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January 9, 2009
Developer Reportedly Looking To Scale Back Nets Arena
NY1
Vivian Lee reporting
The struggling economy could mean big changes for the proposed Nets basketball arena in Prospect Heights, Brooklyn.
According to published reports, Atlantic Yards developer Bruce Ratner of Forest City Ratner Developments is looking to scale back the $1 billion arena to make it less expensive to build.
The arena was designed by world-renowned architect Frank Gehry and is the centerpiece of Ratner's $4 billion Atlantic Yards project, which also includes apartment and office towers.
...Representatives from longtime opponent to the project Develop Don't Destroy Brooklyn say they have heard from sources that Gehry is definitely out as the architect.
"Frank Gehry is a world-famous architect and they had sold this as a world-class, state-of-the-art arena designed by him that would be an international tourist destination," said Daniel Goldstein of Develop Don't Destroy. "I don't think the developer ever had the capability or the financial wherewithal to build such a facility."
"Now we're at the point where half of the neighborhood is demolished and they can't really build anything and they certainly can't build what they promised," continued Goldstein.
NoLandGrab: Is it just us, or is the media-loving Frank Gehry suddenly doing his best J.D. Salinger impersonation?
Posted by eric at January 9, 2009 11:43 AM