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September 26, 2009
Let’s Make a Deal Ratner Regains Momentum with Blockbuster Sale
Brooklyn Daily Eagle
by John Torenli
This article is generally enthusiastic over the sale of the Nets to Russian oligarch, Mikhail Prokhorov, and doesn't take a close look at the particulars to see that developer Bruce Ratner is unloading the Nets for cheap.
Russian billionaire industrialist Mikhail Prokhorov is — all the way to Downtown Brooklyn, where Bruce Ratner’s vision of the Atlantic Yards Development Project is suddenly coming into focus again.
News of the international mogul’s intent to purchase a controlling interest in Ratner’s New Jersey Nets has once again piqued local interest in the potential arrival of our borough’s first major pro sports franchise since the Dodgers left for Los Angeles following the 1957 season.
For better of worse, depending on which side of the Atlantic Yards argument you happen to be on, the influx of cash and media attention is exactly what Ratner needed to remind everyone that he is still determined to make the Brooklyn Nets a reality.
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So is this just the latest burst of excitement surrounding the project? Or is it the final push Ratner needs to make the Brooklyn Nets a reality?
Only time will ultimately tell, but it seems now more than ever that all the delays, court battles and logistical issues surrounding the potential move are being pushed aside once and for all – for better or worse.
Included is an unquestioned quote from Ratner who makes the usual claims of job creation and economic development, even though a Nets arena alone will be a loss for the city and a cost benefit analysis of the entire proposed Atlantic Yards project has never been done by the ESDC, tool of the developer.
“We are one step closer to achieving our goals of creating much-needed jobs and economic development for Brooklyn and the city,” Ratner said.
Posted by steve at September 26, 2009 7:21 AM