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July 31, 2005
Down to the Wire for MTA Decision on Atlantic Yards?
From the Brooklyn Daily Eagle:
If the Ratner bid is approved, neither the state nor the city’s legislative body will have input in development decisions, which have already been made in an agreement between the company and appointed boards that the mayor and governor have set up.Extell has vowed to submit to the ULURP process, in which case the City Council would vote on zoning issues.
Posted by amy at 10:55 AM
Bensonhurst Group Wants Halt To All Development in Brooklyn
From the Brooklyn Daily Eagle:
The letter leveled what in reality are three accusations at the Department of City Planning, complaining that neighborhood development throughout Brooklyn is progressing too rapidly, that the development does not reflect the aesthetic character of the borough, and that much of the new construction disregards safety considerations — such as the structural integrity of new buildings.“Too many unethical builders and developers are not abiding by the current building codes, creating a very dangerous public safety situation,” the letter said. “Until realistic contextual rezoning plans have been seriously and expeditiously studied in the remainder of Brooklyn, we feel this immediate moratorium will be a saving grace for our residential, family communities.”
Posted by amy at 10:51 AM
MTA Tells Ratner: Come Up with More Money, or Else
From the Brooklyn Daily Eagle:
Develop Don’t Destroy, one of Ratner’s main opponents, circulated a press release before the meeting that said the MTA should delay its vote until September because the agency spent at least two years of negotiating with FCRC, and less than two days reviewing the proposal submitted by Extell.According to Extell supporters, the MTA hadn’t even met with the company.
The one dissenting board member, Mitchell Pally, said he would rather negotiate in September, “when we know all the facts.” He said he didn’t believe that Ratner, “knowing that Extell is waiting in the wings,” would be sufficiently pressured to come up with substantially more money.
Posted by amy at 10:45 AM
FULL-COURT PRESS ON MTA DEAL
From the New York Post:
THE MTA's decision to grant developer Bruce Ratner an exclusive 45-day window to clinch a deal for its Downtown Brooklyn rail yards came only after some last-minute intervention by Mayor Bloomberg.Sources said the mayor was infuriated by a report that the MTA planned to postpone a vote Wednesday on the mega-housing and basketball-arena project so it could hash out two competing bids, one by Ratner and another by Extell Development Corp.
Posted by amy at 10:41 AM
Gehry ushers in new brand of 'starchitects'
From the LA Times via Houston Chronicle:
While some directors given carte blanche from big studios are invigorated by the responsibility, others find it overwhelming or lose their creative focus. The same is true in architecture. And Gehry has tended to do his best work when he is constrained — by tight budgets, political squabbles or awkward sites — and his most disappointing when he is fully autonomous. That alone is a reason for a measure of wariness about this pair of projects, in which the developers have taken pains to smooth the architect's path.
Posted by amy at 10:35 AM
July 30, 2005
Ratner gets 45 days to up ante
From the Brooklyn Papers:
As it once was, so it shall be again, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority board decided this week, when it cast aside the high bidder — who offered $150 million to develop the Long Island Rail Road storage yards at Atlantic Avenue — and instead voted to continue their exclusive negotiations with preferred developer Forest City Ratner.The MTA board voted 11-1 on Wednesday to approve a resolution calling for exclusive negotiations with developer Bruce Ratner’s company, with the hopes of upping its bid by the board’s Sept. 29 meeting.
Posted by amy at 10:24 PM
Pols to MTA: Not so fast
From the Brooklyn Papers:
Two Brooklyn elected officials this week called on the Metropolitan Transportation Authority to extend the bidding process for development rights over the Atlantic Avenue rail yards, saying the city should first be allowed to come up with an overall plan for the site.Brooklyn Heights Councilman David Yassky and Park Slope Assemblyman James Brennan, both of whom had previously been silent on the controversial development plan, this week fired off a letter to the MTA board calling for the bid process to be left open.
Posted by amy at 10:22 PM
Tish bows out of NY1 show
From the Brooklyn Papers:
City Councilwoman Letitia James refused an invitation to appear on a special cablecast of news station New York 1’s “Road to City Hall” last week — live from St. Francis College and focused on Brooklyn issues — because of what she said was an unbalanced presentation by the show’s producers on the Atlantic Yards project.
Posted by amy at 10:19 PM
July 29, 2005
Straight White Jewish Male Desperately Seeking Your Neighborhood
Bruce Ratner
AKA Bruce C Ratner
Born: 23-Jan-1945
Birthplace: Cleveland, OH
Gender: Male
Religion: Jewish
Ethnicity: White
Sexual orientation: Straight, Baby!
Occupation: 60's-style overdevelopment
Level of fame: Niche
Executive summary: New York City developer
To contribute to Bruce Ratner's NNDB profile and learn more about our favorite eminent domain addict with a subsidy abuse problem, click here.
Posted by lumi at 6:36 PM
STATE SENATE LEADER CALLS FOR MORATORIUM ON USE OF EMINENT DOMAIN
The NY Sun
New York Desk
At a rally on the steps of City Hall yesterday, a State Senate leader, David Paterson, a Democrat, along with a small gathering of Harlem civic leaders and three City Council members, called for a state-wide blanket moratorium on the use of eminent domain following the recent Supreme Court decision that is widely interpreted as expanding the law’s reach.
The City Council majority leader, Bill Perkins, who is now running for Manhattan borough president, said he would introduce a council resolution to support the moratorium. Mr. Perkins accused Columbia of using the threat of eminent domain as a weapon in negotiations with the area’s small businesses and residents. Council Member Letitia James, of Brooklyn, an opponent of the proposed development of Atlantic Yards, accused the developer, Bruce Ratner, of using eminent domain as a form of coercion and said she expected the proposed moratorium to slow his project.
Posted by lumi at 7:50 AM
Ties Between Ratner, City Hall Visible in Tweed Sculpture
Wouldn't it be ironic if the walking-man LED public art installation on the steps of Tammany Hall was entitled "Bruce Walking" and was sponsored by Bruce Ratner and City Hall?
Daniel Hemmel, reporter from The NY Sun, makes the connection in another stranger-than-fiction episode in the fight over development of the Brooklyn railyards.
Asked this week if the exhibit’s title is linked to the developer’s first name, a Forest City Ratner spokesman, Joseph DePlasco, said: “We don’t comment on art.”
Ratner ally, Bertha Lewis, executive director of the group ACORN,the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now, agreed “something should be done to recognize” the developer for his cooperation with the borough’s black communities.
A spokesman for the anti-Ratner group Develop Don’t Destroy, Daniel Goldstein, was less kind. He said it was fitting for “Bruce Walking” to be located at the steps of a building named for the notoriously corrupt 19th-century Tammany Hall leader William “Boss” Tweed. Both men, Mr. Goldstein charged, have benefited from “sweetheart backroom deals.”
Posted by lumi at 7:37 AM
MTA Board Leans Towards Ratner
WNYC by Andrea Bernstein
Yesterday's report on the MTA Board's decision from WNYC contained some interesting points that were not brought up in other local coverage, an indication that Bernstein is covering the story of Bruce Ratner's proposal "from the ground up."
Bernstein clairifies that:
The MTA did not choose a developer for the Brooklyn rail yards at its board meeting yesterday. But it indicated a very strong preference for Forest City Ratner.
Bernstein adds some historical context:
Forest City Ratner has been working on a proposal for the Brooklyn rail yards –for two years. The 6 block has won the support of the governor, the Mayor, and other elected leaders. But stung by the controversy over the Jets stadium, the transit authority which owns the rail yards decided to auction them off. Forest City took advantage of its long lead time by putting in a far glossier, longer, and more detailed bid than its rival, Extell. Unfortunately for Forest City, its bid was also far lower – by $100 million. The MTA was not happy.
MTA Chairman Peter Kalikow muddled through an illogical explanation for the Board's action, claiming, "I’ve never sent two tenants a lease for the same space at the same time its just not right its not the way I like to do business."
Regarding the Kalikow quote, Berstein points out for WNYC's listeners:
This is of, course, not a lease. It’s a forty five day negotiation with one of the bidders on a multimillion dollar MTA property.
Posted by lumi at 7:17 AM
Ferrer picks up support from Brooklyn council member
The Amsterdam News
by Tanagachi Mfuni
City Councilmember Letitia James endorses Mayoral Candidate Fernando Ferrer, citing Ferrer's concerns about Bruce Ratner's Atlantic Yards project and the candidate's eductation plan as reasons for supporting Ferrer without reservations.
Posted by lumi at 7:03 AM
N.Y. Rail Yards Roundup: MTA on the Hot Seat
Commercial Property News
by Kristin Olson, Associate Editor
New York's Metropolitan Transit Authority truly is a hub of activity lately. Between the controversial and never-ending plan for a stadium to house the New York Jets over the West Side rail yards, the questionably under-priced sale of a rail yard in Downtown Brooklyn for a New Jersey Nets arena, and the sudden windfall, reports of which surfaced late yesterday, of an $833 million surplus of MTA funds, the Authority is hardly able to keep a low profile.
Posted by lumi at 6:58 AM
West Side Stadium Redux
Develop Don't Destroy Brooklyn shares MTA Chairman Peter Kalikow's concerns that government should avoid "immoral" actions and sums up what is really "immoral" about the who deal. Here's the list: * Using eminent domain & gag orders for Ratner's private arena * MTA raising fares and cutting service while negotiating with the low-bidder * MTA favoring preferred developer over open and fair process, AGAIN * More traffic and pollution at the worst intersection in Brooklyn * Over $1.5 billion in taxpayer subsidies with no vote * Skyscrapers overwhelming residential Brooklyn * Ignoring Security issues, because, hey, its Brooklyn
Posted by lumi at 6:52 AM
July 28, 2005
Top 10 things the MTA learned from the West Side Stadium debacle
10. You really CAN raise fares and cut back service while subsidizing developers.
9. Picking the low bidder, gives hope to underdogs everywhere.
8. Voodoo economics isn't just an 80's thing.
7. Just because the public thinks you're a puppet, is no reason NOT to act like one.
6. A bird in the hand is worth more than three in the other hand.
5. Fuzzy math isn't very fuzzy wuzzy, was he? Not if you're a designated developer!
4. The best way to not select the low bidder is to "negotiate" with the low bidder.
3. Hey, it's not cronyism if no one gets paid off.
2. Negotiating with two bidders is "immoral," but sweetheart deals aren't.
...and the #1 thing that the MTA learned from the West Side Stadium debacle is,
ABSOLUTELY NOTHING.
