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May 23, 2010
AY Report: Pics of Prokhorov's Domain, Would Cuomo Rein In ESDC?, Vodka for Brooklyn
Atlantic Yards Report
Photos: Prokhorov at Ratner's mall, looking down at his domain, with Bruce and Marty
Click through to see the images for this blog entry.
This past week, new Nets majority owner Mikhail Prokhorov ventured boldly... to the top of Forest City Ratner's Atlantic Center mall to look down on his--well, the state's, his, and Ratner's--(eminent) domain.
...
The first photo, with Bruce Ratner, seems to suggest that the arena block is almost completely a blank slate. Not quite, as Tracy Collins has shown. Then again, Forest City Ratner has done funny things with photos before.
Do you think Ratner explained how he got $131 million in public funds to purchase land for the arena site? (That's separate from the discounted price on the railyard.)
The second photo is a meet-and-greet with Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz, who's more than a foot shorter at 5'5". Markowitz didn't issue a press release.
What--is he not certain that Prokhorov has Brooklyn's best interests at heart, ready to deliver "affordable houses and jobs"? Did Markowitz tell Prokhorov how few Brooklyn elected officials attended the groundbreaking in March?
From Andrew Cuomo's announcement yesterday, launching his long-gestating gubernatorial campaign:
I also propose reorganization of our economic development efforts. We have spent billions in tax benefits and grants through dozens of programs and a myriad of uncoordinated state agencies. Once again, we are just not getting our money’s worth. We must restructure our approach into coordinated regional strategies investing in cluster economies. That’s what works. I will create a State infrastructure bank to help fund and better coordinate public works investment in our State. I will orient our health care institutions and academic institutions to be high tech job generators in this exciting, new innovation economy. And we will make New York more competitive by reducing the high costs of doing business in New York. The essential job of government is to facilitate, not frustrate, job development.
Does that mean Cuomo will rein in agencies like the Empire State Development Corporation (ESDC), partner and enabler of developers like Forest City Ratner?
If Cuomo had given back Bruce Ratner's campaign contribution, that might hint toward a yes. But he didn't.
A Vodka for Brooklyn? Absolut, assisted by Spike Lee, jumps on the brownstone brandwagon
Hot on the heels of the "brownstone" and "loft" suites promised for the Barclays Center, Absolut Vodka is about to launch "Absolut Brooklyn," in collaboration with filmmaker and advertising guru Spike Lee.
(The Brooklyn native is apparently expanding his ad business into Brooklyn. Note that Lee also attended the Barclays Center groundbreaking in March.)
There's a stoop, which is, of course, the iconic vodka image, and a line from a Lemon Andersen spoken word poem. The number on the brownstone is a homage to Lee's Brooklyn roots.
Absolut will ease the way with a $50,000 donation to Habitat for Humanity and sponsorship of this year's Brooklyn Blogfest.
Posted by steve at May 23, 2010 9:36 AM