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November 3, 2009
Forest City in the News
The Denver Post, Greene: Stapleton developer Forest City's poor planning pits park against school
"At Stapleton, the one thing we could never have planned for was the people."
So reads Forest City's website for the mega-development where its own lack of planning (you know, for the people) has prompted tensions over whether to build a park or a school.
The company is being showered with kudos for donating $5.5 million toward a third elementary school now that two others are overcrowded. Schools and other new projects there are funded by "tax-increment financing," a source of revenue that tanked with the economy. Swarms of young families have demanded the third school they were promised by the company.
Forest City's commitment to ante up the cash has quelled some of their uproar.
Still, residents point out that the company isn't the open- handed corporate citizen headlines suggest.
The catch is that Forest City is merely reallocating funds set aside to build a planned park. So residents might get a school, but the park they've been waiting for is on hold.
NoLandGrab: No surprises here — in Brooklyn, Forest City Enterprises has never been accused of people-friendly planning.
Posted by lumi at November 3, 2009 5:11 AM