August 6, 2008
De Blasio Runs as a One-Man Coalition
But will it fly? Mr. Post-racial, meet Charles Barron
The NY Observer
by Katharine Jose
In a profile of City Councilman Bill de Blasio, the candidate for Brooklyn Borough President's only declared opponent, fellow Councilman Charles Barron, cites Atlantic Yards as an issue delineating their respective candidacies.
“Bill, I think, has went along to get along more than I was hoping he would do, because I considered him, when I first came in [to the Council], as a progressive like me,” he said. “But I’ve been very disappointed in a lot of decisions he’s made.”
As examples, Mr. Barron cited Mr. de Blasio’s initial support of Bruce Ratner’s Atlantic Yards project and his vote against renaming part of a Brooklyn street for black nationalist Sonny Carson, which Mr. Barron says was about the community’s right to self-determination.
Mr. de Blasio said, in essence, that he has no idea what Mr. Barron is talking about. “I think I’m unusually consistent,” he said, after saying that he didn’t really want to comment. (“I’m really, really focused on trying to not make this a campaign of people making allegations and then responding to other people’s allegations,” he said.)
Posted by eric at 8:21 AM
Governor Paterson questioned on Atlantic Yards
In a WCBS interview with NY State Governor Paterson (audio) , the interviewer posted a question from a listener concerning Atlantic Yards. Paterson hedged well enough to assure critics and supporters that he cares:
Q: With the state in such dire fiscal straits why are you supporting this costly project (which according to this writer may end up costing the state and new york city about 2 billion in subsidies and tax breaks)?
A: "There is a point that the listener correctly has addressed. That if it starts to become too costly, a lot of these projects that we were for, we might have to change our mind. To this point we don't think that we are there with the Atlantic Yards and continue to try to help them."
Atlantic Yards Report, In radio interview, Paterson hedges on AY, whiffs on naming rights
Watchdog Norman Oder noticed Paterson's hedge as well:
Does "continue to try to help" mean simply moving ahead or does it mean additional subsidies, which Forest City Ratner seeks?
Paterson also muddied the waters on the naming-rights issue:
During the interview, Paterson said he was opposed to selling state assets but not averse to leasing them. Asked about naming rights, as in “the Company Y state office building," Paterson responded, "Well, we’ve got [the new Mets stadium] CitiField"--he chuckled—“and that might be a way to do it, but I wouldn’t want to change the names of any of the facilities that we have honored great New Yorkers in the past…”
Still, the governor said, he was open to more options than previously.
The fact is, “we” don’t have CitiField, nor the Barclays Center, the corporate name of the planned Atlantic Yards arena. The naming rights go to the team owners.
Posted by lumi at 5:27 AM
August 3, 2008
This week in history...
Although Marty Markowitz is big on unions now, this was not always the case. Before becoming the illustrious Brooklyn Borough President, Markowitz was the State Senator that the Times described as "the only politician in the city who deliberately seeks to entertain." His favorite form of flamboyance, then as now, was free concerts. And what better way to keep costs down for the corporate sponsors?
To keep costs down, Mr. Markowitz persuaded the state to dispatch prison inmates to set up the stage for each concert.
Perhaps this practice would have gone unnoticed, until tragedy struck in 1990:
At Wingate Field six years ago, the rhythm-and-blues singer and composer Curtis Mayfield, best known for the hit title track from the movie "Superfly," severely injured his spine when a windstorm blew over a lighting tower and part of the stage collapsed.
But the important thing is that no egos were injured in the incident:
Mr. Markowitz said attendance did not suffer at concerts after the incident, but added that he lost a corporate sponsor and that Mr. Mayfield, who is paralyzed from the neck down, sued his insurance company.
On August 11, 1996, the vice president of Local 4 of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees voiced his displeasure to the Times:
As a stagehand who lives and works in Brooklyn, I was outraged about your piece on Senator Markowitz. The stage and light tower collapse that permanently disabled Curtis Mayfield has never failed to upset me and many of my co-workers.Mr. Markowitz's hiring practices should be examined closely. Brooklyn has some of the finest stage technicians in the country represented by Local 4 of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees and Marty Markowitz has refused to hire Local 4 workers.
Instead, he chooses to take risks with the safety of the performers and audience by employing amateurs -- prison inmates -- to perform highly skilled jobs.
Rigging and setting up an outdoor show with electric lights and sound on tall steel towers requires skill and experience. The competent women and men of Local 4 have the experience and they are right in Marty's backyard along with all of his other constituents.
THOMAS PAULUCCI
Brooklyn Heights
Posted by amy at 10:23 AM
July 29, 2008
Accountable Development Working Group Meets this Wednesday
From Best View in Brooklyn:
The Accountable Development Working Group meets monthly to discuss and plot action around various development issues affecting Central and South Brooklyn.
This Wednesday's agenda includes presentations from Assembly Member Jeffries’ and Assembly Member Brennan’s offices on legislation to reform the Atlantic Yards project.
The meeting begins at 6 PM on Wednesday, July 30th. Join the Working Group at 621 DeGraw Street (near 4th Ave. ) It is sponsored by the 5th Avenue Committee. Call or email Dave Powell at 718 237-2017 ext 148 or dpowell@fifthave.org for more information.
Posted by lumi at 4:35 AM
July 25, 2008
Of course, Marty isn’t running — why should he?
The Brooklyn Paper, Letter to the Editor
To the editor,
Your front page story last week about Borough President Markowitz’s supposed flirtation with a run for higher office (“Beep’s run done? Expert: Marty ain’t raising money,” July 19) gives too much credit to Markowitz. Seriously, does anyone think that Brooklyn’s buffoon is actually running for mayor?
Perhaps Marty is the only one who thinks he’s fit for a promotion, but the rest of us think he’s a joke. From his steadfast pigheadedness on Atlantic Yards — that state-sponsored boondoggle whose failure makes Markowitz look dumber and dumber — to his seeming belief that the loudest person in the room must be the smartest, Markowitz reminds me day in and day out that New York can do better.
I do confess that if it weren’t for term limits, I would again vote for him for Beep. The job has no authority, so it’s perfect for this toothless tiger.
Jerry Siemens, Greenpoint
Posted by lumi at 4:39 AM
July 23, 2008
Real Estate Sits Out '08 Race—For Now
NY Observer
by Dana Rubinstein
[P]erhaps what’s most striking about the real estate industry’s behavior in 2008 is its utter lack of political activity. In marked contrast to 2007, when New Yorkers had two hometown heroes running for the nation’s highest office, donations have dried up.
There are a few exceptions—the organic-farming landlord Douglas Durst recently donated $1,000 to Obama; dynasties the LeFraks and the Trumps have this year shown consistent support for McCain (both families declined to comment). But they’re outweighed by the silent majority of 2008, which has sat on the sidelines, its closed wallet planted firmly underneath its ambivalent behind, donating nary a penny to either the Obama or the McCain camp.
That majority includes SL Green’s chairman, Stephen Green; the Olnick family; Related’s chairman and CEO, Stephen Ross, and president, Jeff Blau; Jack and William Rudin; Tishman Speyer’s Jerry and Rob Speyer and Robert Tishman; Brookfield Properties’ president and CEO, Ric Clark; Boston Properties’ CEO and director, Edward Linde; Extell Development’s president, Gary Barnett; Harry and Billy Macklowe; Larry Silverstein; Bruce Ratner; Sheldon Solow; and, aside from one bizarre $2,300 donation to Mike Huckabee in January, Arthur and William Zeckendorf.
That may soon change. The Obama campaign is making a serious effort to reach out to the industry.
NoLandGrab: Atlantic Yards watchers know that when searching for campaign donations from Bruce Ratner, the key is to check for contributions from Bruce's brother Michael, sister-in-law Karen Ranucci, and other relatives.
As for Barack Obama's reaching out to the real estate industry, that doesn't exactly add up to "change we can believe in." The industry might be slow to open its collective wallet, however, since the Democratic Presidential candidate is on record as opposing the Supreme Court's decision in Kelo vs. New London.
Posted by eric at 4:15 PM
Weiner Likes (Some) Mega-Development in Slow Economy
The Real Estate [NY Observer]
by Eliot Brown and Azi Paybarah
Representative Anthony Weiner, a mayoral hopeful, gave his support for a string of large development projects in the city today, saying they're important in a time of economic uncertainty.
"New York needs to continue to grow–I'm a pro-development guy," he said, speaking at a Crain's breakfast. "If you look at downtown, you look at West Side, you look at Penn Station, you look at Ratner, you look at these things–I think that you're going to see that I'm going to be advocating. I want them to be successful, particularly in this time of slow economic growth."
Then, hitting on his favorite theme, Mr. Weiner said the middle-class does not always see a clear, tangible benefit from the projects, adding, "It does create challenges that we have to solve."
NoLandGrab: In these tough economic times, there's nothing more important than shoveling scarce tax dollars at a basketball arena. Is it any wonder that middle-class New Yorkers — and upper- and working-class NYers, too — are having trouble seeing "a clear, tangible benefit" in that?
Posted by eric at 11:08 AM
July 16, 2008
Marty Markowitz Must Go
Lucid Culture
Brooklyn Borough President and Atlantic Yards Cheerleader in Chief Marty Markowitz gave folks their money's worth at a free outdoor concert:
Last night at Wingate Field, Markowitz had the nerve to shill for the [Atlantic Yards] project in front of an all-black crowd (ok, there were two white people there) who will be the first to suffer when plastic-and-sheetrock luxury highrises start to pop up in Crown Heights. If he wasn’t so old, one would have thought that he’d just mainlined an ounce of coke. The guy would. Not. Shut. Up. On and on he rambled, kissing the ass of every local politician he could think of, shilling shamelessly for the corporations who sponsor his pet project, summertime outdoor concerts.
Posted by lumi at 5:11 AM
July 11, 2008
Dave Chappelle Fundraiser Turns Out Even Worse Than You Could Imagine
Gawker
Yesterday, The Brooklyn Paper published an account of the Dave Chapelle no-show at a fundraiser for anti-Atlantic Yards US Congressional candidate Kevin Powell. The night was capped off by when an Atlantic Yards-friendly reporter from a rival paper took a turn at the mic.
Later in the day, the Felliniesque episode landed on Gawker, complete with a YouTube clip.