Posted by lumi at 10:52 AM
MTA picks preferred developer over interests of public, again
You've probably already heard the news.
Today's coverage focuses on statements by MTA Chairman Peter Kalikow dismissing calls to negotiate with both bidders as "immoral," despite the fact that the MTA has selected the low bidder in this case.
The NY Times, M.T.A. to Deal Only With Ratner on Brooklyn Bid
...while M.T.A. officials seemed to like [Ratner's] plans, they still wanted more money.
Bob Liff, Extell's spokesman, said the firm's president, Gary Barnett, was "disappointed" with the decision but did not plan to file a lawsuit to challenge it. In a statement, Extell said it was "considering all of our options."
The vote also marks the second time this year that the MTA board has supported a bidder who offered less money to the cash-strapped agency.
When asked, Jim Stuckey of Forest City Ratner did not commit to offering more money but said the negotiations would lead to "a positive outcome."
Others, however, have been critical of the way the MTA has auctioned off its property rights. Assemb. Richard Brodsky (D-Hartsdale) said he'll be watching the negotiations closely to make sure that the agency gets "fair market value."
NY Daily News, B'klyn deal Ratner's to seal
Kalikow said Ratner is not in any position to shortchange the MTA. "Ratner knows that Extell is out there and if Ratner doesn't come up with money that we think is adequate, then I can recommend that we don't take it," he said.
The NY Sun, Board Wants Ratner To Increase His Bid. Transit Authority Appraiser: Yard Worth $214.5M.
The board member representing Suffolk County who cast the lone dissenting vote, Mitchell Pally, argued that the MTA would maximize the sale price by negotiating with both firms at the same time.
One of the four board members appointed by Mayor Bloomberg, Susan Kupferman, said the city’s delegation wanted to approve the Ratner bid without modification,but the Bloomberg appointees joined in supporting Mr. Kalikow’s resolution once it became clear that they could not push the Ratner plan through at yesterday’s meeting.
An executive vice president of Forest City Ratner, James Stuckey, would not say if his firm is willing to increase its cash offer, but he predicted that negotiations with the MTA would produce a “positive outcome.”
Even members of the MTA’s board are split no the issue. Yesterday Mitchell Pally, the VP for governmental affairs for the Long Island Association, cast the only obte opposing the MTA’s exclusive negotiations with Ratner. Non-voting member Andrew Albert of the NYC Transit Riders Council, also dissented.
“I think it’s wrong to negotiate with one and not the other,” Pally said, adding that, “both bids are deficient.”
Bergen Record, Nets owner in exclusive talks for site
Arena opponents called the vote confirmation that political influence has tipped the MTA's decision-making process in favor of Ratner, whose plan to bring the Nets to Brooklyn has the support of Gov. George Pataki and Mayor Michael Bloomberg. The governor and the mayor effectively control the MTA board.
"It seems the MTA never had any intention of having a truly competitive process," said Daniel Goldstein, a spokesman for Develop Don't Destroy Brooklyn, a group of residents from the wealthier brownstone neighborhoods adjoining the rail yards.
Posted by lumi at 9:46 AM
MTA Day
Scenes from yesterday's MTA Board meeting from NY Newsday's Online Photo Gallery.
Posted by lumi at 9:35 AM
If I were Bruce Ratner....
What would you do with skillions of dollars to build on the Vanderbilt Railyards (a.k.a. Atlantic Yards, as in "Atlantic Mall" and "Atlantic Terminal Mall")?
Sound off in the Daily Heights Forum.
Posted by lumi at 7:17 AM
July 27, 2005
MTA to Ratner: Sweeten our pot
Field of Schemes
by Neil deMause
DeMause makes a good point about the MTA's bizarre reverse-psychology negotiating strategy:
[MTA Chairman Peter Kalikow] didn't explain why the board was choosing to negotiate with the bidder who offered only $50 million, as opposed to the one who offered $150 million, if price was the main object...
Posted by lumi at 10:43 PM
Insta-Skyline, Baby! MTA To Negotiate Exclusively with Ratner
Curbed.com keeps it short and snarky:
And so it shall (probably) be: this afternoon, the MTA voted to exclusively
choke more money from"negotiate" with Bruce Ratner for the Vanderbilt Yards tract in downtown Brooklyn. link
Curbed also makes fun of DDDb for their press release hitting the In Box in 12 mins. NLG got it in five. Maybe the Curbed guys need to check their server or something.
Posted by lumi at 10:24 PM
Brooklyn Residents Have Mixed Reactions To MTA's Decision To Negotiate With Ratner
NY1
report by Roger Clark
NY1 hits the streets of Prospect Heights to get local reaction to the MTA vote to exclusively negotiate with Ratner:
“We are actually moving out of the neighborhood, partially because of the arena project,” Don says.
“I think it's like overkill,” says Prospect Heights resident Jose Fonseca. “That stadium is just going to put so many people out of their homes.”
“We need this. We need this housing now, and we need the jobs now,” says Bertha Lewis of ACORN. “We need this project built.”
“[There will be] more job opportunities in the area, and no people would be outside as much because anymore because they would be working,” says another Brooklyn resident.
“The other plan sounds like it's just slightly smaller, but still very large buildings that don't belong in Brooklyn,” says Samantha Lindgren.
Posted by lumi at 8:58 PM
MTA Asks Ratner To Sweeten Bid For Atlantic Rail Yard
NY1
Coverage of the MTA's vote to enter into a 45-day exclusive negotiation period with Ratner:
The MTA has a mandate to get as much for the property as it can, and several board members said while they preferred the Ratner plan over Extell’s, his price was too low
Extell said in a statement it was disappointed the MTA decided to enter into exclusive negotiations with Ratner, and believe they should also have a chance to change their bid.
Ratner says he was pleased with the MTA's decision, and looks forward to providing even more benefits for the agency, transit riders and the surrounding communities.
Posted by lumi at 8:49 PM
DDDb Press Release: The MTA Chooses Exclusive Negotiations with Low-ball Bidder Ratner
In Full Public View the MTA Abdicates Its Responsibility to the Public,
Puts Development at Vanderbilt Yards at Risk, and Ignores the High Bid from Extell
For Immediate Release: July 27, 2005
NEW YORK, NY—Today the MTA Board, led by Chairman Kalikow, voted to pass a resolution to negotiate exclusively with Forest City Ratner (FCR), for the Vanderbilt Yards, over the next 45 days. The resolution precludes negotiations with the other responder to the MTA Request For Proposals, Extell Development Company. The Board stated that it was "disappointed" with the low-ball offer from FCR of $50 million for the MTA's Vanderbilt Yards in Prospect Heights, Brooklyn. Extell had bid $150 million for the 8.4-acre property. The MTA spent less than two days evaluating the Extell bid, and has refused to meet with the company to allow them to make a presentation about their proposal. The Board also ignored Extell's compromise offer to sell one of the Yards' lots, at cost, to Mr. Ratner to build his proposed arena.
"It is unconscionable that the MTA Board has decided, in a pre-determined resolution, to hold negotiations with only one bidder, and the low bidder at that. The MTA has been negotiating with FCR for about two years, and even after that Mr. Ratner low-balled them. We expected the MTA to hold a legitimate bidding process," said Daniel Goldstein, Develop Don't Destroy Spokesperson. "Today they proved that they were always determined to award their property to Mr. Ratner, no matter what purchase price he offered. The only fair result of today's meeting would be to set forth on negotiations with both bidders. Instead the MTA, in full public view, demonstrated that their process was disingenuous from the start. In other words it was completely rigged."
Mr. Kalikow went through contortions to justify the resolution for exclusive negotiations. Most of the Board was silent in discussion before the vote. The only independent voices, non-voting member Mr. Albert and voting member Mr. Pelly, harshly criticized the decision claiming it was irresponsible and consisted of faulty logic if the Board is trying to reach their appraised price of the Yards, which is $214.5 million.
Mr. Goldstein continued, "We have fought for an open bidding process with transparency, and when we finally thought this would occur we were slapped in the face, along with all transit riders. It stinks of corruption, political favoritism, and meddling by the Mayor and Governor. But the MTA made a big mistake today, and took an irrational risk, as they strengthened the lawsuits we will bring against the use of eminent domain."
"In the US Supreme Court's recent Kelo decision Justice Kennedy, the swing vote, in a concurring majority opinion, described a situation where eminent domain would be prohibited. What he described was the designation of favored developer and no legislative planning process. With the MTA's troubling decision today, they made it clear that Mr. Ratner is the favored developer of the MTA, the Mayor and the Governor, and that is strong ammunition for us. To be clear, the fight against the FCR proposal is as strong as ever, if not stronger."
Pending eminent domain legislation, by the US Congress and Albany, may make it impossible for Ratner and the State to use eminent domain for his project, thus scuttling the entire development plan. Also, the the soon to be signed state Public Authorities Reform Act will require the MTA to get full market value for its properties, which could also scuttle the whole deal.
Goldstein concluded, "For the MTA to do right by its riders, and its fiduciary responsibilities, they must rescind their decision today and negotiate with both parties. Anyone can see that an exclusive negotiation would be unlikely to bring the highest price, would be a travesty of fairness, and an abdication of the Authority's responsibility to the public and the communities surrounding Vanderbilt Yards."
Posted by lumi at 5:21 PM
Hearing on Ratner Proposal Today in the MTA
Big Cities Big Boxes by Mary Campbell Gallagher
An eyewittness account of the MTA Board meeting.
Posted by lumi at 5:15 PM
MTA to negotiate exclusively with Ratner
NY Newsday
by Joshua Robin
The MTA voted this afternoon to negotiate exclusively with developers planning a basketball arena and high-density residential community on the authority's downtown Brooklyn rail yards, shutting out for now a rival bid that sought a more modest neighborhood on the site.
