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July 18, 2011
Unwilling Partners?
Some merchants angry at growth of Downtown Brooklyn Partnership
City Hall News
by Stephen Witt
A nonprofit created by the Bloomberg administration to redevelop downtown Brooklyn is poised to take over an older group that has served a section of the area for years—sparking fears that large developers will have a greater voice there than small businesses.
The Downtown Brooklyn Partnership, a local development organization formed five years ago by then Deputy Mayor Daniel Doctoroff, soon expects to operate the MetroTech Business Improvement District, just as it operates two other nearby BIDs.
...But merchants note there is only one shopkeeper on the partnership’s board—Bridge Street Cleaners and Tailors owner Victoria Aviles—and say the partnership’s loyalty remains with developers like Bruce Ratner and Joshua Muss, who sit on its board and pay $450,000 in contributions.
NoLandGrab: Former Courier-Life reporter Stephen Witt, in a refreshing departure from his past Atlantic Yards coverage, plays it straight for a change.
Posted by eric at July 18, 2011 9:36 AM