Bad news for Real World cast member-turned Congressional candidate (D-Pop Culture) Kevin Powell: Dave Chappelle totally spaced out on Powell's fundraiser in Brooklyn last night, costing him the crucial Chappelle-fan vote! The comedian was supposed to headline the fundraising show, but never appeared, possibly because he is crazy. Then Chris Rock refused to go on too, in solidarity! And it only got worse for Powell: a drunk journalist, for chrissake, tried to grab the mic and steal the show [UPDATE: And there's a video!]:
NoLandGrab: To be fair, no eyewitnesses stated that Witt was "drunk," though we can attest that he is a "journalist."
Posted by lumi at 3:40 AM
July 10, 2008
The Chappelle (No) Show; Comic skips Powell fundraiser
The Brooklyn Paper
The local reporter better known for his affection for Bruce Ratner and the controversial Atlantic Yards project than his comedy routine took the mic at a Kevin Powell fundraiser:
Stephen Witt, a reporter from the New York Post-owned Courier-Life chain, seized the microphone to try his hand at stand-up comedy during the delay.
“What do you know about Brooklyn 99-cent stores?” asked Witt, who last made headlines for hugging Atlantic Yards Bruce Ratner at a 2006 rally. “Have you ever been so broke that you had to put something on lay-away at a 99-cent store?”
Witt’s quip was met with boos.
“I could have been funnier, but I wasn’t too bad,” said Witt, who left the stage after a single joke.
Posted by lumi at 4:14 AM
July 9, 2008
When Worlds Collide, Kevin Powell stays Real
Brooklyn Born
Original Brooklynite and blogger Um from Brooklyn encounters Congressional candidate and Atlantic Yards critic Kevin Powell at the Afro-Punk skate park over the recent holiday weekend.
Kevin Powell did share (in addition to his skater cred) his opposition to the current Atlantic Yards project. Making my vote for him more likely although it would be great if anyone had been asked to vote on Atlantic Yards at all.
NoLandGrab: "UBB" has some wise words for all of us to live by in the "About Me" section of his blog.
Posted by eric at 9:01 AM
July 8, 2008
Our "by-the-numbers" mayor and his not-so-free-market approach to Atlantic Yards
Atlantic Yards Report
So yesterday, in an article headlined Titans Seek New York Mayor in Bloomberg’s Mold, the New York Times reported that leading business executives, including Jerry Speyer (#1 on the Observer’s list of most powerful people in real estate), hope for a mayor who has the luxury of “financial independence, his lack of party affiliation and his corporate, by-the-numbers approach to management,” and, in the words of one interviewee, “not beholden to special interests.”
Amid a general shower of praise for Bloomberg, the Times allowed that his “administration is considered an ally to many corporations, especially developers.”
What the newspaper didn’t do is examine how a by-the-numbers approach to management might be contradicted by a look at Bloomberg’s treatment of developments like Atlantic Yards, where he’s broken promises, failed to scrutinze the development closely, and falsely claimed the free market was at work, even as sports teams benefit enormously from monopoly rules that enforce franchise scarcity and provoke cities and states to bid against each other by offering subsidies, an issue to be discussed in detail below.
Meanwhile, his administration is busy lobbying in Washington to ensure that a “loophole” (in the words of the chief counsel of the Internal Revenue Service) remains to allow tax-exempt financing for the Yankees and Mets stadiums, both under construction, and the Atlantic Yards arena.
In other words, the Bloomberg who imposed the once-politically unpopular smoking ban and pushed for congestion pricing loses track of his principles when it’s time to construct monumental sports structures where, not coincidentally, there are ribbons to cut.
Posted by lumi at 4:07 AM
July 1, 2008
City Portraits: Upstart Could Bring Hip-Hop To The Hill
City Limits
By Curtis Stephen
Kevin Powell is the lone challenger running this September against Representative Edolphus Towns in Brooklyn's 10th Congressional District. This lengthy profile of Powell mentions his opposition to the proposed Atlantic Yards development.
Yet as his candidacy receives the support of both the Central Brooklyn Independent Democrats – a political club headed by Chris Owens, son of former U.S. Rep. Major Owens of Brooklyn – and the advocacy group Democracy for New York City, Powell is fully aware of the symbolism. If elected, he would become the first and the most identifiable member of the hip-hop generation ever to serve in the U.S. Congress. On national issues, both Powell and Towns oppose the war in Iraq and support a single-payer healthcare system. But while campaigning on Memorial Day, Powell told practically every resident he encountered about the catalyst for his candidacy: The incumbent’s "absent and ineffective advocacy" on a host of local needs. "What we need in Congress from this district, as we enter a new presidential administration and a new decade, is active leadership that deals with the concerns of regular working-class people," he says.
Chief among those concerns, Powell maintains, is Forest City Ratner’s $4 billion Atlantic Yards redevelopment project that has won Towns’ backing. "We still don’t know what is going to happen there," says Powell, who is skeptical about how many of the plan’s 6,430 rental apartment units will be retained for low- to moderate-income households in the future. "Building $300,000 condos on Flatbush and Myrtle doesn’t factor in people in the $20,000 to $30,000 annual salary bracket who are being priced out," he adds. He argues that future development projects in the borough should be more inclusive, citing the housing initiatives provided by the Park Slope-based Fifth Avenue Committee to lower-income folks in south Brooklyn.
Posted by steve at 7:46 AM
June 26, 2008
For Ground Zero, Paterson promises timeline candor; for AY, it's the party line
Atlantic Yards Report
Regarding Ground Zero reconstruction, Gov. David Paterson has expressed skepticism about the professed timetable, and asked for clarifications. Despite reasons to doubt the professed timetable for Atlantic Yards, he has not merely failed to express skepticism, his administration has endorsed the chimerical timetable asserted by developer Forest City Ratner.
...
[I]n a 5/8/08 letter to the Internal Revenue Service and U.S. Treasury Department, the New York City Industrial Development Authority and the Empire State Development Corporation (ESDC) cite the chimerical timetable in arguing that the PILOTs (payments in lieu of taxes) plan for arena financing should stand, even though the feds want to change the rules for tax-exempt bonds.Part of the argument is that Atlantic Yards has already proceeded significantly. But a realistic timetable would acknowledge the project is much farther away from its completion date.
...
[T]he IRS and the Treasury Department should take the ESDC's claims with a big grain of salt. And Governor Paterson should explain why he approaches Ground Zero with much more skepticism than he analyzes Atlantic Yards.
Posted by lumi at 4:44 AM
Bloomberg's desire to control board members is part of why public authorities reform bill died
Atlantic Yards Report
In a letter to NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg, State Assemblyman Richard Brodsky rattles off a litany of reasons NY State Public Authorities need to be reformed, including, "massive subsidies provided for sports facilities," and then pins the blame on Bloomberg for scuttling the bill at the last minute:
Our work has been assisted by the private sector, most notably by the Millstein Commission, and we have produced a sweeping reform bill that will fundamentally change these authorities, and return them to the control of democratic institutions. Last year the Governor and Assembly agreed on legislation which we passed, while the Senate passed a very similar bill. All this was known to the City. Now, at the last minute the City has produced a list of demands which would destroy the progress we’ve made on reaching a consensus, make the system worse than it is today, and leave the problems we’ve identified completely unchanged.
Posted by lumi at 4:34 AM
City Council Members propose bill that would require EIS-like reports for subsidized projects
Atlantic Yards Report
A group of City Council members and advocacy groups yesterday announced the introduction of legislation designed to ensure that projects eased by tax breaks and bond financing are accompanied by economic impact reports. Whether such reports, which would resemble mini environmental impact statements (EIS’s), could make a major difference is an inevitable question, but proponents said it’s a start.
NoLandGrab: By "mini environmental impact statements (EIS's)" we think that Norman Oder is including all of the problems with EIS's, like the fact that these documents only require disclosure, not candor.
Posted by lumi at 4:29 AM
June 21, 2008
Letitia James Gets Remixed
The Footprint Gazette has posted NoLandGrab's new favorite song.
Council Member Letitia James has been championing the cause of Prospect Heights residents that would be affected by AY from the outset. I appreciate the fighting she has done on our behalf and was moved by her fiery speech at the Time Out! rally a few weeks back. I hope she doesn't mind that I've taken some creative liberties with it in the remix posted below.
Posted by amy at 11:02 AM
June 19, 2008
Marty says Brooklyn attractive because of more "friendly" residential density
Atlantic Yards Report
In a surreal parallel universe, Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz starts making sense and speaks out against "out-of-context" development, describing Brooklyn as "friendly, in terms of density."
[Idea for a slogan: "Brooklyn, we're density-friendly!"]
Interviewed recently for CUNY-TV’s real estate talk show The Stoler Report, Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz sounded just a little bit like some Atlantic Yards opponents, as he explained Brooklyn’s attraction as a residential district because it is “more... friendly, in terms of density.”
He of course wasn’t saying that in the context of Atlantic Yards and, indeed, at another juncture (about 27:00 of the show) noted, “In many of our neighborhoods... I bitterly oppose the construction of out-of-context [buildings], but there are areas where it’s appropriate to grow.” There was otherwise little mention of AY, though Markowitz at about 4:00 of the show predicted the arrival of “the Nets arena, Barclays Center, in a few years.”
The show, titled What’s Happening in Downtown Brooklyn (video), was taped March 18 and broadcast for the first time on June 10.
Norman Oder recaps the conversation on his blog.
Posted by lumi at 4:58 AM
June 17, 2008
PRESS RELEASE: Community Leader Ken Diamondstone Announces He Will Run for City Council in Brooklyn's 33rd District
Progressive advocate and affordable housing creator Ken Diamondstone announced today that he will run for the open City Council seat in Brooklyn's 33rd Council District as a Democrat.
"I'm launching this campaign for City Council because the hard-working people and families of Brooklyn can't wait any longer for good government," said Diamondstone. "Now is the time to take back Brooklyn. I'm going to fight for the bold progressive reform we need to protect our neighborhoods and help them flourish."