The 11-1 vote allows Metropolitan Transportation Authority officials to seek more money from developer Bruce Ratner for the Atlantic Avenue site, giving them 45 days to reach a new agreement.
If the deal isn't struck in that time, MTA officials could return to discussions with the rival developer, the Extell Development Co.
More coverage:
AP, MTA negotiates with Nets over arena site
Posted by lumi at 2:40 PM
MTA to take additional 45 days to negotiate exclusively with Ratner
The MTA Board voted to take another 45 days to enter into exclusive negotiations with developer Bruce Ratner in order to secure a better deal for the Vanderbilt Railyards. If negotiations fail, then they reserve the right to negotiate with rival bidder, Extell.
1010 WINS News Radio is reporting that most of the speakers who showed up to testify at the MTA Board meeting, including Rev. Herbert Daughtry, were in support of the Ratner's plan.
NoLandGrab: The MTA has already taken two years to negotiate "exclusively" with Bruce Ratner, what's another 45 days going to accomplish? Clearly, this compromise vote is a feeble face-saving measure that will eventually lead to the preordained selection of Ratner as the developer of The Yards.
The MTA board has been making up the rules as they go along. This action brings up troubling issues of fairness and transparency. When the criteria and selection process is this convoluted and unpredictable, it should come as no surprise to the public that only one other company had the guts to submit a rival bid.
Posted by lumi at 12:47 PM
Dark-Horse Brooklyn Bidder
The NY Observer
by Matthew Schuerman and Michael Calderone
So, is Mr. Barnett bidding on Vanderbilt Yard, the eight-acre M.T.A. parcel in Central Brooklyn, just because it’s payback time? Is he just another James Dolan, the Cablevision C.E.O. who bankrolled the opposition fight on the West Side stadium and who, when it looked like he was losing, decided to bid on the land himself and proposed a housing-and-office complex for the site? That’s the $100 million question.
Then again, who else but a lone wolf would dare upset the apple cart of prearranged subsidies and Mayoral endorsements to actually respond to the M.T.A.’s request for proposals? No one else bothered.
Posted by lumi at 12:19 PM
Claiming the Yards for Ratner
The Brooklyn Downtown Star
by Emily Keller
Coverage of last weekend's "Nehemiah March," claiming the "Yards" for Ratner's plan.
Posted by lumi at 11:37 AM
Politicians who support Ratner's plan
A pile of letters of support for the Ratner bid, collected by Forest City Ratner and submitted to the MTA on July 6, turned up when the MTA released the competing bids last week.
The NY Observer is reporting that many of the public officials "even wrote identical letters."
Here's the A-List of Public Officials who sent letters to accompany the Ratner bid with links to contact their offices to express outrage or support:
• Mayor Micahel Bloomberg
• Governor George Pataki
• Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz
• US Senator Chuck Schumer
• New York City Public Advocate Betsy Gotbaum
• Congressman Edolphus Towns, House of Rep., 10th District
• State Senator Carl Andrews, District 20
• State Senator Martin Golden, District 22
• State Senator Carl Kruger, District 27
• State Senator Kevin Parker, District 21
• Council Member Erik Martin Dilan, District 37
• Council Member Lew Fidler, District 46
• Council Member Mike Nelson, District 48
• Council Member James Sanders, District 31
• Council Member Bill de Blasio
• Assembly Member Roger Green, District 57
• Assembly Member Joseph R. Lentol
• Comptroller William Thompson
Posted by lumi at 10:31 AM
M.T.A. Is Expected to Postpone Vote on Railyard Bid
The NY Times is reporting that the MTA board is expected to vote to delay selection of a winning bid for the Atlantic Railyards:
The board was scheduled to review two dueling bids by developers at its meeting today and possibly vote, but a person who is close to the authority's chairman and to other board members said that the board instead intends to delay the vote so that higher bids can be submitted. The expected delay was confirmed by an executive with the authority, who also spoke on the condition of anonymity because the matter is so controversial with neighborhood groups.
More:
WNYC, Atlantic Yards Bids up for Discussion at MTA Meeting
WNYC's City reporter Andrea Bernstein is reporting that an MTA spokesman said that the MTA Board may postpone a decision, though Bloomberg's representatives to the Board "are expected to vote FOR a Raner proposal, a mayoral spokesman said."
Posted by lumi at 8:59 AM
MTA board to vote to agree to not decide?
Though The NY Times is reporting that the MTA board may postpone a decision allowing time for more bids to be submitted, the other local dalies are anticipating a vote between the Ratner and Extell bids.
The NY Sun, Crucial Vote on Atlantic Yards Today
A leader of the transit activist group the Straphangers Campaign, Neysa Pranger, said the board members must exercise “due diligence” in evaluating the proposals. “When they’re receiving orders from above, they might not do that,”she said. Governor Pataki,who has appointed six board members and who likewise has endorsed the Ratner project, will not follow Mr. Bloomberg’s lead in instructing his appointees to vote for the Ratner bid, according to a Pataki spokeswoman, Mollie Fullington.
When a mayoral spokeswoman, Jennifer Falk,was asked whether it was appropriate for Mr. Bloomberg to issue voting instructions to the four MTA board members he appointed, she said: “Yes, they are his appointees.”
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority board, which has 14 voting seats, received the Brooklyn bids July 6 but most board members were only briefed on the offers this week.
EDITORIAL & OPINION:
The NY Sun, Shortchanging the Taxpayers
The Sun calls for the bidding process to be reopened on grounds that neither plan gets fair market value for the railyards, a requirement of a recently passed bill sponsored by Assemblymember Richard Brodsky (D-Westchester) that will not go into effect until next January. Brodsky is calling for the MTA board to respect the law anyway.
The NY Sun, Letter to the Editor
Michelle de la Uz, Executive Director of Fifth Avenue Committee, urges the MTA board to postpone a decision, citing recently passed legislation, awaiting the Governor's signature, enacted "to bring real accountability to our state’s 730 public authorities."
As a public agency, the MTA must give residents the chance to participate in a process that could dramatically transform their lives. Brooklyn, and New York, deserve nothing less.
It would be tragic if the MTA lets the monkey wrench scuttle a vision as compelling as Ratner's for all its questions yet to be answered.
Dope on the Slope, Our MTA: Putting Passengers Last
Metro-North-riding Dopey Slopey gets hot and bothered by the prospect of the MTA voting in favor of the "eminent-domain addicted" developer's bid.
Posted by lumi at 7:34 AM
ARENA FOES READYING LAWSUITS
The NY Post
by Rich Calder
Jeffrey Baker, a lawyer for Develop Don't Destroy Brooklyn, said in a letter to MTA Chairman Peter Kalikow that the agency shouldn't let Ratner build on the 8.3-acre Long Island Rail Road yard at Atlantic and Flatbush avenues.
Baker said the developer would be "hard-pressed" to obtain other land needed for his project because Ratner is relying on the state's eminent-domain powers to take it from homeowners.
Posted by lumi at 5:58 AM
BUILD Gets a Brick (Or Something) Through the Window
With all of the news about the MTA's bid NLG didn't get around to checking the local blogs until this morning. Here's a serious neighborhood story we missed from DailyHeights (July 21).
"Whoa - no less than half an hour after I left [the Wed. night Daily Heights happy hour at] Soda, BUILD caught a brick (or something) through the window..."
NoLandGrab: You don't need a crash course in PR or ethics to know that violence/vandalism only emboldens you opponent and further radicalizes their POV.
NLG's view on eminent domain contends that property rights are civil rights — that would include the right to use and enjoy your property without fear of being harassed.
Posted by lumi at 5:42 AM
July 26, 2005
Controversial Vote Expected Tomorrow for Brooklyn Rail Yards Redevelopment
Commercial Property News
By Paul Rosta
The New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority is expected to vote tomorrow on the much-anticipated selection of a team for the controversial redevelopment of rail yards in Brooklyn. But even if the vote occurs as planned, the project faces stiff opposition from community groups.
Posted by lumi at 11:46 PM
DDDb Press Release: The Developer Has No Clothes
Ratner Rejection of Extell Arena Compromise Exposes Ratner Plan for What It Is:
An Arena as a Front for a Massive Land Grab
Develop Don't Destroy Brooklyn spokesperson Daniel Goldstein said, "With Mr. Ratner's swift rejection of the Extell compromise, the developer has shown that he is much more interested in the enormous profits his land grab would bring to his firm, and not interested in bringing pro sports to Brooklyn or compromising with the community. Clearly if pro sports does not return to Brooklyn, it will be Mr. Ratner's inflexibility that will be at fault."
NEW YORK, NY—The NY Times is reporting today that:
"The real estate investment group [Extell Development Company] battling with the developer Bruce Ratner for control of the Atlantic rail-yard near Downtown Brooklyn offered a compromise yesterday that it said would allow both parties to declare victory: The group would incorporate Mr. Ratner's plan to build a glass-walled basketball arena for the Nets into its project."
"...Mr. Barnett [Extell CEO] said yesterday that if he won [the MTA bid], his company would resell a portion of the development rights for no additional cost to Mr. Ratner so that he could build the basketball arena, now expected to cost more than $500 million."
Mr. Ratner immediately rejected the compromise offer.
Develop Don't Destroy Brooklyn spokesperson Daniel Goldstein said, "With Mr. Ratner's swift rejection of the Extell compromise, the developer has shown that he is much more interested in the enormous profits his land grab would bring to his firm, and not interested in bringing pro sports to Brooklyn or compromising with the community. Clearly if pro sports does not return to Brooklyn, it will be Mr. Ratner's inflexibility that will be at fault."
Goldstein continued, "Develop Don't Destroy Brooklyn remains opposed to eminent domain for a sports arena or any private development. However, we appreciate that Mr. Barnett, of Extell, is interested in opening a dialogue, and accommodating those politicians, and some Brooklynites, who are nostalgic to bring pro sports back to Brooklyn, and the majority of the community that wants to see sustainable, in-scale development. We are also pleased to see that if there is an arena proposal, it would go through the city's land use review oversight process known as ULURP, instead of bypassing it as Ratner has chosen to do."
Develop Don't Destroy Brooklyn has always said that it is interested in an open dialogue, and it believes a discussion about viable options for an arena in Brooklyn can finally begin.
