« Up in arms about the Yards | Main | Atlantic Yards Countdown »
September 22, 2006
Brooklyn Group to Propose Changes to Yards Project
The NY Times
By Nicholas Confessore
A group of neighborhood and civic associations will propose a series of changes to Brooklyn’s controversial Atlantic Yards real estate development this weekend, taking a new tack in the bitter debate over the project. The effort will diverge markedly from the strategy of other project skeptics, notably Develop Don’t Destroy Brooklyn, a coalition of neighborhood groups taking a harder line against the development.
The group will prescribe substantial reductions in the project’s size and an increase in the percentage of subsidized housing allotted to poor families, among other changes, but will not take a position against eminent domain.
...
Joe DePlasco, a spokesman for Forest City, said that the developer was “pleased to see that these groups want to talk about ways to improve what we believe is a very exciting project for the people of Brooklyn. We look forward to meeting with them and discussing their ideas.”
NoLandGrab: This handful of neighborhood groups appears to be taking an interesting tack. However, since the BrooklynSpeaks web site isn't up yet, it's difficult to talk about specifics of their proposal.
Generally speaking, from what has been reported in the press, the BrooklynSpeaks position contradicts itself more than once, which leads neighborhood residents to wonder if it is just a platform for early negotiation, and if so, which planks of the platform will be readily conceded.
For instance, the Municipal Art Society shies away from the arena controversy, but takes a stand against street closings. It will be impossible to hold strictly to this stance if the arena is built.
Another contradiction was brought to light in the article in a quote from Dan Goldstein of Develop Don't Destroy Brooklyn, who said, "One of their key principles is to respect the neighborhood, and by ignoring eminent domain and the arena, they are disrespecting the neighborhood.” That's a major concession to developer Bruce Ratner, and comes as a small comfort that BrooklynSpeaks is defining "neighborhood" as the surrounding neighborhood, not the existing neighborhood.
Posted by lumi at September 22, 2006 8:07 AM