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January 11, 2007
Lessons to be learned from a long conflict with a project's neighbors
The Journal-News, Editorial
Why should Forest City Ratner substantially alter the Atlantic Yards plan if they don't have to? As the Journal-News points out, despite the "lawsuits and protests, complaints from neighboring communities, hurdles thrown up by county leaders, and charges of secrecy and backroom dealing hurled by Yonkers' own residents," a negotiated settlement to Ratner's controversial Ridge Hill was approved "with very little change to the proposed plan."
The irony is that since the Ridge Hill "planning" process was so secretive and left the neighboring residents out in the cold, where they could only complain after the fact, subsequent redevelopment in Yonkers is taking a higher road:
The moment the city announced $3.1 billion the downtown redevelopment plan last year, developers Struever Fidelco Cappelli began scheduling a series of public hearings in order to listen to what the residents had to say. That's a good start.
NoLandGrab: After protracted fights with existsing residents, Ratner gets his way, but at what cost? In the wake of political upheaval, costly lawsuits and acrimony with the existing residents, local governments end up deciding that the top-down developer-driven process isn't worth the trouble.
This slow learning curve is taking place here. The MTA's execution of the sale of development rights for the Hudson Yards was such a blatant boondoggle that the state agency staged pro forma auctions for the Hudson and Vanderbilt Yards that were rigged toward the favored developers (still a boondoggle, but "legal"). Now the MTA has a call out for Requests for Proposals on the Sunnyside Yards.
The City is taking pains to avoid Atlantic Yards-style top-down planning for the Willets Point redevelopment just in case the courts deem the use of eminent domain without a city planning process to be unconstitutional.
Posted by lumi at January 11, 2007 7:05 AM