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September 8, 2009
An Atlantic Yards question the candidates haven't been asked: what about the Department of Finance's questionable tax assessments in the arena block?
Atlantic Yards Report
Norman Oder sets out to ask candidates what they think about the mysterious rise in value of property in the footprint of Bruce Ratner's Atlantic Yards project, which is in an area that has been declared "blighted."
Given the often-uninformed level of discourse about Atlantic Yards, I'm not holding my breath, but there's a significant issue that deserves discussion: the questionable tax assessments in the arena block.
I queried the four Public Advocate candidates--Bill de Blasio, Eric Gioia, Mark Green, and Norman Siegel--last week with the below information, but none offered a response (though Green's campaign asked for more time).
Check out the rest of the article for an explanation of how tax assessments are being used to game the system so that Bruce Ratner can take full advantage of triple-tax-free bonds allowed by the federal government.
Posted by lumi at September 8, 2009 5:10 AM