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November 29, 2006
Jeffries Watch
Three current State Assemblymembers just went on record withholding their support for Bruce Ratner's Atlantic Yards, pending more review and reductions in size.
But what about Hakeem Jeffries, the incoming State Assemblymember, whose district would balloon in size if the project were to be built as proposed?
The Real Estate Observer, Jeffries To Silver: Atlantic Yards' Density Worries Me
Observer reporter Matthew Schuerman caught up with 57th District Assemblymember-elect Hakeem Jeffries during a telephone interview yesterday:
Jeffries told The Real Estate on Tuesday that he had a conversation about a week to 10 days ago to express many of the same concerns as Assembly members Jim Brennan, Joan Millman and Annette Robinson did. In the order Jeffries mentioned them, his concerns are: building more affordable housing early on as part of the project, the lack of transparency regarding the project's financing, the lack of public involvement, and, upon prompting, its density. Jeffries said that he would speak with Silver again soon.
Jeffries is known to be hard to read (some would say slippery) on Atlantic Yards, and he refused to compare his position with that of Brennan's camp.
"I have always felt that eminent domain is one of government's most exceptional powers. I don't believe that a private developer should be able to use it to build a basketball arena." But he also said that the courts should be allowed to decide the issue.
Assemblymember-elect Hakeem Jeffries on AY
Develop Don't Destroy Brooklyn emphasized Jeffries comments on eminent domain and added:
We agree with that entirely. The PACB should not vote on the proposed project until after the courts are allowed to rule on the federal eminent domain lawsuit filed on October 26th. An approval before that case is resolved can lead to a BIG MESS where Forest City Ratner levels some of the neighborhood but then cannot build any of "Atlantic Yards" because the plaintiffs win their lawsuit.
Posted by lumi at November 29, 2006 9:44 AM