Goldstein concluded, "We need Mr. Ratner to tell the truth. Thus far his track record doesn't lend us much hope for that. The truth is that his arena has always been a front for a land grab, and his rejection of this compromise offer proves that. Development needs to be about what is best for the community, not what is best for Bruce."
With this new compromise offer on the table, along with the two proposals offered by Extell and Forest City Ratner ($150 million in cash from Extell, versus $50 million in cash from Ratner), it is ever more necessary for the MTA Board to deliberate further and fairly, and hold their vote in September, not Wednesday after having seen for the bids only one day earlier for the first time.
Posted by lumi at 11:24 PM
Scene From the--er--Class Struggle in Brooklyn
The Real Estate Observer
by Matthew Schuerman
More on the class wars being waged in Brooklyn -- it's trust-fund daddies against the working-class folks who have enough juice to hire PR firms and rent out office space.
NoLandGrab: Brooklynites are still trying to figure out who the trust fund daddy is. Since the attempted outing of Dan Goldstein turned out to be a canard (that means "duck" in trust-fund-daddy-ese), reporters are "flocking" to meetings hoping to spy a rebellious Trump or Hilton.
Posted by lumi at 11:06 PM
More support for Ratner
From The Real Estate Observer blog by Matthew Grace:
New York City Mayoral candidate C. Virginia Fields just came out in favor of Forest City Ratner's bid on the Atlantic Yards. Perhaps she's hoping for a donation to her rapidly dwindling war chest?
In her press release, Fields cites the positive aspects of the plan, affodable housing, jobs and other amentities to the community without addressing the impacts.
For more info on politicians' positions on Ratner's plan check out NLG: Pol Precinct.
Posted by lumi at 11:00 PM
Things nearly get physical at MTA Real Estate Committee meeting
A scuffle nearly broke out when Develop Don't Destroy Spokesperson Dan Goldstein got up to speak at the yesterday's MTA Real Estate Committee meeting. Jasmin Miller of BUILD called Goldstein, "Trust Fund Baby." Instead of saying "I know you are, but what am I," Goldstein leaned over and muttered an expletive.
Though the exchange of words were reported in The NY Sun, the ensuing attempt by three BUILD members to "get physical" with Goldstein and the fact that MTA security posted at the meeting stepped in to keep the peace, wasn't.
Passions remained high but opponents played nice in the hallway when the public was removed from the meeting room while the MTA committee members met for a private session.
Posted by lumi at 3:20 PM
DDDb Press Release: Develop Don’t Destroy Brooklyn Attorney Warns MTA Ratner’s Bid is Contingent on Eminent Domain
DDDB’s Legal Counsel Informs MTA of Ratner's Legal Hurdles and Ramifications
NEW YORK, NY– Jeff Baker, attorney for Develop Don't Destroy Brooklyn, of the Albany law firm Young, Sommer, Ward, Ritzenberg, Baker & Moore LLC, has sent a letter to the MTA's Chairman Peter Kalikow, and all the MTA Board members today. (text of the letter: http://www.dddb.net/eminentdomain)
EXCERPTS FROM THE LETTER:
In the letter to the MTA, Mr. Baker states:
"FCRC’s plan for the Yards contemplates the use of eminent domain to take property from individuals and businesses in the adjacent footprint area in the event that the company is unable to negotiate the private purchase of such property under the threat of condemnation. At present, DDDB members include certain property owners who have no intention of selling to FCRC and are committed to challenging FCRC’s proposed use of eminent domain in a court of law. Over the past two years, FCRC has indicated that it would either argue that the area is blighted or that an economic benefit would accrue to the city from its development in order to justify its invocation of eminent domain. As counsel for DDDB, it is my professional opinion that both proposed theories would meet vigorous opposition in court."
The letter concludes:
"As FCRC’s bid is contingent on the use of eminent domain, it is imperative that the MTA is aware of the significant challenges the company could face if it pursues its current plans. Therefore, I respectfully urge that you consider the ramifications to the MTA of accepting any bid which is contingent upon such a questionable use of the power of eminent domain and that the MTA Board carefully consider all bids before moving forward."
DDDB spokesperson, Daniel Goldstein said, "The MTA has a choice between Ratner's proposal which could face years of major legal hurdles and Extell's proposal which does not contemplate the use eminent domain and therefore would avoid such legal obstacles. The MTA must consider the huge risk they would be taking if they award their property to Mr. Ratner."
Goldstein continued, "Many of my neighbors and I have no intention of selling to FCRC and succumbing to his threats. That includes residents (homeowners and tenants of all incomes) and businesses. We want to stay in our homes and in our neighborhood. We strongly believe that the contemplated use of eminent domain for Mr. Ratner's project, already used as a threat, runs contrary to the Constitution's public use clause in the Fifth Amendment. It also appears to run afoul of the US Supreme Court's Kelo decision from last month. It is also clear to us that Mr. Ratner's desire for our homes and businesses is nothing but pure greed. The rail yards and property he already owns, the Atlantic Center Mall, are more than enough acres to build the project he has proposed. Taking our homes and businesses is an illegal land grab, and we intend to show that in the courts when the time comes."
Posted by lumi at 3:10 PM
Sharpton Backs Ratner’s Plan for Altantic Yards
Park Slope Courier
by Stephen Witt
However, Sharpton said the support is not so much for developer Forest City Ratner Companies (FCRC) as it for the those community activists and groups who signed onto the recent Community Benefits Agreement (CBA) with FCRC.
“Anybody who says I came here tonight to support Ratner is a liar. I came here tonight to support Rev. Daughtry, [Assemblymember] Roger Green, [ACORN President] Bertha Lewis and those who signed the Community Benefits Agreement,” he added.
Sharpton Backs Ratner’s Plan for Altantic Yards by Stephen Witt
Rev. Al Sharpton came back to his native borough last week to show support for the controversial proposed Atlantic Yards project that would see affordable housing, jobs and NBA basketball.
However, Sharpton said the support is not so much for developer Forest City Ratner Companies (FCRC) as it for the those community activists and groups who signed onto the recent Community Benefits Agreement (CBA) with FCRC.
“I’ve never supported Rater before, but I always said there much be a community benefits agreement in place,” Sharpton told a packed audience in the sweltering Duryea Presbyterian Church, 362 Sterling Place.
“Anybody who says I came here tonight to support Ratner is a liar. I came here tonight to support Rev. Daughtry, [Assemblymember] Roger Green, [ACORN President] Bertha Lewis and those who signed the Community Benefits Agreement,” he added.
Sharpton noted that a CBA is just a start and all the parties who signed it must live up to it.
Sharpton also had strong words for those African-American groups and elected officials who oppose the plan.
“It’s one thing to agree to disagree, it’s another thing to slander and disrespect those that made it possible for you to open your mouth in the first place,” he said.
“Let’s be straight up about this. If you don’t like some of the players, say that “You got personality differences,” say that “You think you should have been at the table,” and “your ego is bruised,” say that, but don’t walk around the community where half our men are sitting on stoops and can’t get jobs, and you stand in the way of them getting jobs,” Sharpton added.
Sharpton said he did back FCRC over the Extell Development Company big for the Atlantic Avenue rail yards, because Extell has partner before with the Carlyle Group.
Sharpton noted the Carlyle Group’s connections to the Bush and Bin Laden families, and that they have always opposed the black leadership in the civil rights movement.
Sharpton did express concerns about the threat of eminent domain in the FCRC project, but said there has never been such a hue and cry when predominately black areas are threatened with eminent domain.
The MTA will accept one of two bids and that bid should be the Ratner bid,” said Sharpton.
Joining Sharpton at the church rally were, among others, New York City comptroller William Thompson, State Sen. Carl Andrews and National Urban League President Marc Morial.
Morial, who is also the former mayor of New Orleans, said the CBA marks the beginning of a new movement for economic rights.
“It [the CBA] says we will be for it if it is for us,” said Morial, adding he hopes other cities in the nation take note of what is happening in Brooklyn.
Develop Don’t Destroy Brooklyn Spokesperson Deniel Goldstein said via phone and email that Sharpton doesn’t believe in a competitive bidding process and believes that only Bruce Ratner and this project will create jobs for black men.
“These are outrageous things to say. Extell is not standing in the way of jobs. Their project would create the same jobs. And they are willing to negotiate a CBA just like Ratner has, though theirs would go through ULURP and therefore be a stronger document,” said Goldstein.
Goldstein added that race and class have nothing to do with the issue and there are plenty of people of color who don’t support the project.
Among those who oppose it are the five black ministers, who together with two white ministers, make up the Downtown Brooklyn Leadership Coalition [DBLC] said Goldstein.
Rev. Dennis Dillon, chair of the DBLC and pastor of the Brooklyn Christian Center, 1061 Atlantic Ave., said those who signed the CBA were co-opted into doing so and that Sharpton is betraying the community.
Jobs should be developed through indigenous development such as franchises and dealerships, Dillon said.
But Thompson, who many think will be a strong candidate for mayor in four years, said he studied the proposed project, and spoke with the people who worked on the CBA, before fully endorsing it.
“This [Sharpton rally] reinforced my opinion that this project is good for Brooklyn and New York City in so many ways,” said Thompson.
“I don’t know that this is about race and class. I think this is about opportunity. Opportunity for for jobs and real business development. Opportunity for training. Opportunity for housing for people who wouldn’t have housing. So this isn’t about race and class, this is about access to opportunity for people who haven’t had it before in many ways.”
Posted by lumi at 11:57 AM
MTA May Vote On Atlantic Rail Yard Bids As Soon As Wednesday
NY1
The controversy over future development at Brooklyn's Atlantic Yards site is heating up. With the Metropolitan Transportation Authority board set to award the site to one of two developers as soon as Wednesday, advocates on both side of the issue are trying to get their opinions heard. NY1’s Bobby Cuza filed this report.
Posted by lumi at 8:40 AM
Development Rival Offers Compromise on Nets Arena
The NY Times
by Charles Bagli
The real estate investment group battling with the developer Bruce Ratner for control of the Atlantic railyard near Downtown Brooklyn offered a compromise yesterday that it said would allow both parties to declare victory: The group would incorporate Mr. Ratner's plan to build a glass-walled basketball arena for the Nets into its project.
