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December 16, 2006
INTERVIEW: STEVE BUSCEMI (CHARLOTTE'S WEB)
Cinematic Happenings Under Development
Q: As a Brooklyn boy myself it’s been interesting to see the borough change over the last few years – what’s your take?Buscemi: I read something heartbreaking today – developers in Coney Island are going to take away Astro Land, and we’re going to lose the Cyclone. My first thought was, ‘That’s it, I’m moving.’ I can’t take it anymore. There’s been so much development. This whole thing with Atlantic Yards, the stadium coming in with sixteen high rise towers… it’s changing too much. I just think I hate to lose the character of what makes Brooklyn different from Manhattan. Manhattan’s a great city, but Brooklyn should be different from Manhattan.
Q: Is there any turning back, or is it too late?
Buscemi: We’re trying to stop it. I do work with this group, Develop Don’t Destroy Brooklyn, and there is a lawsuit right now concerning the eminent domain. Hopefully if it can’t be stopped it can be scaled down considerably. But so many politicians are for it. Hopefully Spitzer, who I think is great, hopefully when he gets in it can be revisited and maybe some of the things can be reversed and it can at least be scaled down a lot.
Q: Yeah, I live in Prospect Heights. It’s depressing to imagine those big high rises looming overhead.
Buscemi: So you know. I think it’s a bad idea. It gets hard because we want employment and we want jobs, but I think Ratner has been exploiting that. I think there are ways to have jobs and affordable housing without this huge, mammoth development.
We're not sure what the Daily Graboid is on this site, but the graphic somehow seems appropriate...
Posted by amy at December 16, 2006 10:21 AM