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August 22, 2007
The Original Sin of Atlantic Yards
Why ULURP Matters
By observing events up in West Harlem concerning Columbia University's expansion plans, Brooklynites are getting a taste of how the ULURP process, which involves the local Community Boards, makes a difference, and why Bruce Ratner scored a big coup in getting NY State to pull a jurisdictional override.
From Develop Don't Destroy Brooklyn (www.dddb.net):
As reported only in MetroNY, yesterday Community Board 9 in Harlem voted to reject Columbia's expansion plans and rezoning unless the school abides by 10 conditions...
The fallout from this non-binding, advisory vote is that Columbia and its supporters have clearly been told (and understand) that they must negotiate these conditions if they want community support; and they've been told this as part of a political process.
With Atlantic Yards, the ULURP bypass meant that Community Boards 2,6, and 8 could issue well-reasoned positions, criticisms, concerns, and mitigation ideas and those statements would mean nothing beyond any press splash they'd make. And beyond the Brooklyn Downtown Star and The Brooklyn Paper the positions of the Community Boards were not reported. But what was absolutely clear was that as long as the CBs were operating outside of a political process, nobody in Albany, City Hall or at the ESDC was listening, and therefore there was never any room for good-faith negotiations. Instead Forest City Ratner used the sidelined Community Boards for its own devious "Community" "Benefits" PR campaign.
NoLandGrab: Much has been made recently of the "Atlantic Yards Carveout" in the 421-a reform bill. The State override and removal of Atlantic Yards from the ULURP process is another example of how this project is unique amongst large-scale development projects in NYC, and of how Bruce Ratner receives special treatment straight down the line.
Folks watching both controversies, especially those following the abuse of eminent domain, should understand that the Empire State Development Corporation IS playing a role in the Columbia University expansion plan — even though the project is going through the City's land-use review, the State is standing by to handle the eminent domain condemnations. The reasoning behind this arrangement remains murky.
Posted by lumi at August 22, 2007 8:00 AM