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June 6, 2009
On Second Thought
MetropolisMag.com
by Martin Pedersen
The Metropolis columnist, who wrote what he terms a carefully hedged appraisal of the Atlantic Yards project more than five years ago (seems like a fair description), symbolically joins with critics and opponents of Bruce Ratner's boondoggle.
In fairness to the opposition, Forest City never engaged the community in a serious dialogue. They did try to buy off and co-opt various neighborhood factions, but the sheer size of the project—and the possibility of scaling it down—was never up for discussion. And, yes, it seems as if the opposition was right about Frank Gehry’s real role here: he was the pixie dust that Ratner & Co. sprinkled over the project to make it more attractive to culturally susceptible types like me, and the late Herbert Muschamp, and good government groups like the Municipal Art Society (who in the Times today began to express their doubts).
I think today’s news should be greeted for what it is: an act of desperation on the part of Forest City Ratner. The clock is ticking. According to Charles Bagli of the Times, Forest City must start the arena by December or they will lose the ability to use tax-exempt bonds. As it stands today, Atlantic Yards is no longer a massive mixed-used development featuring a glitzy arena by Frank Gehry (World’s Most Celebrated Architect), but a stand-alone building that, according to Bagli, “bears a likeness to an ‘airplane hanger.’” And if the arena does move forward, given the current state of commercial and residential real estate, that is all we’re likely to get on that corner for many, many years to come. So, put me down as a “No!” for that one. Here’s hoping Daniel Goldstein can successfully stall into the new year.
NoLandGrab: Given reports that Ellerbe Becket has been consulting with Forest City since 2006, it's possible that Ratner never intended to build a Gehry-designed project. Regardless, the bloom is now fully off the rose, and all that's left are thorns.
Posted by eric at June 6, 2009 12:13 PM