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June 13, 2007
It came from the Blogosphere...
Nets Daily, Random Notes
Bruce Ratner is becoming one of New York’s biggest developers, with the New York Times headquarters scheduled to open this summer and Atlantic Yards–the Nets new home–moving towards a groundbreaking not long after that. And with his newfound prominence–and riches, Ratner has begun making his influence felt in a number of ways. When the World Trade Center Memorial Fund recently released its list of givers, Ratner was at the top, giving $5 million, the same as the man who leased the Twin Towers, Larry Silverstein. The gift had not been publicized at the time and its existence was only revealed with the disclosure of the list.
Brownstoner, Congestion Pricing and Resident Permit Parking
Regardless of your position on the Bloomberg administration's proposal for congestion pricing in Manhattan, it's not hard to imagine how the implementation of such a plan could have a very negative trickle-down effect for those parts of the outer boroughs that are both close to Manhattan and serviced by major subway lines. As Sheldon Silver said, "Some of those areas will become parking lots for the people driving around looking for parking spots in order to avoid congestion pricing fees." To counter such criticism, Bloomberg has has floated the idea of making resident-only permit parking available (for a modest annual fee) in neighborhoods like Park Slope... Of course, there's also another reason that residents of certain neighborhoods may want parking permits soon: Atlantic Yards.
Gumby Fresh, With A Whimper
As reported in the New York Times, the judge rejected the idea that the project was largely private in nature. This will strike you as weird since the project mostly consists of a private sports arena and a bunch of private condo complexes.
But the involvement, albeit at a slightly late stage, of public bodies seems to have given it a sufficiently public veneer. Left unmentioned, but possibly also influential, were the role of misguided public officials in pushing the project and the use of tax-exempt financing for the project. The judge decided, as far as I can tell, that having some public benefit, however nebulous, was enough.
The Written Nerd, Link-Mad Monday: BEA 2007 and On!
One blogger's report from Book Expo America, passes on the Brooklyn Brewery boycott and finds Marty "incredibly loveable," despite feeling that Atlantic Yards is "disasterous."
Posted by lumi at June 13, 2007 7:36 AM