Diamondstone earned his reputation as a passionate and effective neighborhood leader by consistently taking courageous stands over the course of his 38 years living in the 33rd district. He was one of the earliest and fiercest critics of the process and scale of Forest City Ratner's Atlantic Yards Project, and outspoken in his opposition to housing in Brooklyn Bridge Park. Diamondstone has also served at the forefront of many of Brooklyn's most important citizen empowerment organizations, including Community Board 2, Brooklyn for Peace, the Atlantic Avenue Local Development Corporation, New Yorkers Against the Death Penalty, and the Brooklyn Solid Waste Advisory Board, which he chairs.
[Rest of the release after the jump.]
More coverage:
The Daily Politics [NY Daily News blog], Diamondstone For Council (Again)
Brooklyn Heights Blog, Diamondstone Officially Announces City Council Bid
As a candidate for City Council, Diamondstone now aims to make history by becoming Brooklyn's first openly gay representative to any legislative body in New York State. "To solve the big problems we have before us – inequality, soaring costs of living, an environment in crisis, and painful shortages in affordable housing, transportation, and education – we need a new kind of leader. We need a transformative leader, a leader who is not afraid of putting an end to politics as usual, and a leader who will take the power out of the hands of the few and return it to all our citizens. I will be that leader."
Diamondstone, whose strong campaign for State Senate in 2006 won him The New York Times' endorsement, is drawing upon his solid base and deep grassroots support through the community to get a quick start in the Council race. He already has his first fundraiser set for next weekend in Boerum Hill with former Congressman Major Owens, who has pledged his support for Diamondstone's candidacy, serving as honorary host of the event.
The 33rd councilmanic district of Brooklyn is comprised of Greenpoint, Williamsburg, Brooklyn Heights, Vinegar Hill, DUMBO, Boerum Hill, Cobble Hill, and parts of Park Slope.
Posted by eric at 10:05 PM
June 16, 2008
Brooklyn Pols Push for Atlantic Yards Oversight
WNYC Radio
by Matthew Schuerman
State legislators from Brooklyn are pushing for a new community advisory board to help oversee the troubled Atlantic Yards project.
The state economic development agency had promised to involve local politicians a year ago. But Assemblyman Hakeem Jeffries says those efforts have failed.
JEFFRIES: This developer has promised thousands of units of affordable housing. We want to make sure that that affordable housing gets built.
...REPORTER: The governor's office says it won't comment until the bill passes both houses of the legislature.
Posted by eric at 4:04 PM
The "Atlantic Yards Governance Act"
New York State Assembly
Herewith is the full text of Assembly Bill A11395, the "Atlantic Yards Governance Act," sponsored by Assemblyman Hakeem Jeffries (D-57) and co-sponsored by Assemblyman Jim Brennan (D-44) and Assemblywoman Joan Millman (D-52).
The bill proposes the creation of a trust to oversee the Atlantic Yards project, much in the same way that Battery Park City is managed.
The planning and development of the Atlantic Yards project is a matter of state concern and in the interest of the people of the state. It may include both market rate and below market housing, new open space, commercial and retail development and a sports arena for New Yorkers, as well as alleviate unsatisfactory conditions of the current site.
It is in the public interest for the state and city of New York to act together to oversee the development of the Atlantic Yards project and to ensure the public is fully engaged and involved in the design, development, and operation of the project, and in the development and implementation of policies to mitigate the project's anticipated environmental impacts.
The planning, environmental review, interim improvement, and development process for the project that has been conducted to date has furthered the foregoing purposes. It is intended that the Atlantic Yards development trust, to the extent provided and subject to the limitations set forth in this act, replace the New York state urban development corporation with respect to its authority over the project, for among other things, the completion of the development process and the construction, operation and maintenance of the project, all in accordance with this act.
NoLandGrab: Trying to legislate a role — any role — for the public in the process surrounding Atlantic Yards is commendable, but can they really be talking about Bruce Ratner's Atlantic Yards when they claim "the planning, environmental review, interim improvement, and development process for the project that has been conducted to date has furthered" the public's being "fully engaged and involved in the design, development, and operation of the project, and in the development and implementation of policies to mitigate the project's anticipated environmental impacts?"
Posted by eric at 3:13 PM
Brooklyn Politicos Call for Trust to Oversee Atlantic Yards
Governor would exercise majority control
The Real Estate
by Bharat Ayyar
A handful of local politicians this morning crowded onto the steps of City Hall to announce an initiative to foster community involvement in the Atlantic Yards project.
The Atlantic Yards Governance Act, co-sponsored by Assemblymen Hakim (sic) Jeffries and James Brennan of Brooklyn, would create a 15-member development trust to balance what they say is a one-sided effort monopolized by developer Forest City Ratner. The trust would, theoretically, have full power to modify the Yards’ development plan. But, at the same time, a majority eight members of the board would still be appointed by the governor.
"Atlantic Yards is a public project¹ built on public land² using public money overseen by a public entity for a public purpose³," Mr. Jeffries said. "It therefore deserves maximum public participation during the life of this project."
NoLandGrab: We applaud the effort to gain some local control over Atlantic Yards, but establishing a Trust controlled by the Governor to oversee a project 100% defined by the developer is just a bit like shutting the barn door after all the horses have run away, don't ya think?
Corrections: ¹ it's a private project; ² to be built primarily on private land acquired under the threat of — or directly via — eminent domain; ³ for a primarily private purpose. No argument with the need for maximum public participation, however.
Posted by eric at 1:25 PM
Droll Bloomberg on Atlantic Yards Protest: 'Democracy in Action'
The Real Estate
by Tom Acitelli
Mayor Bloomberg on his way out of City Hall this morning, after seeing the set-up for this morning's protest against Atlantic Yards (we'll have more on it this afternoon): 'Democracy in action.'
NoLandGrab: Well, we'd call the City and State lobbying the treasury department to allow the use of tax-exempt bonds for Atlantic Yards "democracy in action," too — except it's not.
Posted by eric at 8:51 AM
June 13, 2008
"I want to revisit Atlantic Yards"
The Brian Lehrer Show
In an interview with City Councilmember Letitia James, Brian Lehrer brought up term limits. James offered Bruce Ratner's controversial Atlantic Yards project as an example of one issue that she would like to put to rest during her term, though the fight could drag on:
LJ: I want to revisit Atlantic Yards. It doesn't look like the controversy will end in my term -- it will continue. The next person who takes this seat over, I want them to be just as vigilant on the changes with respect to Atlantic Yards, and the inequities with respect to Atlantic Yards and all of the other issues Atlantic Yards raises.
BL: If the people of your district oppose the Atlantic Yards project and you are term-limited out, they could elect another anti-Atlantic Yards Councilperson.
LJ: I would hope so. I would like to see — since it began when I was first elected — I would like to see it end when I end my term in office.
[start around 11m 30sec]
Posted by lumi at 3:54 AM
June 9, 2008
Markowitz purges more of Brooklyn Community Board 6
Atlantic Yards Report
Brooklyn Borough President and Atlantic Yards Cheerleader in Chief Marty Markowitz still has the urge to purge members of Community Board 6, ostensibly because of members took a strongly worded position against Bruce Ratner's controversial megadevelopment.
Just as Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz was gamely recognizing former Brooklyn Community Board 6 chairman Jerry Armer, who was being honored by the Park Slope Civic Council, the BP was continuing his purge of CB 6 for its stance against Atlantic Yards.
The Courier-Life, in an article headlined "CB 6 is shaken to its core," reports that Celia Cacace, a board member since 1982, says Markowitz told her in 2006 that he wouldn't reappoint her when her term came up and treated her coldly ever since. She learned of the decision through a form letter. Like Armer, she said she would still attend CB meetings.
Posted by lumi at 4:53 AM
June 7, 2008
Tony Avella, the Anti-Overdevelopment Candidate
Brownstoner
City Councilman Tony Avella has been making himself known around Brooklyn lately, showing up at a community meeting about Gowanus and supporting other politicians who've called for a moratorium on Atlantic Yards demolitions. The common thread is also Avella's main talking point in his (longshot) bid to become our next mayor: Namely, that the Bloomberg administration has sold out to real estate interests, disrupting the fabric of neighborhoods and turning a deaf ear to community concerns. Voice blog Runnin' Scared has an interview with the man who wants to replace Mike. Here are some choice quotes:"You have so many communities throughout the entire City that need to be protected from overdevelopment. You have the Department of Buildings, which is in a shambles. And it has been such a huge effort to get even the smallest rezoning, even the smallest change done within the City Council. It’s bizarre."
"Listen, a lot of my fellow councilmen seem to be more interested, along with the Speaker, in getting money from the real estate industry than stepping up and doing the right thing. I don’t need to tell you, there’s very little independence in the City Council. It’s amazing to me how nobody speaks up."
Posted by amy at 9:19 PM
From Brooklyn to DC: Kevin Powell with Theodore Hamm
The Brooklyn Rail
I first met Kevin Powell during his first campaign for Congress two years ago, when he briefly ran against Ed Towns in Brooklyn’s 10th Congressional District, which extends from Brooklyn Heights through Fort Greene and Bed Stuy to East New York. An author, community activist, and former original cast member of MTV’s The Real World, Powell is now running a full-fledged campaign for Towns’ seat. The following conversation took place in late May, at Powell’s home across from the Fort Greene Projects.
...
Hamm: Can you explain your position regarding Atlantic Yards, and why you’ve criticized Towns for supporting it?Powell: I’m opposed to Atlantic Yards. As for Towns, he gets money from a lot of different places—tobacco, pharmaceuticals—and we believe he is getting money from the Atlantic Yards folks, from Ratner. Over the last few years I’ve had a chance to really study this issue. If you remember two years ago, I said that I had to get back to you about my position. Now I can say unequivocally that I do not support the use of eminent domain in a private project. I made it a point to educate myself thoroughly about that issue. I don’t support Atlantic Yards in its present form. I can’t support a project that is dividing a community racially and along class lines. Working class folks in this community have been taking money from Ratner—they have been getting money for t-shirts and bus rides to casinos and Nets games and stuff like that. They are being exploited. I come from poverty, so I understand. When I was growing up and someone said, “Hey, you get free Nets tickets,” then you’re gonna support someone that is giving you the free Nets tickets. But we’re not seeing the larger effects of the project, one of which is that we’re about to lose eleven acres of land where the Fort Greene Projects are located. If you walk around, you’ll see a lot of vacancies there. As the residents will tell you, one of the things that’s been going on is that if you have a son that lives in the projects, and he happens to get arrested outside for standing on the corner, you lose your lease automatically. Meanwhile, while that’s happening, money is being thrown at folks who are in tenants groups—“we’ll give you money for this, we’ll give you money for that,” and so you’re actually supporting Atlantic Yards while you’re being gentrified out of your own home. We’re not seeing the connection between the two. Luckily an organization like FUREE sees that connection and they are fighting back.