Knowing that the city and the state want to provide a home in Brooklyn for the Nets of the National Basketball Association, Mr. Barnett said yesterday that if he won, his company would resell a portion of the development rights for no additional cost to Mr. Ratner so that he could build the basketball arena, now expected to cost more than $500 million.
NoLandGrab: This is an interesting move by Extell to broker a compromise, though it seems that Ratner is more interested in an all-or-nothing approach than finding a solution where nearly everyone wins.
Posted by lumi at 8:23 AM
Pass up Yards sale, boro pols urge MTA
NY Daily News
by Deborah Kolben
Assemblymember James Brennan (D-Park Slope) and City Councilmember David Yassky (D-Brooklyn Heights) joined forces to send a letter to the MTA requesting that the public authority stop negotiations and hold off selling the Atlantic Railyards until a city-approved plan is in place.
Yassky:
"They've done this backwards. I think it's premature to agree on a sale price before there is an approved development plan."
Brennan, referring to both the Ratner and Extell plans:
"Each one of them is too big. They're stuffing between 15,000 and 18,000 people into less than 10 acres."
Posted by lumi at 7:46 AM
Nets score key votes in railyards bid battle
NY Daily News
by Pete Donohue and Michael Saul
Here's a surprise:
Mayor Bloomberg's four representatives on the MTA's board will vote to hold further negotiations with Forest City Ratner to build atop the Atlantic Ave. railyards in Brooklyn, a mayoral spokesman said yesterday.
Though the Mayor's reps are lined up to vote for Ratner's lowball bid over the Extell plan:
A source said at least two board members told MTA staffers they want more time to study the offers.
NoLandGrab: Here we go again. New Yorkers will recall that in March the Mayor's and Governor's representatives on the MTA board voted overwhelmingly to accept the low bid from a well-connected sports team owner.
More coverage, NY Newsday. "Support for Nets arena, Bloomberg's 4 representatives on MTA board expected to get behind $3.5B B'klyn development"
Posted by lumi at 7:33 AM
BLOCKING RATNER'S SHOT
NY Post
by Rich Calder
The Post covers yesterday's MTA real-estate committee meeting where groups boosted Extell's bid over Ratner's. Extell's bid offers the MTA three times more than the Ratner's and doesn't require the use of eminent domain.
Posted by lumi at 7:14 AM
ATLANTIC YARDS: Ratner-Extell Fight Turns Ugly
The NY Sun
by Daniel Hemel
The fight over the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s rail yard in downtown Brooklyn turned ugly yesterday morning as supporters and opponents of developer Bruce Ratner’s bid for the site exchanged bitter, profanity-laden personal attacks during a public meeting at the MTA’s Midtown headquarters.
Also, coverage on Brooklyn pols calling for a halt to sale of the railyards until a city-approved plan is in place and the possibility that State Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver's eventual vote could be crucial.
Posted by lumi at 7:07 AM
Reverend Al and The Man, and a warning to the MTA
Fans For Fair Play
The specter of the Jets West Side Stadium debacle makes an encore appearance in Rev. Sharpton's support and the MTA's possible rush to pick the lower bid.
Sharpton's support:
...must be, at best, a seriously mixed blessing for [Forest City Ratner]. Sure, they get another tenuous toehold in the Black community, but they also get a guy who anyone can approach on the street and ask "hey, Reverend, that Jets stadium thingie you endorsed, how's that coming along?"
The MTA can ill-afford another fiasco like the Jets stadium. The Brooklyn process is the same deal. After being forced by an angry public to create an open bidding process, the favored bidder -- a sports-team-owning pal of the governor and mayor -- submits the worst bid, fraught with add-ons nicked from Peter to pretend to pay Paul. The MTA board's vote appears, at this stage, to be a slap-dash rush-job. The principles of fairness and democracy lose again.
Posted by lumi at 7:04 AM
Comparing Bids at Atlantic Yards
The Real Estate Observer
by Matthew Schuerman
So, there's been some time now to evaluate the competing bids to develop the Atlantic Yards in downtown Brooklyn. Here's how it looks to The Real Estate.
Posted by lumi at 7:02 AM
Ruling on eminent domain triggers a firestorm of ire
Minneapolis Star Tribune
by Kenneth Harney, Washington Post Writers Group
Calling it a backlash would hardly do it justice. Calling it an unprecedented uprising to nullify a decision of the highest court of the land would be more accurate.
In the four weeks since the Supreme Court sanctioned the seizure of private homes by municipal governments for private "economic development," a firestorm of reaction has broken out in dozens of state legislatures and in Congress.
Posted by lumi at 6:47 AM
July 25, 2005
DDDb Press Release: Extell Bids $150 Million vs. Ratner’s $50 Million for the MTA’s Rail Yards in Brooklyn
DDDB Demands That MTA Deliberate for More Than Two Days and Postpone Vote Until Next Meeting in September
NEW YORK, NY– The Metropolitan Transportation Authority released the two bids on Atlantic yards late Friday afternoon. Extell Development Company has bid $150 million in cash for the MTA's Vanderbilt Yards (aka Atlantic Yards), while Forest City Ratner Companies (FCRC) has bid $50 million for the same 8.4-acre property. Extell has bid $56 per square foot, while Ratner has bid $15 per square foot. The MTA, also on Friday, appraised the Vanderbilt Yards at $214.5 million.
"The community prefers the Extell proposal by a large margin as it fulfills the key principles we have been fighting for over the past two years. And now Extell has outbid Ratner by a very large margin," said Develop Don't Destroy Brooklyn (DDDB) spokesperson, Daniel Goldstein. Goldstein added, "The MTA should take time to deliberate and evaluate the two bids, especially in light of the fact that both of the bids fall below the MTA’s appraised value of $214.5 million. They should not rush to vote this Wednesday, bur rather postpone their vote until their next meeting in September. If they vote on Wednesday, Board members will only have two days to evaluate these two bids and that is an insufficient and ludicrous amount of time. With the Hudson Yards bids the Board deliberated for ten days, and that was insufficient. Whatever the Board decides to do, it must be fair, transparent and judicious. The public will not accept secret, sweetheart deals."
FCRC has tried to muddy the waters regarding their purchase price for the rail yards by tacking on construction costs, sales tax revenue, and operating costs to their $50 million cash offer. Extell has simply stated that they will pay the MTA $150 million in cash at closing, while choosing to absorb the costs for the "add-ons" that FCRC has marketed as part of their purchase price.
Goldstein continued, "As we've expected for a long time now, Mr. Ratner thought he could get away with a sweetheart price for the rail yards, so he low-balled his bid and then tacked on construction costs as part of his purchase price. Mr. Ratner's 'add-ons' add nothing to his purchase price, as both developers are offering to fulfill those commitments. You can see all of this on our website breakdown of the bids at: www.dddb.net/bids."
Besides the $100 million difference between the two purchase prices, the proposed projects are vastly different. Extell proposes 11 buildings over the 8.4-acre Vanderbilt rail yards, ranging in height from 4 stories to 28 stories. They will not use eminent domain and they intend to go through the City's community and political development oversight process known as ULURP (Uniform Land Use Review Procedures). Extell also plans to build a school, as well as over 4 acres of public open space.
Ratner proposes to build over the Vanderbilt rail yards as well as an additional 13 acres currently consisting of private homes, businesses, and city streets. The private property would be taken through a State invocation of eminent domain. The Ratner proposal would overwhelm the community with 20 skyscrapers ranging from 40 stories to 60 stories, as well as a 20,000-seat sports arena. Ratner's proposal would completely bypass City oversight, with a State takeover of the project.
Both developers offer 30% affordable housing. FCRC, as stated at a City Council hearing, plans to build a total of 7,300 units, with 2,250 designated as affordable. That is a 30% plan, not the much touted but false 50% plan.
To see how the bids stack up, visit: http://www.dddb.net/bids
DEVELOP DON'T DESTROY BROOKLYN leads a broad-based community coalition
fighting for development that will unite our communities instead of dividing and destroying them.
Posted by lumi at 10:13 AM
ATLANTIC YARDS: Supporters of Project Vow To Fight If MTA Decides To Reject Ratner Bid
RIVAL BIDDER EXTELL TO OFFER $150M IN CASH FOR RIGHTS TO SITE
The NY Sun
by Daniel Hemel
Ratner supporters rallied to the call of Rev. Al Sharpton yesterday.
Though The Sun picked up the false claim by members of BUILD that Ratner was only using $100 million of public money (as opposed to the $200 million stated in public hearings and agreements with the City and State), the paper printed the erroneous claim that 3,000 affordable housing units were planned in the Ratner proposal. Only 2,250 units have been agreed upon.
Waving an ivory staff as he spoke before a crowd of about 140 yesterday afternoon, a community activist from Bedford-Stuyvesant, Atiim Ferguson, vowed to wage “a war in the streets” if the Metropolitan Transportation Authority rejects the bid by the developer Bruce Ratner for the 8.4-acre rail yard in downtown Brooklyn.
An noteworthy observation in the article foreshadows the main concern of area residents if the arena is built:
Traffic slowed to a crawl along Atlantic Avenue yesterday as supporters of the Ratner bid walked from Rev. Daughtry’s church to the desolate rail yard site.
NoLandGrab:
At yesterday's rally local Ratner supporters:
* demonstrated how traffic would back up on game day,
* threatened violent street action,
* exploited a near-tragic building collapse in Manhattan, and
* resorted to being economical with the truth.
Will their efforts draw attention away from the fact that Extell's bid for the railyards is three times the size of Ratner's?
