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May 27, 2005
Coverage of Atlantic Yards Public Hearings
Yesterday's City Council Public Hearings left many questions unanswered, but clarified rumors about more housing. Many members of the public were turned away after the 60-seat meeting room was filled to the gills.
Most of the news was devoted to Stuckey's updates of: * additional residential units (1,500 condos), * corresponding reduction of office space (1.9 million square feet to 428,800), * acquisition of private property, and * the total cost of the project ($2.5 billion to $3.5!).
LOCAL PRESS COVERAGE:
ABC Eyewitness News,
Controversial Brooklyn Development Spurs Debate
A fairly comprehensive report from Dave Evans mentions people being turned away from the hearing, another MTA-railyard sale controversy, quotes Councilmember Charles Barron, DDDb's Dan Goldstein and BP Marty Markowitz, and states new housing numbers. The report ends with this observation:
Couple this with the zoning change in Williamsburg and Greenpoint a couple of weeks ago and Brooklyn is going to look a lot different.
NY Daily News, Ratner quietly moves in
Deborah Kolben reports Jim Stuckey's claim that:
[Ratner] now owns 91% of the condos and co-ops and 63% of rental units on the 21-acre site. He also owns 23 of the 43 commercial properties and is negotiating to buy the rest.
Though it is commonly known that other groups with interests in Downtown Brooklyn have sought to develop the Vanderbilt Railyard in the past, the Daily News observed Markowitz repeating a persistent rumor started by the developer last year:
The Atlantic Yards have been available to any developer in America for the past 100 years.
NY1, Developer Says Price For Nets Arena In Brooklyn Has Skyrocketed
(direct video link, DIAL UP/BROADBAND)
Bobby Cuza's report features the balloning cost of the project ($2.5 to $3.5 billion), quotes Charles Barron's concerns on the details of the affordable housing plan, and spotlights Cheerleader-in-Chief Marty Markowitz.
NY Newsday, More housing may be added to Nets project
Pradnya Joshi's report features the new residential housing numbers and is the only report to make mention of a hotel:
The company would also reserve space for a 187,000-square-foot hotel as part of the 21-acre project, [Jim] Stuckey said.
NY Post, 'NET' GAIN IN BROOKLYN CONDOS
This morning's 90-word report mentions the new housing numbers and carries one quote:
"We have been out and we have met with the community extensively. One of the things we have heard and been educated about . . . is, in fact, there is a dire need for residential development in our plan." — Jim Stuckey
In recent months The Post has taken the lead among media outlets in their approval of the project, even going so far as to overlook their own claim that housing in NYC is "already over-subsidized."
The NY Times
The Grey Lady reports... wait, it must be here somewhere... ballooning costs, private property acquisition, more housing... hmmm can't seem to find it. Nothing, nada, zip — a shrewd move by The Times to avoid any conflict of interest in covering their business partner.
NoLandGrab: Instead, how about a report about Kleinfeld's move from Bay Ridge to Manhattan (A Separation Sets In: No Brides, No Business)? In case they're counting in Borough Hall, that's 185 jobs leaving Brooklyn.
Posted by lumi at May 27, 2005 7:32 AM