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December 13, 2007
Reporting live from Development Hell
NY Press featured Deputy Dan, the overlord of Development Hell NYC, on this week's cover, accompanied by a couple articles, both of which mention Bruce Ratner's controversial Atlantic Yards megaproject.
DEVELOPMENT HELL
Dan Doctoroff exits as the city’s controversial planning czar, and talks with ANDREW J. HAWKINS about his legacy
And the Atlantic Yards project, controversial in its use of eminent domain, will produce a staggering 16 new Frank Gehry buildings and an 18,000-seat basketball arena.
One criticism of Lower Manhattan could certainly apply to Atlantic Yards:
But Doctoroff’s critics—and there are many—blame him for mismanagement, and fault the Bloomberg administration for ceding too much of the control over the area to Gov. Pataki (R).
Regarding displacement, Doctoroff also counters critics by using the Robert Moses-lite defense:
One statistic he is fond of quoting: 200,000 people were relocated by Moses, while only 400 residents and 700 businesses will have been relocated by Doctoroff.
NoLandGrab: Local vicitms of eminent domain will be cheered by the notion that they aren't being displaced by the worst abuser in NYC history. :-)
DID DOCTOROFF SELL NEW YORK'S SOUL?
Reporter Matt Chaban listened in on the Municipal Art Society's panel discussion covering the question "Has New York lost is soul?,” looking for clues of Deputy Mayor Doctoroff's influence:
While Atlantic Yards may have been largely under the purview of the state, [Ron] Schiffman [sic] believes the city was too complicit.
“He did not go to the badly designed projects like Atlantic Yards and Willets Point and press for change,” Schiffman [sic] said, a refrain that also echoes around Ground Zero, which languished for years while Doctoroff focused on the West Side.
Posted by lumi at December 13, 2007 6:49 AM