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March 14, 2010
The Value of Community Benefits Agreements
DuBois Bunche Center for Public Policy at Medgar Evers College
By Roger L. Green
Here is an attempt by former Assemblyman Roger Green to rewrite history. Missing in this bland endorsement of the Atlantic Yards Community Benefits Agreement is Green's participation in setting up BUILD, which is supposed to look like a grassroots organization, but was bankrolled by developer Bruce Ratner.
On Thursday March 11, 2010 numerous dignitaries and civic leaders gathered at the corner of Flatbush and Atlantic Avenue in Brooklyn to celebrate the groundbreaking for the sports arena for the Nets basketball franchise and the Barkclays Center.
This event was possible because of the historic Community Benefits Agreement that was jointly sponsored by the Forest City Ratner Development Corporation, eight non-governmental organizations (NGO’s) and community based organizations.
Five years ago, while serving in the New York Assembly and representing the neighborhoods in which the arena and the Barclays Center Complex were to be sited, I felt compelled to explore a new model for community development entitled Community Benefits Agreements.
NoLandGrab: The "new model" Green came up with looks a lot like accepting a pay-off from the developer in return for supporting a development. In this particular case, the developer hired Randall Toure, a top aide to Green, to be VP for community affairs. Also, Green's son Khalid, the basketball coach at Bishop Loughlin High School in Fort Greene, has received a few thousand dollars for events his AAU team has conducted. Here's what Mayor Mike Bloomberg has said about CBA's: "I’m violently opposed to community benefits agreements,” he said. “A small group of people, to feather their own nests, extort money from the developer? That’s just not good government.”
Posted by steve at March 14, 2010 7:55 AM