More coverage:
NY Daily News, Rev. Al rallies for arena
Posted by lumi at 9:15 AM
Oh Brooklyn, My Brooklyn
It's not so easy being a cheerleader for future-forward architecture when the future is right outside your window
Metropolis
by Karrie Jacobs
Thoughts about urban design are no longer abstract when you can watch big changes outside your own window. Champion of contemporary architecture, Karrie Jacobs, does some soul searching and reflection on her own backyard:
My concern is the potential return of 1960s-style urban renewal. Developer Bruce Ratner--whose accomplishments in Brooklyn include a cluster of truly hideous shopping centers and an Atlanta-style office park--is making headway in his bid to build a basketball arena for the Nets above the Long Island Rail Road tracks behind his malls, along with 17 residential and office towers in the surrounding area. He has retained architect Frank Gehry and landscape architect Laurie Olin to woo the cognoscenti. But do we judge Ratner's intentions by what he's built in the past or what he's promising for the future? When I look out my window I stare directly at one of his projects--a windowless high-rise multiplex with an Aztec-patterned facade--and question whether Ratner should be charged with redeveloping such a substantial chunk of the borough.
But I'm troubled that Brooklyn is being regarded as an opportunity rather than as a place. Ratner's development scheme, the Downtown plan drafted by the city, and the vision for the Greenpoint-Williamsburg waterfront all seem to view the borough as a tabula rasa. It is that old urban-renewal thinking that overvalues the potential and understates the significance of what's already here--exactly the kind of thinking that engendered a 30-year backlash. It's not nostalgia or NIMBYism to want planning that intelligently integrates past, present, and future.
Posted by lumi at 9:03 AM
July 24, 2005
A Tale of Two Yards
The Downtown Brooklyn Star covers the recent Community Board 2 meeting where the Pacific Plan was presented.
Posted by amy at 11:12 AM
Brooklyn land bids: The winner is...?
Field of Schemes helps explain why you might be confused:
New York's Metropolitan Transportation Authority has released details of the competing bids for its Brooklyn rail yards site - and if you're hoping to understand what they mean, for godsakes don't read the local newspapers:-The Daily News has New Jersey Nets owner Bruce Ratner coming it at $50 million in cash, "but other planned extras balloon the bid to an estimated value of $369 million"; rival Extell Development, meanwhile, "is offering the MTA $150 million in cash while also planning to use up to $150 million in public funds." Ratner, reports the News, would require $200 million in city and state cash subsidies.
-The New York Times, meanwhile, counts only the cash bids, reporting that Extell's $150 million is "three times the amount Mr. Ratner bid for the property." The Times also notes that a law passed by the state legislature last month requires the MTA to take the highest offer for its land, and that while it hasn't yet taken effect, Richard Brodsky, chair of the state assembly's public authorities committee, says the MTA "ought to live by the law."
Posted by amy at 11:08 AM
Slam dunk for Brooklyn
The Daily News gets it wrong, wronger, and wrongest.
Posted by amy at 11:04 AM
July 23, 2005
HOW THE BIDS STACK UP
Develop Don't Destroy takes the mystery out of the math. Bottom line: "3:1 For every dollar that Ratner has offered the struggling MTA, Extell has offered three."
Read it here before the media melts your brain.
Posted by amy at 11:14 AM
Railyard plans are detailed
From the Daily News:
Extell stressed in a statement yesterday that it "submitted a $150 million all-cash offer net to the MTA, which is three times the net amount offered by a competitive bidder."Extell, whose tallest building would stand 28 stories, also noted that its mixed-use proposal "is less dense, lower-rise and contextual to the surrounding neighborhoods of Prospect Heights and Fort Greene." Daniel Goldstein, a spokesman for Develop Don't Destroy Brooklyn, a coalition of community groups fighting Ratner's plan, said: "Extell is offering three times as much cash, therefore they should win the bidding."
Posted by amy at 11:07 AM
Doctoroff: Brooklyn key to economy
NLG: The real title of this article should be "Doctoroff: Lying and dogding questions key to economy" or possibly "Doctoroff: Brooklyn overdevelopment my new pet project now that I lost the Olympics..."
Read it in the Brooklyn Papers.
Posted by amy at 10:55 AM
MTA won’t show hand
From the Brooklyn Papers:
With the next MTA board meeting scheduled for this Wednesday, July 27, members of the community and civic groups fear the board members, the majority of whom are appointed by Gov. George Pataki, will go ahead and approve a bid without being adequately informed of the property’s true worth.
Posted by amy at 10:49 AM
Brooklyn Week: Parking A Major Concern For Drivers Borough Wide
From NY1:
Compounding parking problems are traffic tie-ups like the one at the corners of Atlantic, Flatbush and Fourth avenues, as drivers make their way to Downtown Brooklyn.“It's very congested. It's very difficult to park in the Downtown Brooklyn are,” says one resident.
The parking and congestion issues are only going to be compounded by the new developments on the horizon like the city's Downtown Brooklyn plan and the proposed New Jersey Nets arena.
But you'll be comforted to know that "The Nets arena project doesn't have a specific plan to deal with parking and traffic..."
Posted by amy at 10:41 AM
New Jersey Eminent Domain Redevelopment: Forest City Ratner coming to Bloomfield
From the New Jersey Eminent Domain Law Blog:
The developer that would move the New Jersey Nets to Brooklyn, Forest City Ratner, plans to bring in Toll Brothers to build 600 residential units along with retail in the Township of Bloomfield redevelopment project. The anchor for the revitalization of downtown Bloomfield would be a Stop & Shop grocery store in a 65,000 square foot shopping center with three stories of parking on top. This project will take advantage of Manhattan Midtown Direct rail service, now available on the New Jersey Transit Montclair line, which has resulted in a real estate boom in Montclair and Glen Ridge.Yesterday over 50 concerned citizens, tenants, owners, and friends dressed in "Stop Eminent Domain Abuse" tee-shirts and gathered at the Essex County Courthouse for the first skirmish of the battle with Bloomfield on the right to take these properties through eminent domain proceedings. As reported in today's Star Ledger, the group has been fighting the project, which they said would illegally take their land and businesses.
article
Ratner must have epilepsy or something. He keeps having all these "seizures."
Posted by amy at 10:31 AM
Rival Bid Tops Ratner's Offer to Develop Brooklyn Site
The NY Times
by Charles Bagli
A rival bidder to Bruce Ratner, the developer, has made a $150 million cash offer for development rights at the Atlantic railyard in Downtown Brooklyn, three times the amount Mr. Ratner bid for the property, where he proposes a $3.5 billion tower complex that includes a basketball arena for the Nets, stores, parks and 6,000 apartments.
More coverage:
NY1: MTA Releases Details Of Competing Bids For Brooklyn Rail Yards
1010WINS: MTA Unveils Brooklyn Railyard Bid Details
Posted by lumi at 7:54 AM
July 22, 2005
Barnett 3, Ratner 1
The Real Estate Observer
by Matthew Schuerman
The MTA released the bids for the Vanderbilt Yard (a.k.a. Atlantic Yards) over in Brooklyn and it looks like the maverick Extell Development Co., run by Gary Barnett, outbid the Mayor’s favored player, Forest City Ratner. Extell is offering $150 million in cash, compared to $50 million offered by Forest City.
The Observer is reporting that Ratner's press release is padding their figures ($329.4 million) by including "the sales tax that the development will bring to the MTA over the long haul."
NoLandGrab: Since the Extell bid is three times higher, watch Ratner pulling out all the stops to spin this thing his way.
Posted by lumi at 10:57 PM
Barnett 3, Ratner 1
The Real Estate Observer
by Matthew Schuerman
The MTA released the bids for the Vanderbilt Yard (a.k.a. Atlantic Yards) over in Brooklyn and it looks like the maverick Extell Development Co., run by Gary Barnett, outbid the Mayor’s favored player, Forest City Ratner. Extell is offering $150 million in cash, compared to $50 million offered by Forest City.
The Observer is reporting that Ratner's press release is padding their figures ($329.4 million) by including "the sales tax that the development will bring to the MTA over the long haul."
NoLandGrab: Since the Extell bid is three times higher, watch Ratner pull out all the stops to spin this thing his way.
Posted by lumi at 10:57 PM
MTA unveils Brooklyn railyard site bid details
NY Newsday, AP
You've been hearing about the competing bids and thinking, "Show me the money!"
Here's a comparison of the two bids as reported this evening by the AP.
$$$ OFFERED |
INITIAL PUBLIC SUBSIDIES |
|
Forest City Ratner |
$50 million cash |
$200 million |
Extell Development Corp. |
$150 million cash |
$150 million |
Posted by lumi at 7:13 PM
Easy Being Green for this Beep Candidate
The Brooklyn Downtown Star
Interview by Renee Collymore
The Star interviews the Green Party Candidate for Borough President, Gloria Mattera, and gets her views on the Green Party, "Party" Marty, education, affordable housing and community boards.
Gloria on Marty:
Markowitz is helping to rip the heart out of Brooklyn, and yet at the same time he views himself as the champion of the borough. He divides Brooklyn into urban and suburban, simply because he wants the poorer areas to become a construction site while at the same time preserving the charm of the more residential sections. I don’t have to tell you the racial implications of this. That’s why power plants and garbage dumps are built in neighborhoods where blacks and immigrants tend to live.
Click the link below to read the entire interview.
Brooklyn Star: As a candidate on the Green Party line, what issues best represents the mission of the Green Party?
Gloria Mattera: One of the main issues of the campaign is the overdevelopment in the borough and the part many local politicians play in catering to wealthy developers at the expense of communities. The four pillars of the Green Party are: Grassroots Democracy, Ecological Wisdom, Social & Economic Justice and Peace/Non-Violence. These four principles are embodied in the campaign message. Decisions on land use and its relation to affordable housing, public green space and a healthy environment need to be more inclusive and transparent. The billions of tax subsidy dollars handed to big real estate developers deprive local governments of the revenue needed to maintain the city infrastructure, reduce class sizes, shore-up the public health system and other essential services that improve the quality of life for most residents.
Although the Borough President has no authority in the area of national policy, I feel it is important to highlight the billions of dollars being spent on the current war in addition to building up the U.S. military while our cities and states are deprived of resources. I am very concerned about the aggressive presence of military recruiters in our high schools and campuses. I see the Borough President’s office acting as a resource for students and parents to learn more about the “opt-out” option by providing assistance and guidance to them.
BS: Have you picked up any major endorsements?
GM: Wherever we go, we have the ringing endorsement of the community. This, in my assessment, amounts to the most important endorsement of all. Major endorsers are mainly concerned about winning, and rarely confront incumbents. Institutional support for third party candidates out of the left is so very rare that it’s barely a consideration at this point. That said, I will seek endorsements, only I will do so selectively.