Posted by amy at 9:12 PM
Ratner Manufactures Rally In Support Of His AY Failure
Joshing Politics
A local political blogger believes that Ratner's rally reveals he's on the defense:
The Atlantic Yards Project envisioned by developer Bruce Ratner has fallen on hard times. With the lackluster support and energetic opposition, he has had to scale back his plans and hasn't done much except petition for more of Brooklyn's tax dollars to pay for the start-up costs. That is why he held a "Brooklyn Day" to conjure up community support of his massive plan to redevelop downtown Brooklyn.
...
On one hand, it is sad to see that quite a few local politicians are on board this sinking ship and that they have to try and engineer community support for something that clearly has next to nothing of the kind. On the other though, I'm glad to see these crooks going down in flames and on the defensive.
Posted by lumi at 5:27 PM
June 6, 2008
NIMBY? We're Just Saying...
Develop Don't Destroy Brooklyn outs City Councilmember Dominic Recchia and NY State Senator Carl Kruger for their hypocritical stance on megadevelopment and eminent domain.
November, 2007: State Senator Carl Kruger and Councilman Domenic Recchia express adamant opposition to City's redevelopment plan for Coney Island—their backyard. Recchia represents Coney Island and Kruger nearby neighborhoods including Brighton Beach. Kruger went so far as to call the plan a "backdoor approach to eminent domain."
Yesterday... both Kruger and Recchia journeyed from their backyards to speak at Bruce Ratner's Rally in Support of Bruce Ratner (aka Rally for the "Done Deal" Come Undone), aiding in the developer's choreographed attempt to extract more subsidy from Albany and/or City Hall.
Posted by lumi at 3:52 AM
May 30, 2008
Second to no one
The Brooklyn Paper
by Gersh Kuntzman
A group of ornery Brooklyn Democrats has effectively said it would rather have no one representing it in Congress than Rep. Yvette Clarke.
Central Brooklyn Independent Democrats — a progressive liberal clubhouse — denied Clarke (D–Park Slope) its support on May 22, handing “No endorsement” a stunning, 52–48 victory.
The club is now led by Chris Owens, who ran against Clarke for the open seat in 2006 — but the CBID president (and son of the congressman whom Clarke replaced) denied that he rigged the clubhouse vote to embarrass his former rival.
“This is a cantankerous, progressive club and I made no behind-the-scenes phone calls against Yvette,” said Owens. “I did nothing to color the process in any way. The fact is that if you want our endorsement, you’re expected to vote a certain way. People have not been satisfied enough with Yvette’s performance.”
Owens specifically cited Clarke’s continued support for the Atlantic Yards project....
NoLandGrab: We were on hand for that vote at CBID. The results had nothing to do with Clarke's defeat of Owens in 2006, and everything to do with her positions on numerous issues, including Atlantic Yards, which the club vehemently opposes.
Posted by eric at 1:59 PM
May 28, 2008
Owens: CBID's Clarke Non-Endorsement Nothing Personal
NY Daily News, "The Daily Politics"
Could simmering resentment of Yvette Clarke's pro-Atlantic Yards position be one of the reasons the Central Brooklyn Idependent Democrats didn't endorse the US Rep for re-election?
Central Brooklyn Independent Democrats' President Chris Owens rejected the suggestion that his club's recent decision not to endorse Rep. Yvette Clarke for re-election this fall had something to do with lingering animosity from his own failed bid for her seat in 2006.
"I'm not running, and it's an insult to some very independent-minded and cantakerous progressives to assume that I corraled their votes," Owens said.
Clarke's support of (Hillary Clinton) was a significant issue for some - particularly given Clinton's recent comments BEFORE the RFK gaffe," Owens continued.
"A possible shift of support for HR676 (gov't-sponsored universal health care) was another issue, and her surrogate, John Flateau, reiterated Clarke's support for Atlantic Yards. CBID is very anti-Atlantic Yards."
Posted by lumi at 4:08 AM
May 23, 2008
Jeffries says Assembly should hold AY hearing; FCR instead offers breakfast update
Atlantic Yards Report
Hakeem Jeffries continues to talk tougher regarding Atlantic Yards.
While the State Assembly Committee on Corporations, Authorities and Commissions is holding a hearing today on the progress of development projects on Manhattan's West Side, there's a strong argument for a hearing to assess the status of the Atlantic Yards project as well.
Whether that hearing, including representatives of the Empire State Development Corporation (ESDC) and developer Forest City Ratner, will get scheduled is another question. Assembly leadership--apparently Speaker Sheldon Silver--has so far balked, according to Assemblyman Hakeem Jeffries.
Joint committee hearing
Jeffries, who represents Prospect Heights and the AY footprint, is a member of the Corporations committee. He said last night that he and two neighboring legislators--Assemblywoman Joan Millman, who chairs the Oversight, Analysis and Investigation committee, and Assemblyman Jim Brennan, who chairs the Cities committee--want to hold a joint hearing of their committees regarding Atlantic Yards, given the uncertainty regarding the project.
"I'd like to get all of them, ESDC and the developer, on the record, under oath," Jeffries said at a meeting of the Prospect Heights Neighborhood Development Council at P.S. 9 on Underhill Avenue. (Among the questions worth asking: how exactly were the generous timetables for the project determined?)
"There's been some resistance," Jeffries said. "The developer has offered to meet with legislators at a legislative breakfast. I think there's been enough back-room conversation."
He said hoped a hearing could sort out plans regarding eminent domain, the financing of the arena, the commitment to build affordable housing, and any negotiations to sell the Nets to an ownership group that would have them play in Newark's Prudential Center instead.
NoLandGrab: Jim Brennan also told a meeting of the Central Brooklyn Independent Democrats last night that he intends to introduce legislation in the Assembly that would require Atlantic Yards to go through a fast-tracked City ULURP process.
Posted by eric at 9:34 AM
Marine Park Students Get Special Reading Motivation
Canarsie Courier
City Councilman Lew Fidler joined former New Jersey Nets star Albert King last week to show local youth the importance of reading in an event coordinated by Forest City Ratner Companies (FCRC). Fidler and King read to dozens of students at P.S. 207...
Posted by lumi at 5:09 AM
May 17, 2008
Markowitz and Chief Of Staff Scissura — B’klyn Dynamic Duo
Brooklyn Daily Eagle
Harold Egeln
Marty Markowitz seems to have some new competition for biggest cheerleader:
It might be said that not since the Brooklyn Dodgers has the borough had a team as dynamic as Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz and his new Chief of Staff Carlo Scissura. “This is the best office and place I’ve ever worked at. Marty gave me an opportunity to showcase my talents and it’s my opportunity to give back to the people of Brooklyn,” said Scissura, on the job since early April. “The borough president is much more than a cheerleader. He is a great manager and effective leader for Brooklyn.”
It looks like someone's in love, and it's not Marty on his first date:
Such projects as Atlantic Yards complex, the Loew’s Kings Theater restoration and the Asser Levy Park amphitheater are moving ahead despite the economic slowdown, Scissura and Markowitz said. “The Loew’s movie palace is a gorgeous building. In fact, it’s where Marty had his first date,” Scissura said. “When finished, it will be a huge cultural center on Flatbush Avenue, with over 3,000 seats for events for the community and schools.”On Atlantic Yards, Scissura said that the borough president’s office “is committed to it.” “It will give us not only the Nets, but a huge space for school basketball teams which we now lack. The biggest thing we have with the complex is to ensure that there is enough affordable housing in the project.”
article
NoLandGrab: Trying to keep that affordable housing in the plan is going to seriously limit the time available for fawning...
Posted by amy at 9:16 AM
May 8, 2008
Comptroller Thompson on Atlantic Yards: "I'm not sure what that project is any longer."
DDDB.net [Develop Don't Destroy Brooklyn]
It is really worth repeating, since none of the mainstream media organizations picked up this little tidbit reported by Norman Oder of Atlantic Yards Report, regarding some guy who is making a run for Mayor.
Here is an astounding quote by City Comptroller (and mayoral candidate) William Thompson made at a panel discussion at the New School’s Center for New York City Affairs titled "Maintaining Momentum: Can New York’s Ambitious Development Agenda Survive an Economic Downturn." Norman Oder, on his Atlantic Yards Report was the only one to report it:
...Moderator Greg David, editor of Crain’s New York Business, and City Comptroller (and mayoral candidate) William Thompson urged that the project proceed, while Julia Vitullo-Martin of the Manhattan Institute (who called the project "corporate socialism") and Brad Lander of the Pratt Center for Community Development endorsed a rethink, albeit for somewhat different reasons.
Still, Thompson acknowledged, “I’m not sure what that project is any longer” and even dangled the hint that it might be revived by bringing in additional developers, as the city comes to the belated realization that single-developer projects pose certain dangers.
Posted by lumi at 6:05 AM
May 2, 2008
City lets Ratner off the hook
The Brooklyn Paper
By Mike McLaughlin
The Brooklyn Paper covers details first uncovered in the Atlantic Yards Report (via a Freedom of Information request) about more sweetheart dealings between New York City and Bruce Ratner.
Bruce Ratner downsized Atlantic Yards — and it turns out that the city gave him the green light to do so.
A newly released funding agreement reveals that the city let the Atlantic Yards developer off the hook for the downsizing he announced last month — yet will still reward him with $205 million in direct city subsidies.
The agreement, signed last September but only released this week to the Atlantic Yards Report, a Web site, allows Forest City Ratner to scale back the $4-billion arena, apartment and office project and build just the publicly financed basketball arena and two or three downsized towers by 2020, four years later and thousands of units of affordable housing less than the 16-tower full monty that was approved by state officials in December, 2006.
If he manages to build the reduced number of units within that stretched-out timetable, he would avoid any penalties.
The article give further details on the City's agreement with Ratner, and political reaction. It also goes on to mention a lawsuit being brought by tenants in the project footprint.
