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March 21, 2007
Brooklyn office vacancies may lure newcomers
MetroNY
Bruce Ratner's latest desperate efforts to stem the tide of vacancies in his flagship development hinges on his ability to make MetroTech Brooklyn's next hot neighborhood.
Click image to enlarge:
From the article:
Companies such as the architecture, engineering and graphic design firms that have set up shop in nearby Williamsburg and Dumbo are the obvious choices for the downtown area.
NoLandGrab: Williamsburg, DUMBO, MetroTech?
Since when is a downtown office park the obvious choice for the cutting-edge creative industries? Are clients really impressed by your cool office in a souless skyscraper located in a superblock campus?
Forest City Ratner Executive VP Jim Stuckey explains:
"What is different now in Brooklyn is that it has become a forward-thinking, hip, cool place to be — the idea that it is for back office only is antiquated."
Does Ratner really believe that hiring Frank Gehry to design 19 towers and an arena makes him the arbiter of taste? Does partnering up with Jay-Z suddenly give him street cred?
Being stuck with a glut of office space in the In-Borough doesn't make you forward-thinking or cool.
Posted by lumi at March 21, 2007 9:28 AM