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March 10, 2009
Forest City and Downtown Fresno
Brian's FresYes Blog
While we here in New York have the opportunity to learn from New London's mistakes, the Fresno City Council could learn from our mistakes. Just ask former Fresno Council member Brain Calhoun, who once supported a big Forest City development project in Fresno's downtown.
I would encourage the Mayor and Council to review the March 7-8 article in the Wall Street Journal, A Hole Grows in Brooklyn (Ms. Vitullo-Martin, the Manhattan Institute), about the proposed 2003 Forest City development project, Atlantic Yards, that was to remake downtown Brooklyn by building expansive residential and retail space, and a new arena that would bring the New Jersey Nets to the borough. Now, more than five years later, "what's been brought to Brooklyn is a very large hole in the ground and a project that is coming to symbolize why large government projects can be riskier than allowing local residents to fix up their own communities." Let Brooklyn's experience be a warning shot across City Hall.
There is no question that Forest City is an experienced developer of government-financed and tax-abated projects. I believe, however, that the City has given them all the exclusive negotiating agreements they need. Let them, if they wish, compete with anyone else interested in improving our downtown.
NoLandGrab: "There is no question that Forest City is an experienced developer of government-financed and tax-abated projects" sounds like a bit of a backhanded compliment.
Posted by eric at March 10, 2009 4:24 PM