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]
Please point me to the environmental planning proposals.
I must have missed them in the midst of all the name-calling and mud-slinging.
Are there links out there that the ‘silent majority’ who are undecided on this issue can read.
oops- fumbled my sentence- meant to say “there are plenty of lower income people and small businesses in that area- not just yuppies”
FYI- there are plenty of lower income people and small businesses in that are- not just yuppies. And just because you can pay off people to get what you want, doesn’t mean it should be allowed. Insulting opponents just because you don’t like what they say is ridiculous and only points out that you have no good solid arguments to make because you’re arguing from a pr standpoint. And we know how accurate press releases are.
SO if you’re going to make the more money argument just remember- the taxpayers are going to foot a hefty chunk of Ratner’s bill. For that reason alone we have the right to speak up and fight.
Where do you get your information on “upper class yuppies” with dogs? That is absurd, and does not represent the people I’ve seen who are opposed to the development, nor does it represent anyone I’ve seen here. If you’ve got a decent argument for or against, go for it, but denigrating people for the sake of furthering your position wins you no award in my book.
Why should David have to “give it up”, but Babs should be allowed to speak her piece? Nice double-standard there.
Let’s tally this thing up:
Ratner owns the Nets, owns the Yards, owns the majority of the property in the footprint, has the backing of the state’s most influential politicians, has easily won every court battle so far (and will win the appeal currently underway), has begun demolition, enjoys favorable articles in the most powerful media outlets, has a proven track record of seeing his developments come to pass, and is rich beyond everyone’s wildest dreams.
The opposition has a small band of upper middle-class yuppies who have yet to score a single victory, who spend more money on vacations and dog care than they donate to this arena fight, and whose main media outlet is a blog with a readership 1/10,000 of the NYT.
How any opponent could view this as progress is beyond me.
omigod, CHP- we’re we separated at birth? 🙂
David- I notice that pro AY’ers constantly misrepresent the position of opponents to Ratnerville. No one says don’t develop there. NO ONE. What they want is a fair process with real environmental planning and infrastructure in place. There are no compelling reasons for the project to be such an outsize monstrosity with such an enormous footprint. Frank Gehry is a world class architect. If he can’t figure that out, then someone else can. There is no reason a complex can’t be built that is in scale with the neighborhood and its resources. Tall buildings are coming to Brooklyn- sorry to say. And when Brooklyn is like Manhattan, how thrilled will you be?
As far as Babs implying proponents are ignorant or uninformed, anon 11:10, the assumption is all on your part. But on one thing you’re right- the opponents don’t have that kind of money. So what? I don’t envision American society as a simple matter of buy and sell. I thought we were better than that. Sorry if no one wants an argument that is on moral or ethical grounds but it’s a real one., like it or not. If it makes people uncomfortable that’s really too bad.
So, anon 11:10, are you saying that might makes right? I would think that if people have to resort to bake sales to make money to further a cause they believe in, its not because they are too cheap to open their own wallets. On the contrary, their wallets are always open. One’s time and effort, and even financial contributions to a bake sale, show a lot more commitment than some super rich guy who has an army of lawyers, flacks, and publicists on his payroll. If all you have left is a moral battle, it’s better to wage that as long as you can, rather than to simply lie down and let the trucks run over you.
David, I don’t even pretend to know all there is to know about the AY situation, but I’ve read enough to know that several alternative sites for a stadium, and for housing have been offered in various parts of Brooklyn, some of which have been mentioned on this forum over the last year. I don’t understand why you can’t comprehend that NO ONE, including DDS, or anyone here, has said don’t build on the site. Questioning whether or not we want or need a stadium, however entertaining that argument can be,aside, everyone is in agreement that the site should be developed with mixed housing and commercial development. The disagreement is in how big, how spread out, and what kind of housing it needs to be, along with what kind of plans have been made for infrastructure improvements. I see no reason why we all are supposed to just shut up and let the rich guys do whatever they please.
Give it up David. And for the rest of you AY hard-core supporters, stop ganging up on Babs (although I must say that she’s holding her own).
I’ve been guilty of being an advocate of this whole AY development but am a little concerned about the ‘process’. There seems to be very little environmental planning…where are the proposals? Please point me to them so that I can get more informed.