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February 4, 2009
Did FCR tell government it stopped work at the Vanderbilt Yard? Barely. And why was that train trestle stalled?
Atlantic Yards Report
Norman "The Mad Overkiller" Oder searches for some answers about what Atlantic Yards developer Forest City Ratner has told the state sponsor, the Empire State Development Corporation, about the company's progress and plans over the Vanderbilt Railyards:
So, what did Forest City Ratner tell government agencies when it decided in early December to stop work at the Metropolitan Transportation Authority's (MTA) Vanderbilt Yard.
Not much.
After filing Freedom of Information Law requests with both the MTA and the Empire State Development Corporation (ESDC), the only evidence of communication was a phone call, documented in an email report from ESDC ombudsman Forrest Taylor, in which an FCR representative told him they had "completed the work needed thus far." (Click on graphics to enlarge.)
Notably, the documents also point to a stalled construction of a train trestle, with no explanation of how much had been completed nor of when it might be completed.
When queried how far along the trestle might be, ESDC spokesman Warner Johnston responded, "With regards to how much has been completed, FCRC would know." But Forest City Ratner hasn't been doing much information-sharing lately, as DDDB reminds us.
Posted by lumi at February 4, 2009 5:53 AM