Meanwhile, a group of residents of the footprint sued the Empire State Development Corporation yet again, claiming that any agreement that gives Ratner more than 10 years to build the affordable units violates state condemnation law.
Posted by steve at 5:58 AM
May 1, 2008
Paul Newell on Congestion Pricing and Reforming Albany
Streets Blog
Paul Newell is challenging State Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver for the 64th District seat in Lower Manhattan. In the second installment of a two-part interview, Newell cites "you know who" as one of the compelling reasons for public-financing of campaigns:
I cannot believe that any candidate for public office would rather spend hours a day on the phone begging people for money -- asking Bruce Ratner and the developers for money -- when they could get it from public financing. That way, in one fell swoop, you eliminate the campaign finance influence on our politics.
NoLandGrab: Congratulations Bruce Ratner, somehow you've managed to become the posterboy for money's corruptive influence in local politics.
Posted by lumi at 4:50 AM
April 27, 2008
3 vie for Recchia's City Council seat
NY Daily News
JOTHAM SEDERSTROM
While one group in the Bronx tries to negotiate a real CBA, one candidate for Domenic Recchia's City Council seat representing Coney Island seems to be aiming low:
Lisyanskiy, an aide to Council Speaker Christine Quinn (D-Manhattan) who has worked under speakers Gifford Miller and Peter Vallone, said unemployment and an ambitious plan to redevelop much of Coney Island are among his top priorities if elected.The Ukranian-born Bensonhurst resident said he would push for a legally binding Community Benefit Agreement like one tied to the controversial Atlantic Yards project.
article
NoLandGrab: Recommended reading for city council candidates: AYR's "Substantial legally enforceable penalties"? FCR's claims about CBA raise doubts
Posted by amy at 9:20 AM
April 24, 2008
Legislation would require emergency report on major capital projects
EmpireStateNews.Net
Citing a pattern of inadequate financing, bad planning and misplaced priorities, Assemblyman Richard Brodsky, Chairman of the Assembly Committee on Corporations, Commissions, and Authorities today released legislation requiring the immediate submission to the Legislature and the Governor of a report outlining the status of and issues confronting close to a dozen major capital projects in the downstate region.
These projects, all of which are facing significant problems, include Hudson Yards, 7 Line extension, Javits Convention Center, the Boulevard, Moynihan Station, World Trade Center rebuild, PATH station, Atlantic Yards, Willets Point and Sunnyside Yards.
Additional coverage:
The NY Sun, Progress Reports Urged for Big Development Projects
"This is not about the fact that these developments are in various states of collapse, which they are, but that they are all endangering the MTA's capital plan, which is the single most important part for any government," Mr. Brodsky said.
"Other than the mayor and the governor, who knows what is actually going on?" [Brodsky] said.
NY Daily News, Pol wants facts & figures on faltering big projects
Brodsky says the projects are in trouble due to "inadequate financing, bad planning and misplaced priorities," and he's worried that they're siphoning off funds for much-needed mass transit projects.
Atlantic Yards Report, Brodsky seeks AY timetable, cost-benefit analysis in report on megaprojects
Analysis and commentary from Norman Oder:
If passed, the law would require not merely a status report, but also would require a cost-benefit analysis that has so far not been conducted. It would require the ESDC to detail the full spectrum of public "incentives, benefits, subsidies, and revenues," the projected economic impact on the city, state, and metropolitan area, "and a comparison of expected benefits with anticipated costs."
That could be a watershed. The ESDC has produced a lengthy Final Environmental Impact Statement (see the last pages of the Socioeconomics chapter), as well as a General Project Plan, both of which estimate new revenues, but provide scant details on the totality of public subsidies and public costs. (The Independent Budget Office came the closest to estimating the total impact of the project, but shied away from a full study.)
It would be astounding if the ESDC produced a full cost-benefit analysis within 45 days. More likely the agency would supply an updated version of previously compiled documents.
Posted by lumi at 5:43 AM
April 18, 2008
Pols: Stop Bruce now
The Brooklyn Paper
By Gersh Kuntzman
Any construction at the Atlantic Yards site must be blocked until developer Bruce Ratner commits — in writing — to building the full state-approved project, three councilmembers said this week.
Bill DeBlasio (D–Park Slope), David Yassky (D–Brooklyn Heights) and Letitia James (D–Fort Greene) made the demand in a letter to state officials this week, just two weeks after Ratner announced that the 16-skyscraper project has been significantly downsized and that most of the promised below-market-rate housing is no longer scheduled to be built.
According to Ratner, the project now only consists of a publicly financed basketball arena and two or three smaller residential buildings around it.
“We need something in writing from Forest City Ratner [that] confirms what will be built when,” DeBlasio told The Brooklyn Paper. “We need to stop until there is a clear plan. The plans have changed, at least according to Ratner himself, so why should demolitions continue?”
Posted by lumi at 5:27 AM
April 16, 2008
Councilman wants Atlantic Yards demolition halted - for now
NY Daily News
by Jotham Sederstrom
The News follows up on comments made to bloggers Monday evening by Brooklyn Beep candidate Bill de Blasio.
Point:
A Brooklyn councilman who has been supportive of the controversial Atlantic Yards project has called for a moratorium on the struggling basketball arena plan.
Councilman Bill de Blasio bashed developer Forest City Ratner for keeping government subsidies hidden and not telling residents about construction delays.
"I've been frustrated in general by the lack of communication by Forest City Ratner for years, and it seems to me it's only gotten worse, not better," said de Blasio, who is running for borough president.
Counterpoint:
Forest City Ratner Executive Vice President Bruce Bender argued in a statement that the project has been transparent but did not address the developer's refusal to publicly reveal aspects of public funding and security concerns involving the plan.
"Atlantic Yards has been reviewed and debated extensively for over five years, including two public hearings before the City Council, multiple other state public hearings and hundreds of public meetings," Bender said in the statement.
"As the Council member knows, all of Atlantic Yards, including all of the affordable housing, will be built, and any delays in the construction phase will result in delays in delivering the thousands of units of affordable housing and thousands of jobs that Atlantic Yards will create."
NoLandGrab: Bruce, you ignorant.... But we digress. Why is Bill de Blasio the last to know that Forest City Ratner couldn't be trusted? If politicians of his ilk had been more skeptical about Atlantic Yards from the outset, we wouldn't be in this mess now. Still, we're glad that de Blasio is speaking up.
As for Bruce Bender: "blah, blah, blah, blah, blah." Is it possible that he's been faxing out the same statement for the past three years?
Posted by eric at 10:35 AM
De Blasio's (late) AY conversion and the need for oversight
Atlantic Yards Report
While other bloggers captured what Bill de Blasio said about Atlantic Yards on Monday evening, Norman Oder provides some important historical context from the last time the City Councilman held court with local bloggers:
I missed de Blasio's meet-up with Brooklyn bloggers Monday night--I was at a Municipal Art Society panel on planning--but I think a little skepticism is in order.
After all, he's long supported the project, despite expressing qualms. NoLandGrab noted yesterday that de Blasio was facing blowback for his support of the "toothless" Community Benefits Agreement.
As I wrote, after a long exchange with de Blasio at a meeting last fall, he sounded way out of touch when he said, “In retrospect, I don’t think anyone expected Forest City Ratner to be so untransparent.”
After all, as I noted, the developer has produced at least six disingenuous political brochures, launched the Brooklyn Standard “publication,” and required those selling property to sign gag orders.
As for de Blasio saying he wants "something in writing from Forest City Ratner to tell us if there has been a change and if there's been a change we need to revisit it," well, as noted on GL, the State Funding Agreement gives Ratner a lot of slack: 6+ years to build the arena, 12+ years to build Phase 1, and an unspecified amount of time to build the rest of the project.
Posted by lumi at 5:41 AM
April 15, 2008
De Blasio blasts Ratner, Calls for Moratorium on Demolitions
Bill de Blasio is mad as hell, and he wants to know why the rug has been pulled out from under Atlantic Yards' promised affordable housing. The Gowanus Lounge and Brownstoner share the scoop from last night's blogger meet-up with the Council Member.
The Gowanus Lounge, De Blasio Calls for Moratorium on Atlantic Yards Demolition
City Council Member and Brooklyn Borough President candidate Bill de Blasio is calling for a moratorium on demolition in the Atlantic Yards footprint. Mr. de Blasio made comments deeply critical of possible changes in the huge project as part of a wideranging discussion last night that covered everything from construction safety as developers race to beat changes in the 421a tax break program to zoning issues in Gowanus and Carroll Gardens.
...On Atlantic Yards, Mr. de Blasio said, "I am livid at the New York Times interview with Ratner" in which the developer announced that the project would be scaled back and that massive amounts of affordable housing would be seriously delayed or eliminated. "There was no discussion with the community before he went on record," Mr. de Blasio said, adding that the changes put "the entire community benefits agreement up for question."
Brownstoner, De Blasio Blasts Ratner on AY Obfuscation
The Councilman also said that he thinks the entire development should be reviewed again by the state if Forest City Ratner is now conceiving of a vastly different project, particularly one that reneges on its promised affordable housing. "I held out hope for the project because of the amount of affordable housing it would create, as well as the number of jobs it would bring," he said. "But I have been constantly disappointed in the lack of community involvement...I've never seen anything that's been mismanaged so fundamentally in terms of community involvement."
NoLandGrab: What Council Member de Blasio is overlooking is that there really hasn't been any discussion with the community ever, and that early support for the toothless and barely enforceable Community Benefits Agreement by him and other politicians has now come home to roost.
Additional coverage:
Curbed, Atlantic Yards Stall: Another Call for a Demolition Moratorium
Posted by eric at 11:58 AM
April 11, 2008
Shelly Silver’s Shadiest Maneuvers: A Brief History
Daily Intelligencer posted a litany of Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver's backroom strong-arm maneuvers. Atlantic Yards made the grade, though the Public Authorities Control Board's approval came in December 2006, not 2005:
Seeding Atlantic Yards (2005): As Brooklyn residents get their knickers in a twist, the Public Authorities Control Board approves $200 million in public seed money for Atlantic Yards — without officially counting how many Brooklyn lawmakers support seventeen-tower cluster around a Frank Gehry arena.
