that the staunch AY supporters are out in such large numbers when the environmental impact report isn’t completed yet. How can you defend such a large project unquestionably when you haven’t the faintest clue what the potential downsides are. Or, maybe the environmental analysis is not meaningful at all (won’t make a difference either way).
Winning online debates???? where
“Sure effective strategy is vital, it greases the wheels, but there are far more factors than just that. Effective strategies simply enable a particular agenda- for good or bad. And many “effective” strategies have done far more harm than good (Al Quaeda had an effective strategy for 9-11. I hardly think that was a recommendation to the rest of us.)Effective strategies are amoral.”
I’m sure we can agree that strategies do not always work, but I think that without a plan, chances of reaching a goal are considerably reduced. My main point is that AY opponents seem to rely heavily on appeal to morals and ethics and often equate “being correct” with progress. Meanwhile, Ratner, whether or not he’s moral or correct, is making significant gains to realizing his goal. Opponents, on the other hand, have nothing but complaints about the project and don’t seem to have accomplished any of their objectives. At this point, they still seem dissatisfied with the projects size and design. The web sites of NoLandGrab, DDDB, Fans for Fair Play, etc. are replete with criticisms and contain very little information on accomplishments. While they may be skilled at analyzing documents and winning online debates, they have very little to show for their efforts in the real world.