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March 2, 2010
Atlantic Yards Land Grab: The Morning After
Here's a round-up of today's headlines related to yesterday's court decision transferring title to several private properties in the Atlantic Yards footprint to the Empire State Development Corporation — a placeholder for developer Forest City Ratner.
GlobeSt.com, Judge Okays Atlantic Yards Land Seizures
"The Atlantic Yards project has had a long and tortuous history, including numerous court challenges in several forums," a Brooklyn Supreme Court judge wrote Monday. Justice Abraham Gerges made this observation in the course of turning back one of these challenges; he ruled Monday in favor of the state in its December 2009 petition to seize properties within the footprint of the $5-billion Brooklyn mega-project.
Runnin' Scared, Atlantic Yards is a Go: Streets Close March 8, Evictions Expected Soon
Get those shackles ready, Freddy's: Judge Abraham Gerges has denied what appears to be the last big appeal of the eminent domain seizures for the Atlantic Yards project.
Several businesses, including Freddy's, are denied all relief; others, including condo owner Daniel Goldstein, may file claims regarding compensation, but cannot expect to keep their property.
The judge swatted away several procedural claims, including an "unclean hands" claim of wrongful conduct in pursuit of the seizures: "Neither Ratner nor any of the affiliated companies involved in the Project are parties to this vesting proceeding, nor will a desire to realize a profit be construed as sufficient to establish conduct that is immoral, illegal or wrongful to any fair-minded person."
Daily Intel [NYMag.com], Atlantic Yards Project Gets Green Light From Judge
State officials said occupants will be evicted from their homes over the course of the next few months, though construction will begin in some areas before then. And — whaddya know? — these residents weren’t too pleased with the ruling. “It feels like I live in a state run by crooks,” Daniel Goldstein told the Daily News. And patrons of Freddy’s Bar have pledged to chain themselves to the storefront to protest the eviction.
Curbed, Atlantic Yards: It Begins
Arena signage is up and dirt has been pushed around, but the official ground-breaking ceremony for the Barclays Center will be March 11, according to the Daily News.
Brownstoner, Ratner to Break Ground on March 11th
Reactions from those who stand to be displaced by eminent domain ranged from angry to belligerent.
Develop Don't Destroy Brooklyn, Atlantic Yards Enters the Property Theft Phase
Ratner's intergovernmental operative, aka political lobbyist spent weeks, we assume, coming up with a sound to rhyme with -tion, and he did: -tion and -tion.
From the Daily News:
"Today's court ruling marks the transition from the obstruction to the construction phase," Forest City Ratner executive vice president Bruce Bender said Monday.
Bender ought to be wondering when the Ridge Hill federal investigation will transition from ongoing to closed.
Anyway, he's wrong. Today marks the transition from the proposed property theft phase to the actual propety theft phase.
Reason Hit & Run, "When the most powerful forces in state government collude with the real estate industry, injustices will happen, and today is a result of that."
More ugly news for the Brooklyn property owners fighting eminent domain abuse in the Atlantic Yards project. Yesterday Brooklyn Supreme Court Judge Abraham Gerges granted New York state’s petition to seize the holdout homes and businesses on behalf of real estate tycoon Bruce Ratner, who plans to build a new basketball stadium for the abysmal New Jersey Nets (a team Ratner co-owns).
Only The Blog Knows Brooklyn, Judge Gives Ratner the Go-Ahead for Land Grab
Everyone’s talking about yesterday’s decision by a State Supreme Court judge approving Ratner’s use of eminent domain and giving him the go-ahead for land grab.
Battle of brooklyn via Kickstarter, Title is transferred but a lawsuit could still throw a wrench in the works
Today Judge Gerges transferred title of the remaining properties in the Atlantic Yards footprint to the ESDC who will lease the entire project site- including the now de-mapped city streets - for $1.
...Dan and Shabnam knew this day was coming and handled it all very well.
Daily Transom [Observer.com], Atlantic Yards Might Actually Start Next Week
Break out the virgin shovels and the pile of pre-loosened dirt.
After years of delays--which saw a host of courts rule on a litany of lawsuits--Bruce Ratner isn't wasting any time holding a groundbreaking for Atlantic Yards.
Posted by eric at March 2, 2010 11:17 AM