Posted by lumi at 4:15 AM
April 10, 2008
Reading the Paterson tea leaves: AY unmentioned in speech about development
Atlantic Yards Report
Governor David Paterson's speech Monday to the Association for a Better New York took on the following topics: the MTA, Ground Zero, congestion pricing, the Second Avenue Subway, the East Side Access project (bringing the suburban Long Island Rail Road to Grand Central station), Moynihan Station, and Governors Island.
Unmentioned: Atlantic Yards.
Does the fact that he's not pushing the project means he's opposing it? Nope.
Perhaps it just means that he's taking a hands-off attitude for now, as Forest City Ratner waits for the market to change. But will he support more subsidies for the project?
Click here to read the excerpt from the transcript.
Posted by lumi at 5:41 AM
State Senator Carl Kruger and his campaign war chest
Atlantic Yards Report
This week, The Village Voice examines State Senator Carl Kruger's political machine, which is well fed by a $1.6 million campaign war chest, even though Republicans no longer bother to run against him.
Why do Atlantic Yards critics care? Norman Oder explains:
Let's remember some other elements of Kruger's record: he's a supporter of Atlantic Yards and the $6 billion lie; he received $4000 from Bruce Ratner's brother and sister-in-law; and, though a Democrat, he campaigned for Republican Martin Golden in return for new district boundaries that protected his seat, as recounted by Seymour Lachman in Three Men in a Room.
And, less we forget, Kruger has emerged as a dubious player in the debate over Coney Island, using that considerable campaign war chest to gin up public opposition to the city plan and support for Joe Sitt.
Remember, as the Observer's Matthew Schuerman reported 5/31/06, Kruger and fellow Atlantic Yards-loving South Brooklyn politicians come out of the Thomas Jefferson Democratic Club, which also produced Ratner aide Bruce Bender.
Posted by lumi at 5:36 AM
April 7, 2008
The Bloomberg Mystique
The Brooklyn Rail
By Richard Wells
An accounting of the mythology and record of Michael Bloomberg includes an Atlantic Yards tidbit in a paragraph about the unraveling of the Mayor's mega-develpoment inc.:
...what of Bloomberg’s big development plans?
Many are going down the tubes, piece by piece. Hard on the heels of a fare increase, the M.T.A. just announced that improvements to subway service would be delayed because of declines in real estate tax revenue. All that remains of Atlantic Yards, a scheme touted for its contributions to the stock of affordable housing and open space, is the heavily subsidized Nets arena. The announcement that city officials had made a deal with Tishman Speyer to develop the West Side Railyards was immediately followed by news that, given the reluctance of lenders to finance big projects these days, construction won’t start anytime soon. If and when it does get built, moreover, it probably won’t be as grand as originally envisioned.
Posted by lumi at 5:13 AM
April 3, 2008
Tony Avella is Mad as Hell (And Running for Mayor)
Runnin' Scared [The Village Voice]
By Julie Bolcer
Regarding one major example among the last platform, [mayoral candidate Tony] Avella explained his opposition to the $ 4 billion Atlantic Yards project for Brooklyn within a voicemail he left in response to a call for comment on Monday.
“I am totally against the Ratner Project,” Avella said. “I think it is a perfect example of the overdevelopment that is going on in this city, of putting ten thousand potatoes in a five-pound bag. The traffic, the overburdening of the subway system and the transit system in that area would just be enormous. Plus the fact of the misuse of eminent domain – that is something that absolutely has to stop in this city, of taking somebody’s private property and giving it to a private individual, in this case Ratner, so that they can make money from it. That is the most undemocratic situation and process that I’ve ever heard of,” he concluded before he hung up.
Posted by lumi at 4:43 AM
March 31, 2008
Sunday in NYC: Avella denounces overdevelopment; Luxury Living showcase draws throng
Atlantic Yards Report
Norman Oder attended the kick-off event for Tony Avella's mayoral campaign, and then took a gander at the condomania playing a central role in the Queens councilman's platform.
Longshot mayoral candidate Tony Avella, a maverick City Council Member from Northeast Queens, officially launched his candidacy yesterday afternoon at a City Hall press conference. Seeking to distinguish himself from the highly-scripted typical politicians, Avella declared that he hadn't written a speech but instead would speak about three main issues.
Indeed, two of Avella's issues barely registered with the crowd of supporters behind him: lowered taxes and a revamped education system. Rather, they applauded heartily when he condemned overdevelopment, asserting that the real estate industry has too much power and "the city has done very little to preserve quality of life."
"Overdevelopment," he said, "is destroying the character of every community. That absolutely must stop."
...After leaving Avella's press conference, where some supporters carried signs asserting "The revolution starts... now!", it took just three stops uptown along the #6 subway line to visit the New York Observer's Luxury Living: New York Condo Showcase at the Puck Building at Lafayette and Houston streets.
Compared to the crowd at City Hall, this group was less gritty and better-dressed. There was a bar, musical entertainment, and other festive accoutrements. And all these projects, and their buyers, gain benefits from the belatedly-reformed 421-a tax break, which has fueled development all over the city, including the Queens districts that constitute Avella's base.
Posted by eric at 3:37 PM
March 28, 2008
Why Atlantic Yards depends on a Democratic administration in DC
Atlantic Yards Report
While Bruce Ratner is busy trying to convince reporters that Atlantic Yards is stalled because of the economy, Norman Oder keeps pointing out that it's the supply of affordable housing funding, stupid:
Besides the credit crunch and the lack of a market for office space, both acknowledged by Atlantic Yards developer Forest City Ratner, the project depends crucially on a sufficient supply of tax-exempt bonds, a "crisis"--in the words of city housing head Shaun Donovan--evident well before the downturn in the economy.
And, despite efforts in Washington by top legislators representing New York, the problem likely won't be alleviated until a Democratic administration and a Democratic Congress revamp the rules and allow hard-pressed states like New York additional "volume cap," or the capacity to issue bonds free of federal taxes.
Posted by lumi at 6:17 AM
"Deeply troubled" Jeffries says it's time to evaluate changes in AY; Brennan's subsidy bill resurfaces
Atlantic Yards Report
Norman Oder follows up with State Assemblyman Hakeem Jeffries and surveys the political posturing in light of recent Atlantic Yards revelations:
Last night, I spoke to Assemblyman Hakeem Jeffries, whose district includes Prospect Heights and the Atlantic Yards footprint, about the Atlantic Yards stall and the potential response in Albany.
He indicated dismay about the apparent major delay in affordable housing and said it was too soon to assess new Governor David Paterson’s posture on the project.
He said the legislature may look at a bill, sponsored in 2006 by Assemblyman Jim Brennan and revived in February, that would trade a one-third cut in the size of Atlantic Yards for direct and indirect subsidies worth some $700 million over 30 years, with nearly half of that up front.
Also, he said a legislative committee might take another look at the Empire State Development Corporation’s (ESDC) stewardship of Atlantic Yards.
Posted by lumi at 6:10 AM
March 24, 2008
Mayor Marty? The Idea Entices From a Booth at Junior’s
The NY Sun
By Grace Rauh
Marty Markowitz says he is only in the process of deciding whether to run for mayor, but he is sure sounding a lot like a candidate.
From a horseshoe-shaped booth at Junior’s restaurant in downtown Brooklyn, Mr. Markowitz, the silver-haired career politician who as president of Brooklyn is known as the borough’s most enthusiastic cheerleader, offered up policy positions and a potential campaign motto (“Keep it safe, keep it clean, keep it working”) — clues to what the city might look like under Mayor Marty.
...
“Competence, pragmatism as opposed to ideology. Doing what’s right for New York without kowtowing to special interests and competency above all,” he said.
...
A run for mayor, however, could galvanize New Yorkers opposed to the Atlantic Yards development in downtown Brooklyn that Mr. Markowitz has trumpeted. A spokesman for Develop Don’t Destroy Brooklyn, Daniel Goldstein, said his organization “would look forward to a Markowitz mayoral run as it would make certain the failing Atlantic Yards project and the other egregious overdevelopment he has overseen in Brooklyn would be major issues in the race, as they should be.”Mr. Markowitz has said the project will bring affordable housing, in addition to a new city center and a professional basketball arena, to downtown Brooklyn. He appears to get as excited as a boy on a first trip to an amusement park when envisioning attending the first Brooklyn Nets game in the new stadium.
NoLandGrab: It's an "arena," not a "stadium," but either way, a Marty Markowitz candidacy would give Atlantic Yards critics a citywide platform on which to present their concerns about the controversial project.
Posted by lumi at 4:47 AM
March 21, 2008
Veteran Activist-Attorney Named as Brooklyn BP’s Chief Aide
Brooklyn Daily Eagle
By Harold Egeln
It was a big promotion for political activist Carlo Scissura as Borough President Marty Markowitz appointed him as his new Chief of Staff Thursday.
Scissura, who has been serving as Markowitz’ chief counsel, was named to the post to replace longtime top aide Greg Atkins, who has accepted a major hotel development post at V3 Hotels in Downtown Brooklyn. The changeover is effective on April 7.
NoLandGrab: It's hard to understand how Atkins's new job isn't affected by the one-year revolving-door restrictions on taking a job that depends on access and influence of local government.
The incoming chief of staff listed major projects he will on work with Markowitz. "I look forward to helping the borough president accomplish his visionary goals for Brooklyn, including renovating the Loew's Kings Theater, opening an amphitheater at Asser Levy Park, beginning development of Atlantic Yards, building and renovating more affordable housing and schools, and making the borough more 'green' for everyone."
NoLandGrab: With Atlantic Yards stalling out, Atkins picked a good time to jump ship. His departure has also fueled rumors that Marty won't be running for Mayor, afterall.
Posted by lumi at 4:39 AM
March 19, 2008
Reform must be order of the day?
Daily News columnist Errol Louis cautions against backsliding in Albany to the days when special interests ruled the day:
But months from now, after the last "good riddance" jokes about Spitzer have been told - and the final bucks raked in by America's best-known whore - New York will remain the most taxed state in the union, and Albany will still be a place where lobbyists, unions and corporate pitchmen wield far too much influence over who gets the sweet slices of the $124 billion budget cake.
Unless, that is, the effort to reform Albany gets back on its feet.
Norman Oder of Atlantic Yards Report concurs, pointing to "Forest City Ratner's significant spending on lobbyists, not to mention the developer's contribution to a "slush fund" controlled by Assembly Democrats."
