« Massive Atlantic Yards development added to agenda | Main | Salvo Fired in Atlantic Yards Eminent Domain Battle »
December 13, 2006
TIME RUNS OUT IN JAN. FOR B'KLYN ARENA FOES
NY Post
By Rich Calder
Brooklyn residents and business owners in danger of having their properties demolished to make way for Bruce Ratner's nearly $4 billion Atlantic Yards project were served with papers yesterday saying they have a Jan. 11 deadline to mount a legal challenge.
Empire State Development Corp. employees went door to door handing out the 26-page documents even through the controversial project - including a new arena for the Nets - has yet to receive final approval from the Public Authorities Control Board. That agency is to decide the project's fate next Wednesday.
About 60 households and 13 businesses are being targeted for eminent-domain seizure.
...
The ESDC takes credit for being nice, even though preliminary notice is the freakin' law:
The corporation said "we believe it's better to take these steps now - in advance of PACB approval - rather than wait until it's closer to Jan. 11 to tell tenants that they have until Jan. 11 to sue."
Opponents - some of whom are suing the state to block the use of eminent domain - have begun lobbying the PACB to reject the plan, or at least hold off on a vote until Eliot Spitzer replaces George Pataki as governor in January.
Spitzer has said he favors Atlantic Yards, but has questions about its financing.
NoLandGrab: Speaking about financing, Brooklynites are still wondering when a full accounting of public funding will be released. Before or after project approval?
Posted by lumi at December 13, 2006 8:53 AM