BS: How satisfied are you with the performance of current Borough President, Marty Markowitz?
GM: Not satisfied in the least. Markowitz is vain and pompous; his overtures to Ratner reveal his one-dimensional view of progress. If skyscrapers could produce a decent life for all, then why in New York City one of the most unequal cities in the U.S.? Markowitz has not spoken out against the abuse of eminent domain and he has supported the circumvention of the Uniform Land Use Review Process (ULURP).
Markowitz is helping to rip the heart out of Brooklyn, and yet at the same time he views himself as the champion of the borough. He divides Brooklyn into urban and suburban, simply because he wants the poorer areas to become a construction site while at the same time preserving the charm of the more residential sections. I don’t have to tell you the racial implications of this. That’s why power plants and garbage dumps are built in neighborhoods where blacks and immigrants tend to live.
BS: Understanding that you are a clear opponent of Bruce Ratner’s arena proposal, what are your plans for creating affordable housing, as well as thousands of employment opportunities for Brooklynites?
GM: Housing is expensive, and there are no easy solutions to the problem of housing shortages. However, if $1.5 billion can be given to Ratner in subsidies, then that money could some produce housing. I believe proposals made by groups like the Met Council need to be given more serious consideration, because rents are rising twice as fast as incomes in Brooklyn. The work of organizations like the Fifth Avenue Committee should be supported and championed as a model of what community groups can do to stop displacement of long time residents and create affordable housing.
Creative solutions are needed and all proposals considered, but the idea of expecting private developers to solve the housing crisis by linking development deals to the production of certain numbers of units is not going to work. Any developer of the Atlantic Yards will bring thousands of jobs and affordable housing to the area. Ratner should not have exclusive rights to the site for his basketball arena and primarily high end residential skyscrapers. There should be n open bidding process, with the MTA getting the best price possible for the sale of the yards.
BS: From the stand point of an educator, How effective has the public education system been in addressing the needs of the minority community?
GM: Public education has failed the minority community because the system is constantly under stress. Large class sizes, poorly paid and disrespected teachers—disrespected by the political establishment that is—and inadequate levels of school construction have contributed to this crisis. CUNY, too, is no longer friendly to low-income working class people, a disproportionate number of who are people of color and immigrants. Behind this neglect of education is the inherently racist notion that it’s not worth spending tax dollars on constituencies who will surely end up in low-skill, service economy jobs. This then becomes a self-fulfilling prophesy. The standardized, high stakes testing and “one-size-fits-all” curriculum culturally insensitive. The rich, cultural diversity of our student population needs to be acknowledged and nurtured through a varied method of tracking and assessment each individual student’s progress.
BS: What, if any, policy recommendations would you suggest to improve the education system?
GM: Firstly, the governor needs to stop obstructing the State Supreme Court’s decision that ordered the state to meet its obligations to young learners. This will infuse the education system with billions of dollars and thus reduce class sizes. Secondly, teachers need not just a contract but a pay hike of 30 per cent or more to stop the flight of teachers to the suburbs where they can earn more. There needs to be a commitment to recruit potential educators from communities of color. The institution of scholarships and loan forgiveness for young people entering the teaching profession would help diversify and increase the dwindling pool of teachers due to increased retirement.
GM: Teachers and parents need more authority in school governance at the local level. Parent councils with decision-making power are needed. The current system that has replaced local school boards has not empowered parents or given them a real voice in their child’s education.
Also, I would restore CUNY by slashing tuition and fees, or even phasing it out altogether. And the admissions tests need to be reconsidered, especially for adult learners. These tests are educationally useless and serve to discourage potential students.
BS: Which political prominents are you courting for support of your campaign?
GM: Although several Democratic politicians have vocally opposed the Ratner plan, no one stepped forward in that party to challenge Markowitz. The local Green Party has been an active member of the Develop Don’t Destroy from the early days of the coalition. My campaign is built on the strength and support of a grassroots movement that has grown out of the community opposition to irresponsible, deceptive overdevelopment throughout Brooklyn. I am working closely with several community groups including the Downtown Brooklyn Leadership Group.
BS: Upon election, will there be any plans to reconstruct the community boards?
GM: The City Charter has jurisdiction over the structure of Community Boards. The boards serve as an educational forum and provide a voice for residents. However, with the Borough President making all appointments, there is a danger that only a limited point of view will be represented. As Borough President, I would use the resources of my office to do a serious outreach campaign to recruit a diverse pool of residents from each community to serve on the boards. Meetings with community groups would be held to provide recommendations. Additional resources would be used to help provide child care and transportation assistance to facilitate board participation by working parents, the elderly or those who have difficulty traveling. Active participation in the community board is an important role for all members. Automatic re-appointment for many years deprives our local boards of new members who might be more representative of a changing community. Although there are no term limit provisions for community board members, the Borough President’s office should be cognizant of how many years members have served and make an effort to create a space for new ones.
The Green Party has advocated for elected community councils with increased decision-making authority. I would welcome a dialogue on this concept with other elected officials and communities.
BS: What is the statistical breakdown of Green Party members by ethnicity in Brooklyn?
GM: The Kings County Green Party does not have official statistics of membership by ethnicity at this time. People of color throughout Brooklyn are members of the party but more work needs to be done. Local activists have been committed to the goal of diversifying our party membership. In Brooklyn over the past few years, we have organized and attended meetings in several culturally diverse communities. In my campaign, I have reached out and recruited volunteers and supporters in East New York, Bedford-Stuyvesant and among the West African community citywide.
BS: What organizations have you contributed your services to, so that Brooklyn could be a better place?
GM: As an activist in my community, I have worked with local peace groups, Brooklyn Parents for Peace and the War Resisters League in the anti-war movement. As a coordinator in the Park Slope Greens, I have worked with other groups to promote environmental issues including Christmas tree recycling the year the Department of Sanitation cut that program. I have been a long time advocate in the single payer health care movement and a current board member of the NY Metro chapter of Physicians for a National Health Program. In that capacity, I organized several forums and rallies in Brooklyn as well as other parts of the city.
Posted by lumi at 7:10 PM
How to Defeat Ratner and the Nets
Banana Nutrament
Banana Nutrament blogger Miguel suggests running a protest candidate for Beep.
We need a portly, white-haired simulacrum to step forward and deliver us into the Promised Land. We need our savior to tout Junior's cheesecake with demented glee and wear polo shirts to cop funerals. A man who differs in only one respect from our current figurehead, that he is AGAINST the razing of Prospect Heights and the political backscratching that is Ratner's profiteering from a gross abuse of eminent domain.
Desperately seeking "MARKY MARTOWITZ!"
[Can you pick out the real Beep? Hint: He's usually within arm's length from a buffet.]
Posted by lumi at 6:42 PM
Architects Live In Class Houses: Piano Vs. Gehry
Renzo Gets Times Tower, Columbia, Morgan Library; Mr. Bilbao in Brooklyn
The NY Observer
by Jason Horowitz
The Observer article about starchitects Renzo Piano and Frank Gehry coming to a neighborhood near you is interesting, but gets some key facts wrong about Gehry's progress in Prospect Heights, Brooklyn.
Mr. Gehry still has to face community boards and landmark committees for Mr. Ratner’s $3.5 billion Atlantic Yards project, with its Brooklyn Nets basketball stadium, 1.9 million square feet of office space, housing for roughly 15,000, and skyscrapers as high as 60 stories piercing the now-unperturbed Brooklyn skyline. Mr. Gehry said that, along with the tempting challenge of the undertaking, he was attracted to the idea of working for Mr. Ratner, who he called a like-minded “liberal do-gooder” intent on making a statement in Brooklyn.
NoLandGrab, "EARTH TO THE MEDIA:" Gehry's project has been taken over by New York State, there will be NO Community Board or Landmark hearings. NY State's hearings and Environmental Impact Statement only require that negative impacts be IDENTIFIED, NOT MITIGATED. Sorry to be so negative, but this stuff is serious.
EARTH TO GEHRY: Brooklynites are wary of the "like-minded 'liberal do-gooders,'" as they often become masters of unintended consequences (i.e. Robert Moses).
Posted by lumi at 8:15 AM
Starring Frank Gehry
By taking leading roles in billion-dollar projects in L.A. and New York, he has helped usher in the era of 'starchitects.'
LA Times
by Christopher Hawthorne
Gehry has been named lead architect on a massive project in each of America's two largest cities: one along Grand Avenue in downtown Los Angeles, for the developer Related Cos., and the other atop the Atlantic Rail Yards in Brooklyn, with Forest City Ratner.
The combined budget of the projects tops $5 billion. Together, they suggest that we've entered an era in which ambitious developers are not just open to the notion of working with architecture's boldest talents but, in certain high-profile cases, are desperate to avoid working without them.
While some directors given carte blanche from big studios are invigorated by the responsibility, others find it overwhelming or lose their creative focus. The same is true in architecture. And Gehry has tended to do his best work when he is constrained — by tight budgets, political squabbles or awkward sites — and his most disappointing when he is fully autonomous. That alone is a reason for a measure of wariness about this pair of projects, in which the developers have taken pains to smooth the architect's path.
Posted by lumi at 8:08 AM
The left seeks the redemption of Al Sharpton
Yesterday, civil rights attorney Norman Seigel and Green Party candidate for Brooklyn Borough President Gloria Mattera reached out to Rev. Al Sharpton, hoping to convince him to reverse his support for Bruce Ratner's Atlantic Yards proposal.
Read the reports below.
Posted by lumi at 7:57 AM
Mattera Calls for Sharpton to Join Her In Opposing the Ratner Arena Proposal
HotIndieNews.com
"I urge Reverend Sharpton to reconsider his decision to support the heavily subsidized Ratner Nets Arena proposal," said Gloria Mattera, Green Party candidate for Brooklyn Borough President, upon hearing that the Reverend Al Sharpton had announced his support for the project. "Our Brooklyn residents deserve leaders who will stand up for them against multibillionaire developers."
"Reverend Sharpton has in the past been a persuasive voice against big-money influence on local politics. I hope he will reconsider his decision and stand up for the majority of Brooklyn residents who oppose the Ratner development project," added Mattera.