NoLandGrab: Isn't it nice when we all agree?
Posted by lumi at 3:53 AM
March 18, 2008
Gov. Paterson Says He Supports Atlantic Yards
Brooklyn Dail Eagle
By Brooklyn Eagle
In an interview in Sunday’s Daily News, Gov. David Paterson was quoted as saying that he “expects to carry on Spitzer's support for major development projects such as Moynihan Station and the Atlantic Yards/basketball arena in Brooklyn.”
Posted by lumi at 4:25 AM
David Paterson's Harlem roots
The Daily Voice
By Basil Smikle
Also important to watch are the powerful agencies where Governor Paterson will have major influence -- namely the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) which just hiked painful subway and bus fares as well as tolls on bridges and tunnels. He also appoints individuals to run the Empire State Development Corporation which will have major influence on three large-scale development projects: Atlantic Yards in Brooklyn where the New Jersey Nets intend to build their new arena, Hudson Yards on the West Side whose fate is uncertain and the controversial Columbia University expansion.
What makes the Columbia Expansion so interesting from a political standpoint is that their proposed new construction covers over 20 acres in West Harlem -- Paterson's backyard. Although the project was approved by city agencies and the city council it is vehemently opposed by many Harlem residents concerned about gentrification. It may prove to be an interesting test of the new governor's vision and tenacity.
NoLandGrab: The Columbia University plan prompted Paterson to take a pubilc stand against the use of eminent domain.
Posted by lumi at 4:19 AM
New York Official Resigns Post Amid Shift in Leadership
The NY Times
By Charles V. Bagli
The changing of the guard at the state’s troubled economic development agency was already under way when Gov. David A. Paterson took the oath of office on Monday.
On Sunday, the state’s top economic development official, Patrick J. Foye, sent a letter to Mr. Paterson resigning as co-chairman of the Empire State Development Corporation, which had been riven by disputes between its top three executives and was regarded as dysfunctional by many real estate developers and business executives.
...
Mr. Foye’s office was telling reporters last week that he had no plans to leave his job. But, according to two people who knew him, Mr. Foye, a friend of former Gov. Eliot Spitzer and his wife, learned over the weekend that there was little support for him among Mr. Paterson’s camp.
...
The Paterson administration announced on Monday that Avi Schick, president of the development corporation, would serve as acting chief executive for economic development efforts in New York City and the surrounding counties. It is unclear whether it will be an interim appointment.Mr. Schick, who has developed a powerful political ally in Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, has been involved in the redevelopment of the World Trade Center site, Columbia University’s plans to expand its campus into Harlem and the Atlantic Yards housing and sports arena project in Brooklyn.
Posted by lumi at 4:15 AM
March 17, 2008
ESDC Downstate Chairman Pat Foye resigns
Atlantic Yards Report
Norman Oder sorts through the breaking news from Albany and its mexed missages:
OK, on Friday, Empire State Development Corporation (ESDC) Chairman Pat Foye, an appointee (and friend) of soon-to-depart Governor Eliot Spitzer, was staying in his job, according to the New York Observer. Now, according to the Daily News, Foye is resigning.
...
Paterson told the Daily News he'll continue support for Atlantic Yards. That suggests that work from the ESDC--contractual wrangling, legal strategy, site supervision-- can continue without a chairman and, given delays in the project and emerging doubts from Crain's New York Business, leadership from the top may not be crucial at this point.
NoLandGrab: Foye's departure suggests that shepherding billions of taxpayer dollars for misguided megaprojects wasn't that much fun after all.
Posted by lumi at 7:18 PM
And Now: The Paterson Administration
Gotham Gazette
By Courtney Gross and Gail Robinson
Wonder how the city could fare under a Paterson administration and some New York City officials say they have high hopes.
So who is this Albany veteran, besides being the state's first black and legally blind governor and a so-called ally to the State Legislature?
...
A number of major development projects in the city remain at critical junctures: Moynihan Station, Hudson Yards, Atlantic Yards, Willets Point, the Javits Center Expansion and so on. The state plays a major role in many. Recently, for example, Spitzer proposed selling parcels of the land near the Javits Center, thereby scrapping plans for a substantially larger convention center. This brought sharp opposition from Mayor Michael Bloomberg and City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, among others.It is unclear whether anyone knows Paterson's position on every individual mega project slated for the five boroughs - or even whether he has a position -- but as soon as Spitzer resigned, if not before, the real estate industry began fretting that Paterson might not be as friendly to them as Spitzer had been.
Paterson "is an unknown quantity in real estate circles," Crain's wrote on Wednesday. "That's in sharp contrast to Gov. Spitzer, who was considered pro-development and a friend of the industry, and whose father is a wealthy real estate developer."
Some of the unease about Paterson in the development industry springs from his stated opposition in 2005 to using eminent domain - the government seizing of private property - for economic development projects.
Posted by lumi at 4:29 AM
March 16, 2008
Spitzer Tales
A noteworthy aspect of last week's political flameout of Democratic Boy Wonder Eliot Spitzer (aside from how much he paid for sex) was the total lack of die-hard supporters vouching for the Governor's character.
On Thursday, NY Post columnist Fred Dicker published a laundry list of eye-witness accounts of Eliot Spitzer's exhibitions of arrogance, which should have tipped off reporters and Albany watchers that Spitzer wasn't the "agent of reform" he claimed to be. In Dicker's eyes, the Governor lost his credibility during the cover-up of the smear campaign against State Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno. Dicker's intense questioning in the wake of the scandal earned him his own spot on the Spitzer hit list.
Dicker's I-told-you-so column and the gigantic cone of silence hovering over Spitzer's quickly disappearing allies prompted a recollection of the one Spitzer story that has been circulating for years amongst Atlantic Yards critics.
The very next day, with Spitzer's political career in shambles, Runnin' Scared, the Village Voice's news blog ran this account of the meeting where Elliot Spitzer went off on Atlantic Yards critics:
“Despite the horror this week for New York,” said Candace Carponter, the DDDB legal chair, “It’s a breath of fresh air for us because Spitzer wouldn’t listen to us. He has always either turned a deaf ear to us, or has been abusive to us.” She recalled a particularly rancorous meeting over two years ago, when Atlantic Yards opponents including herself, Goldstein and James met with the then-Attorney General and gubernatorial contender to present their community’s opposition to the project. Although Spitzer had not yet publicly expressed his support for Atlantic Yards, she says the son of a real estate developer belittled their concerns in a shouting match that ran over 20 minutes.
“I have never been berated the way we were in that room,” remembers Carponter. “He was so condescending and so dismissive – I think dismissive is probably the best word –but in an incredibly rude way.”
Political junkies can probably expect more Spitzer as-hysterical-jerk tales in the coming weeks, as it becomes apparent that "The Steamroller" was feared more than he was respected.
Posted by lumi at 3:28 PM
Press Release: CBID PRESIDENT'S STATEMENT ON THE IMPENDING RESIGNATION OF GOVERNOR ELIOT SPITZER AND THE ASCENSION OF HON. DAVID PATERSON TO THE GOVERNORSHIP OF NEW YORK STATE
Central Brooklyn Independent Democrats
CBID would like to take this opportunity to highlight some issues for Governor Paterson's immediate attention.
...
Second, we are aware of the New York State's desire to aggressively pursue affordable housing for New Yorkers and we applaud this. Given the state of our economy and other considerations, now is the time for the new Paterson administration to reconsider its support of and participation in the Atlantic Yards development project in Brooklyn. This is clearly not the time for very questionable expenditures at the state and City level to take place on a project fraught with legal, practical and moral challenges. We urge Governor Paterson to place a moratorium on all state support of Atlantic Yards until and unless all environmental and community issues have been addressed and until more critical budget issues, such as the education and health care crises, have been resolved.
[The entire press release after the jump]
CBID PRESIDENT'S STATEMENT ON THE IMPENDING RESIGNATION OF GOVERNOR ELIOT SPITZER AND THE ASCENSION OF HON. DAVID PATERSON TO THE GOVERNORSHIP OF NEW YORK STATE:
"Out of tragedy emerges a new and worthy champion for New York State"
Chris Owens, newly elected President of the Central Brooklyn Independent Democrats (CBID), today congratulated Lieutenant Governor David Paterson on his impending ascension to the position of Governor of the State of New York. Paterson will become Governor this coming Monday, March 17, following the resignation of the current Governor, Eliot Spitzer.
"Recent events remind us how the ship of scandal leaves many victims in its wake. It was only a few years ago that our nation suffered the impeachment of President Clinton for perjury and obstruction of justice relating to a sex scandal. The memories and hurt linger, even now. This week, New York State has suffered a similar tragedy -- another violation of both the public's faith and the private trust of loved ones. The Central Brooklyn Independent Democrats wish the entire Spitzer family peace and love during this troubled time and in the future.
Yet out of tragedy emerges a new and worthy champion for New York State. New Yorkers are indeed fortunate that the incoming Governor is a capable, wise and experienced individual. David Paterson, born here in Brooklyn, is known by all as a compassionate leader and a change agent. For everyone, there is now healing that needs to take place. There is work to be done. The people's business must move forward and Governor David Paterson will do an outstanding job. We congratulate David Paterson and wish him and his family the best in their new roles.
CBID would like to take this opportunity to highlight some issues for Governor Paterson's immediate attention.
First, we urge the Governor to support education at the State level, and to intervene immediately and get New York City to stop its devastating cuts to the education budget. There is no investment equal to the investment in our children and education, in general. It is time for New York State to let Mayor Bloomberg know that there are performance expectations that cannot come close to being met if education budget cuts take place. And, furthermore, we urge Governor Paterson to make clear that the continuation of "Mayoral control" of schools after 2009 is tied to greatly improved communication with and involvement of parents and communities in the education of our children.
Second, we are aware of the New York State's desire to aggressively pursue affordable housing for New Yorkers and we applaud this. Given the state of our economy and other considerations, now is the time for the new Paterson administration to reconsider its support of and participation in the Atlantic Yards development project in Brooklyn. This is clearly not the time for very questionable expenditures at the state and City level to take place on a project fraught with legal, practical and moral challenges. We urge Governor Paterson to place a moratorium on all state support of Atlantic Yards until and unless all environmental and community issues have been addressed and until more critical budget issues, such as the education and health care crises, have been resolved.
