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October 28, 2009
And from the old-style mailbag…
The Brooklyn Paper
Yard work
To the editor,
Finally the lawsuits are piling up on the Atlantic Yards project (“New state-Ratner deal has ‘clause’ for concern,” Oct. 23). And the timing could not be better. This is because of the dishonorable deadline that Forest City Ratner and its state allies are trying to meet.
It turns out the bond scheme involving payments in lieu of taxes have been ruled illegal by the IRS. But an exception has been made for the well-connected Ratner that says he can use the PILOTS loophole, which is illegal for everybody else, until the end of the year. It is like mugging is illegal, but a judge’s son gets to mug people until the end of December before it becomes illegal for him, too. Sounds harsh? Mugging is illegal, and so are Ratner’s PILOTS.
But it’s not just the IRS that helped Ratner break the rules. The Empire State Development Corporation has violated several of the laws governing its procedures to help Ratner mug the public before the deadline.
...I hope lawsuits continue to pile up. Good development with union jobs will come to the Vanderbilt Yards — if we get past the corrupt Atlantic Yards project and defend the rule-of-law in the process.
Steve de Seve, Brooklyn Heights
To the editor,The fans of the Atlantic Yards project have obviously never tried to drive or bus up Flatbush Avenue on any given afternoon.
Creeping up to, through and beyond Atlantic Avenue is a 25-minute production.
Imagine when we have apartment buildings and a stadium to contend with.
It would truly be faster to walk!
Sue Yellin, Fort Greene
Posted by eric at October 28, 2009 11:22 PM