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September 6, 2006
Poll: New Yorkers like Nets arena if not told of cost
Field of Schemes has a look at the Crain's poll results and notices that the poll didn't question respondents about public subsidies.
A Crain's New York poll of 601 New Yorkers found that most supported developer Bruce Ratner's plan for the Atlantic Yards development project, which would include a Brooklyn arena for the New Jersey Nets: 23% says they felt "very favorable" toward the project, 37% "somewhat favorable," 13% "somewhat unfavorable," and 13% "very unfavorable."
Support rose slightly after pollsters listed arguments made by opponents (the city will be forced to spend more on schools and water and sewer services for the project, it's out of scale with the surrounding neighborhood) and proponents (it will provide affordable housing and bring the Nets to Brooklyn) of the plan. But Crain's notably neglected to mention one issue that's proven decisive in prior polls: That the project would require several hundred million dollars in city and state subsidies.
NLG: The poll didn't ask respondents about eminent domain, either. Would that have changed poll results? Not if the public prefers to spend its tax dollars on historically large private projects that use eminent domain to take people's property.
Posted by lumi at September 6, 2006 8:33 AM