Posted by lumi at 7:55 AM
BROOKLYN DEVELOPMENT
The Crain’s Insider Fax Service
Civil rights lawyer Norman Siegel will try to convince the Rev. Al Sharpton to reverse his support for Forest City Ratner’s downtown Brooklyn development plan. The proposal will likely require the use of eminent domain. Siegel is fighting to change state law to limit the land takings. He says of Sharpton, “I’m not sure he understands that this is a civil rights issue.”
Posted by lumi at 7:54 AM
ATLANTIC YARDS Report: Arena Vulnerable to Terrorists; Changes Urged for Gehry-Designed Ratner Project
The NY Sun
by Daniel Hemel
The high-rise urban hub and professional basketball arena proposed for downtown Brooklyn’s Atlantic Yards would be vulnerable to a devastating terrorist attack because of design flaws in architect Frank Gehry’s plans for the site, according to a recent report co-authored by a Defense Department analyst that was released to The New York Sun.
The report recommends changes to the planned glass exterior of the sports arena. According to the authors, an estimated 80% of all casualties from terrorist attacks result from breaking glass. The report also charges that the sports arena and the towers slated for the Atlantic Yards site would not be set back sufficiently from the surrounding streets, “making them subject to the full force of car or truck bombs.” Similar concerns prompted the redesign of the Freedom Tower planned for Ground Zero.
Posted by lumi at 7:48 AM
Vallone Introduces Bill Giving Police Veto Power Over Construction Projects
The NY Sun
by Daniel Hemel
...and speaking of security concerns in new construction in NYC:
A City Council member, Peter Vallone Jr., told The New York Sun yesterday that he will introduce legislation that will give the Police Department veto power over all proposals to construct buildings higher than seven stories in the five boroughs.
NoLandGrab: In light of the concerns over security and terrorism outlined in the security analysis of the Atlantic Yards, this measure could have a major effect on the design and cost of the Ratner plan.
Posted by lumi at 7:44 AM
Bench Battle of 2 Lawrences Taking Shape
The NY Times
by Harvey Araton
A story about the coach of the NJ Nets and the speculative coach of the NY Knicks has some tidbits about Ratner's first year as owner of the Nets:
One year later, thanks mostly to Thorn's continued wizardry as the Nets' chief executive and the truly brainless trading of Vince Carter by Toronto to New Jersey, how's Ratner doing? Unavailable to pat himself on the back yesterday as he maintains a low profile to focus on the bidding for the Atlantic Avenue rail yards - where he intends to build his basketball arena and a zillion new apartments - Ratner let his basketball people do the talking.
NoLandGrab: Times writer Araton cites "a zillion new apartments." Last we counted it was more like TWO ZILLION.
While the Knicks' owner, James Dolan, has presided over the deconstruction of a once-proud franchise, Bruce Ratner has delivered on his promise not to gut the Nets as they assume lame-duck status in New Jersey, on their way to a planned relocation to Brooklyn.
"We will have a good team but talk is talk and doing is doing," Ratner told me last summer in the face of a full-frontal news media assault after the bean-counting decision to trade Kenyon Martin to Denver, about 20 minutes after he purchased the team.
One year later, thanks mostly to Thorn's continued wizardry as the Nets' chief executive and the truly brainless trading of Vince Carter by Toronto to New Jersey, how's Ratner doing? Unavailable to pat himself on the back yesterday as he maintains a low profile to focus on the bidding for the Atlantic Avenue rail yards - where he intends to build his basketball arena and a zillion new apartments - Ratner let his basketball people do the talking.
"I've got nothing but good things to say about him," Thorn said in a telephone interview. "He's a really good guy, he's accessible and he's allowed us to do just about everything we've had to put together what looks like, on paper, a pretty good team."
A year ago, Martin's departure marked the official breakup of a two-time finalist, Jason Kidd was determined to follow Martin's lead and even Thorn was said to be exploring his options.
"Our star player wasn't real positive about the future of the team, Alonzo Mourning wasn't a very positive influence on Jason or anyone," Thorn said. "It just didn't look very good."
Then came the Carter steal, the recovery of Kidd from knee surgery, the accelerated development of the rookie center, Nenad Krstic, the late-season run to qualify for the last playoff position in the Eastern Conference and, most recently, the apparent recruitment of Shareef Abdur-Rahim to be the starting power forward.
Whether Abdur-Rahim, who is not the athlete Martin is but is more skilled and statistically accomplished, is an upgrade at the position is debatable, but that's not the most pertinent question. This is: a year ago, would Thorn have traded Martin - who, separated from Kidd, was no maximum-salary player last season in Denver - and a broken-down Kerry Kittles for Carter, Abdur-Rahim and the Los Angeles Clippers' first-round draft pick next June that is not lottery protected?
"That one has some possibilities," Thorn said.
Posted by lumi at 7:23 AM
July 21, 2005
Competing Bids For Atlantic Rail Yards The talk Of Brooklyn
NY1
Coverage of Atlantic Yards during NY1's "Brooklyn Week" with quotes and appearances from Forest City Ratner VP (and Park Slope resident) Bruce Bender, ACORN's Bertha Lewis, Extell spokesman Bob Liff, the photogenic Al Sharpton and Develop Don't Destroy's Dan Goldstein.
NoLandGrab: Another PR coup for Ratner, this segment portrays a fight between Ratner with his African American friends vs. the white guys in glasses. (Disclaimer: NLG has nothing against white guys in glasses.)
Posted by lumi at 8:20 AM
Not-for-Sale Signs Are Starting To Bloom in Parts of Brooklyn
The NY Sun
by Daniel Hemel
Fed up with brokers who are making unsolicited offers for the neighborhood’s modest wood-frame houses, homeowners on the south side of Park Slope are placing signs in their windows that announce: “House Not For Sale.”
These signs are catching on in Prospect Heights as Develop Don't Destroy Dan Goldstein explains, "It’s the right way to tell people to leave you alone.”
Posted by lumi at 8:11 AM
MTA Uses Eminent Domain at Fulton St.
The NY Sun
by Jeremy Smerd
The MTA has started eminent domain proceedings to sieze two properties, which include 120 tenants, in Lower Manhattan to make way for the $825 million Fulton St. Transit Center.
Though this instance of taking of private property seems clearly earmarked for "public use," the tenants, who are mostly small businesses, point out that the public authority might have alerted them to this plan before they pledged to rebuild their businesses after September 11th, 2001. Though property owners are to receive "fair market value," the tenants will only be compensated for the value of fixtures and be provided with "as much as $25 thousand for relocation costs."
NoLandGrab: Why do we care?
NY State is willing to use eminent domain to take property owned by small businesses and homeowners in Lower Manhattan, Prospect Heights and West Harlem. However, NY has NOT used eminent domain to take over Larry Silverstein's leases with the Port Authority for the World Trade Center site, thereby relenquishing leadership and control over planning and process over the important and symbolic opportunity to rebuild Lower Manhattan after September 11, 2001.
One of the main concerns of detractors of the recent US Supreme Court eminent domain decision is that eminent domain inordinately effects those who are not politically connected. Whether or not the action by the MTA in this article is a proper use of governmental powers, it clarifies the nature of how eminent domain is used in NY.
Posted by lumi at 7:35 AM
Ratner ‘Ratchets Up’ Campaign for Arena Plan
The Brooklyn Daily Eagle
by Raanan Geberer
The Eagle covers the press conference where State Assemblymember Roger Green was "master of ceremonies" heralding the Ratner-Gehry project.
Meanwhile watchdog groups called for the MTA to release the competing bids for the railyards.
Posted by lumi at 7:13 AM
July 20, 2005
TONIGHT: NY1's Road to City Hall Live in Brooklyn
NY1 Road to City Hall is passing through Brooklyn.
Topics include education, crime and Bruce Ratner's Atlantic Yards proposal.
Location: St. Francis College
Date: Wednesday, July 20
Time: 7 - 9pm
To attend you MUST reserve free tickets, call: (718) 489-5272
Special thanks to OnNYTurf for the heads up. Check out the entry for more details, guest line-up, and cool subway map link (via an OnNYTurf Google Maps hack).
Posted by lumi at 9:58 PM
Ratner Is Gaining as the Nets Owner Nuzzles Advocates
NY Observer
by Matthew Schuermann
An article about the "new synergy powering some of New York’s grandest development schemes: the picketer and the developer."
According to Schuermann:
Ms. Lewis brings such moral authority to Mr. Ratner’s plan to build 7.5 million square feet of apartments and offices, along with an arena for the Nets basketball team, that it will be hard for city and state officials to do anything to block it.
The article pays respect to the ACORN-Ratner relationship, but also sums up the most recent turns in the fight over how development of the railyards will proceed.
NoLandGrab: This article, along with yesterday's Village Voice article "The Battle of Brooklyn" (July 19), is a wave of PR parading the ACORN-Ratner relationship in the NYC media.
Bertha's keeping busy fulfilling paragraph 3 of the Housing MOU.
Posted by lumi at 12:55 PM
The Brooklyn Standard Sighting -- 7th Ave. F
This morning folks in Park Slope headed to the Smiling Pizza entrance of the 7th Ave. F train stop were treated to copies of the Ratner rag, The Brooklyn Standard.
When asked about peoples' response to the free publication, the person handing them out replied that some people were VERY interested and asked for more than one copy.
Recently, it has become fashionable for Brooklynites to use The Brooklyn Standard to line their hamster cages and use as "brown matter" for composting bins.
For those who missed the freebies, the trashcan on the subway platform was filled to the rim.
Know of any more sightings? Send in your sightings and anecdotes to sightings@nolandgrab.org.
Posted by lumi at 12:13 PM
N.Y. Should Mimic Utah’s Property Bill
The NY Sun
by Jamal Watson, executive editor of the New York Amsterdam News
Jamal Watson outlines the case for banning the use of eminent domain in NY for economic development purposes.
Over the past decade, working-class communities of color have become ripe for wealthy white developers looking to further gentrify neighborhoods that no one wanted to invest in just a decade ago. Too often, many of those who live in these communities lack the adequate political clout to fight off well-endowed developers who spend lots of mo