Third, New York State has a positive role to play in protecting residents from losing their homes to foreclosure. We urge Governor Paterson to express his support for the moratorium on foreclosures set forth in legislation authored by New York State Assemblymember Jim Brennan (D-Brooklyn). People across the state need an effective champion, and the mortgage and credit crises beg for Paterson's strong leadership.
Fourth, during his time in the State Senate and as Lieutenant Governor, David Paterson has always taken a strong interest in environmental issues – and we are pleased. In Brooklyn, a pressing environmental issue is the status of the Gowanus Canal. Given the fragile wetlands ecology, the underlying toxicity of the area, and the complexity inherent to brownfield cleanup, we call upon the incoming Governor to protect current and future residents along the Gowanus Canal by insisting on the adoption of a well-supervised master plan jointly agreed upon by Federal (EPA and the Army Corps of Engineers), State (DEC) and City (DEP, DCP) agencies before any rezoning is allowed to go forward – piecemeal otherwise.
There are, of course, numerous additional issues that need to be addressed. In these difficult times, with budget negotiations already taking place, we are highlighting these four as examples of matters requiring the full focus of our new Governor, David Paterson."
Posted by steve at 7:41 AM
Nice-guy David Paterson can be plenty tough, he says
Daily News
By Joe Mahoney
Included in a profile of David Paterson is this mention of Atlantic Yards:
He expects to carry on Spitzer's support for major development projects such as Moynihan Station and the Atlantic Yards/basketball arena in Brooklyn.
Posted by steve at 7:18 AM
March 14, 2008
Paterson Could Derail Development
NY Sun
If David Paterson as governor displays the opposition to eminent domain that he showed as a state senator, several high-profile development projects in New York City could be derailed or delayed, including a Columbia University expansion, the Atlantic Yards project in Brooklyn, and the transformation of Willets Point in Queens.
As a state Senate leader, Mr. Paterson in 2005 held a rally with Council Member Letitia James and state Senator William Perkins on the steps of City Hall during which he called for a statewide moratorium on the use of eminent domain.
Mr. Paterson said a decision handed down by the Supreme Court in the Kelo v. City of New London case could lead to a “gold rush” of eminent domain use across the state, The New York Sun reported at the time. He said he would gather legislators and introduce legislation to impose a moratorium on its use.
“He stood with me and proposed some legislation and I am very hopeful that the lieutenant governor and soon-to-be governor will honor his commitment and will either issue a moratorium or review the abuse of eminent domain across New York City,” Ms. James said yesterday in an interview.
Ms. James’s district is in Brooklyn, and she opposes developer Bruce Ratner’s $4 billion Atlantic Yards project near downtown Brooklyn, which would require use of eminent domain.
...
At a press conference yesterday Mr. Paterson was asked how his policies differed from Mr. Spitzer’s. His response suggested that positions he previously held had not changed very much.“There are some points of view I guess that I’ve changed over the years, but I’m pretty much the same person,” he said.
Mr. Ratner is planning to build a basketball arena and 16 mostly residential towers on 22 acres in Prospect Heights. The plans would remake the low-rise neighborhood with 8 million square feet of development, including more than 6,000 apartments, “affordable” housing, and office and retail space in a complex designed by architect Frank Gehry.
As usual:
A spokesman for Forest City Ratner declined comment.
Develop Don't Destroy Brooklyn posted running commentary on the Sun article.
Posted by lumi at 5:26 AM
March 13, 2008
Governor-in-waiting Paterson protested eminent domain in 2005, but quiet since
Atlantic Yards Report
So what does the soon-to-be NY Governor think about Atlantic Yards and eminent domain abuse?
Now that Lieutenant Governor David Paterson is poised to take the governorship Monday upon Eliot Spitzer's official resignation, expect more talk about his past stance against eminent domain (which I missed when writing about him Tuesday).
A 7/29/05 New York Sun brief, headlined STATE SENATE LEADER CALLS FOR MORATORIUM ON USE OF EMINENT DOMAIN, reported:
At a rally on the steps of City Hall yesterday, a State Senate leader, David Paterson, a Democrat, along with a small gathering of Harlem civic leaders and three City Council members, called for a state-wide blanket moratorium on the use of eminent domain following the recent Supreme Court decision that is widely interpreted as expanding the law’s reach.
Actually, the controversial Kelo v. New London decision merely reaffirmed--through with far more public notice--existing doctrine that "public use" could be interpreted as "public purpose," including increased tax revenues.
Also present was City Council Member Letitia James, the leading political opponent of the Atlantic Yards project. However, Paterson's posture was mainly against Columbia University’s expansion plan, within his 30th Senate District, now reprsented by Bill Perkins, who as City Council majority leader also joined the press conference.
Would real estate "angst" about Paterson extend to AY?
Crain's reported yesterday that Governor-in-waiting David Paterson "is largely an unknown quantity in real estate circles, creating angst about how his accession will affect development."
The article suggested that plans for both the Hudson Yards and Moynihan Station, "already challenged by the credit crisis," could be slowed further. One factor regarding the latter project is whether Patrick Foye, chairman of the Empire State Development Corporation (ESDC), is replaced.
Foye's ESDC has been shepherding the Atlantic Yards plan, which unlike the two mentioned above, has already been approved. The Spitzer administration vigorously defended lawsuits challenging the project, though the ESDC has taken some steps toward greater transparency in listing meeting agendas and hiring an ombudsman.
Posted by lumi at 6:08 AM
Real Estate Round-Up March 12, 2008
From Brooklyn Daily Eagle's Real Estate Round-Up by Sarah Ryley:
Atlantic Yards developer Forest City Ratner Companies was generous to state Democrats, donating an eyebrow-raising $58,420 (that zero is supposed to be there) to their housekeeping committee early this year, according to the disclosure report. But the company wasn’t stingy with the federal senate either. The Real Deal reported a $28,500 donation to the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, “which Senator Chuck Schumer, a major Atlantic Yards supporter, chairs.”
NoLandGrab: That's from a developer who has obviously reversed his pledge to not contribute to political campaigns — this unlimited soft-money loophole must have been too enticing.
Posted by lumi at 6:03 AM
March 12, 2008
Paterson, Ready To Take Center Stage, Is No Stranger to Brooklyn
Brooklyn Daily Eagle
By Raanan Geberer
Either Develop Don't Destroy Brooklyn spokesperson Dan Goldstein is badly in need of a vacation or someone at the Eagle is, because this article, which looks forward to Lt. Gov. David Paterson stepping in as Gov., stopped making sense when it came to Atlantic Yards (as most things do):
Daniel Goldstein of Develop Don’t Destroy Brooklyn (DDDB) said that although Paterson does not oppose the controversial Atlantic Yards development plan as such, he – unlike Spitzer – hasn’t expressly come out against it either.
NoLandGrab: We have it on good authority that what Goldstein actually said was that Paterson, unlike Spitzer, hasn't publicly expressed his support for the project — but he hasn't expressly opposed it, either.
Posted by lumi at 5:03 AM
Spitzer Sex Scandal and YOU: How Prostitutes Impact Congestion Pricing and More
Runnin' Scared (Village Voice blog)
Michael Clancy criused some popular local blogs and gathered some predictions on how Governor Spizter's downfall might affect local proposals and policies, including congestion pricing and Atlantic Yards:
Congestion pricing for downtown Manhattan, already nearing the "endgame" now looks more at risk than before, according to Second Avenue Sagas. The Wonkster took the pulse of City Council members and found support fading fast for the deal.
...
Atlantic Yards Report gives a thorough rundown of how Spitzer’s downfall could impact Forest City Ratner and the Atlantic Yards project.
Posted by lumi at 4:38 AM
March 11, 2008
The Spitzer scandal: any fallout for Atlantic Yards?
Atlantic Yards Report
Norman Oder reads the tea leaves and analyzes the alliances on Day 436 after "Day One" (when everything was supposed to change).
Is there any impact on the Atlantic Yards project from the political damage--likely career-ending--suffered by Gov. Eliot Spitzer yesterday?
Any analysis is speculation, and it's too soon to tell. The scandal might slow down the machinery of government in analyzing and responding to the project, which began under Gov. George Pataki and has generated no criticism from his successor, who pointedly ignored calls from civic groups to delay consideration until the new administration. Then again, it also might mean Spitzer's successor lets the Empire State Development Corporation (ESDC) proceed as before.
In the longer term, the occupant of the Governor's Office might have the opportunity to affect Phase Two of the project, which might be long delayed.
Our favorite part is this bit of commentary, which reveals that Norman Oder is as addicted to analyzing Atlantic Yards as Spitzer is addicted to... well, you know:
While the "Client 9" allegations have generated a tremendous amount of ink, Spitzer's failure to live up to the "Day One, everything changes" pledge he made to voters is undermined far more by his effort to skirt the standard he set for campaign contributions, instead directing large donations to the state Democratic Party (as the Times reported March 4), and his unwillingness to stop "the Atlantic Yards carve-out" that gave a special tax break to Forest City Ratner.
[Norman may have a point, but seriously, New Yorkers are far more concerned that Spitzer "undermined" himself by paying $4,300 for sex, than by his aids' attempts to smear political rival Joseph Bruno, campaign-finance hypocrisy, and giving special tax breaks to Ratner.]
Click here to read the rest of the article, which includes some background on Lieutenant Governor David Paterson's relationship to Atlantic Yards critics and the curious cameo of a "Stop Atlantic Yards" poster on WCBS.
Posted by lumi at 5:25 AM
March 9, 2008
Anthony Weiner's view on Roger Clemens is faulty
Daily News
Mike Lupica
Rep. Anthony Weiner essentially begins his campaign for mayor of New York City by calling for the government to lay off Roger Clemens. Weiner says that the government has more important things to worry about than whether or not Clemens lied to the country and to Congress when he said he had never in his life, not one single time, used steroids and other performance-enhancing drugs.
...
If Weiner really wants to be mayor, he's going to have to do better than this, or he won't get past Marty Markowitz, Brooklyn borough president and No. 1 boy cheerleader for the Atlantic Yards New Jersey Nets.
article
NoLandGrab: Somehow we don't think Atlantic Yards is going to be Marty's selling point...
Posted by amy at 11:51 AM