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December 7, 2008
It Came from the Blogosphere...
Atlantic Yards Report, Times takes on stalled (private) building project, still ignores AY
In a Metro section article today headlined Tower’s Foes Never Asked for This, the New York Times tells the story about a stalled building project.
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OK, that story is worthy of coverage. But the Times has yet to notice that Forest City Ratner has stopped work at the Metropolitan Transportation Authority's Vanderbilt Yard, dubiously blaming litigation.And the Atlantic Yards story does not merely involve "a real estate boom gone bust," it involves significant public subsidies and questions about when a public thoroughfare, the Carlton Avenue bridge, will reopen. (The latter involves $7 million in city money.)
Atlantic Yards Report, The prescient MAS: "The One-Developer Model has not proven effective"
Michael D.D. White's Noticing New York posts on Willets Point included a reference to the Municipal Art Society's August 13 comments before the City Planning Commission on the Draft Environmental Impact Statement.An excerpt:
Ownership: The One-Developer Model has not proven effective
The Willets Point Development and Urban Renewal plans have been ill conceived.
-The City should invest in infrastructure and site preparation
-The City should incorporate a multiple-developer model with clear public oversight
the cross pollinator, Boo hoo, Atlantic Yards is heading down the toilet
Well, there are good things about recessions. They occasionally crush the wet dreams of maniacal real estate developers. Here in Brooklyn, the city, the state, and a large real estate developer have been stuffing a basketball arena and a series of 65+ story skyscapers up the ass of the neighborhood for many years now.Sometimes money is spent unwisely on misguided ideas. In this case, having cash dry up increases the chances that this ridiculous project never gets built. Sometimes the Universe throws you a bone.
Norman Oder, always observant, notes the Daily News has a habit of relegating Atlantic Yards news to the local section of the paper.
Politics as Puppetry, Tisch Plaques Arrive At Washington Square Park
Like the CCCR blog and Atlantic Yards Report, the [Washington Square Park] Blog has been an admirable example of a focused, dedicated citizen news outlet - I think this type of reporting should start becoming a central part of organizing strategy, particularly in an urban, highly mediated environment like New York City.
Posted by amy at December 7, 2008 9:11 AM