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September 12, 2008
It came from the Blogosphere ...
The first two secondary sources below reporting on this week's NY Times update on Bruce Ratner's controversial Atlantic Yards project zeroed in on the Times's headline, announcing the groundbreaking in December, but left all the doubts and hurdles from the article on the cutting room floor:
AOL NBA Fanhouse, The Nets Begin Digging Up Brooklyn in December
The developers behind the new Barclays Center that will host the Nets whenever they get moved to Brooklyn are pretty serious about building this thing.
NoLandGrab: Like wow — we're not the only ones who think that Ratner is "pretty serious about building this thing!"
Hoops World, Brooklyn Ground-Breaking Set
This basketball blog mentions "Barclays Center" but doesn't note that Barclays has an option to walk away from the deal if the financing isn't closed by November. Such contract intricacies are better left to trading caps and figuring out who gets LeBron James:
After a series of delays, New Jersey Nets' owner and real-estate developer Bruce Ratner told government officials that the Atlantic Yards project in Brooklyn will break ground in December. A $4-billion endeavor, the Yards will feature Barclays Center, an arena designed by Frank Gehry, along with 16 towers of apartments and offices.
...
With the arena getting started, the move for the Nets is inevitable. Although this departure won't be nearly as dramatic or troublesome as the Sonics move, it's something to keep an eye on nonetheless, especially with LeBron James' scheduled free-agency coming up.
SLAM, Is the Nets’ Brooklyn Home Finally Getting Built?
It appears that someone at Slam actually read the article:
At last, the Nets’ long discussed move to Brooklyn seems to be getting off the ground. In about three months, principal team owner Bruce C. Ratner plans to start on the construction of his massive business complex.
As the linked story points out, however, there are a million and one things to consider - a craptacular economy, the angry citizens of Brooklyn, financing issues, etc. - before a single shovel can be dug into the ground.
SmartBrief, Developer hopes to break ground on Brooklyn project in December
Being unaffiliated basketball, this blog is less sanguine about news of the groundbreaking.
Developer Bruce Ratner said he will start construction on a large-scale Brooklyn project in December. The Atlantic Yards site will include thousands of apartments and offices in 16 towers built around a basketball arena for the Nets. Observers note that the soft economy and debt markets may affect Ratner's ability to meet his deadline.
Posted by lumi at September 12, 2008 5:30 AM