[Image courtesy of No Land Grab]
The upcoming Bruce Ratner Gala at the Brooklyn Museum continues to reverberate among those that are not fans of the controversial Atlantic Yards developer. No Land Grab did a humorous take on the invitations that have gone out. The (original) Ratner Murakami invite can be seen in detail here.
Interestingly, one of the first personnel changes in the aftermath of the transition from Eliot Spitzer to David Paterson in Albany was that of Empire State Development Corporation (ESDC) Chairman Pat Foye, who was a friend of the departed governor. Norman Oder of AYR took a look at the sudden departure (on Friday it had been reported that Foye would be staying on the job) and wrote:
What does that mean to Atlantic Yards, shepherded by the ESDC? Were new Governor David Paterson undecided about AY, the transition to a new chairperson, who’d have to get up to speed on pending projects, might be thought to slow things down. But 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.
Crain’s, by the way, put the odds of Atlantic Yards going ahead at 50-50.
Even thought Lt. Gov. David Paterson does not assume the governorship until Monday, it’s never too early to get the campaign started urging him to “pull the plug” on the Atlantic Yards project.
[Original image via Atlantic Yards Report]
Is the Brooklyn Museum in for some Atlantic Yards/Bruce Ratner blowback? Atlantic Yards Report notes there was visible anger at a meeting about Atlantic yards last night about an upcoming April 3 Gala honoring developer Bruce Ratner. AYR notes:
…the crowd’s ire was spurred by breaking news that Forest City Ratner CEO Bruce Ratner would be honored early next month by the Brooklyn Museum. And while local elected officials were understandably wary of criticizing the museum, leading the Brooklyn Paper to conclude that that DDDB’s Daniel Goldstein “was nearly alone in his vitriol,” that wasn’t the mood last night. Goldstein…said DDDB had received a lot of e-mail about it. Prospect Heights resident Irene Porges told the crowd that she had just purchased a museum membership but would ask for her money back.
Others said they wanted to hold a protest on the occasion of the museum’s ball honoring Ratner on April 3, and met afterward to plan the action. The effect of Forest City Ratner’s contributions to local institutions, Goldstein said, “is to silence a lot of people who wouldn’t otherwise be silent.”
Stay tuned to see what form protests about the Brooklyn Museum Ratner Gala take.
Cross Frank Gehry off the list of people born in Brooklyn. Because he was born in Canada. The Atlantic Yards architect’s birthplace has never been a mystery, but according to the Forest City Ratner website for the project, Mr. Gehry had morphed from being a product of Canada to being a Brooklyn native. At least, until this was noticed. The Gehry entry has been entirely denuded of birthplace.–Atlantic Yards Report
From Atlantic Yards Report: “If you have $1000 or more to spend, you can attend the Brooklyn Museum’s Brooklyn Ball 2008 on April 3, honoring developer Bruce Ratner and celebrating the opening of an exhibition billed as “the most comprehensive retrospective to date of the work of internationally acclaimed Japanese artist Takashi Murakami.”
Anyone with a hankering for some Atlantic Yards discussion has another chance tonight. There will be an update on Atlantic Yards tonight (3/13) that is expected to draw some public officials. The session will cover the status of Atlantic Yards litigation as well as the financing issues around the development in a very changed economic environment. As for that, the email says:
Speculation has been increasing recently that Forest City Ratner’s Atlantic Yards project could be falling prey to the triple-whammy of a slowing economy, the crisis in sub-prime mortgages and the global credit crunch. Big real estate deals all around the country are being put on hold or are being shelved altogether, and Ratner’s planned City Tech tower project, which would have been Brooklyn’s tallest building, unraveled two weeks ago (CUNY scuttled the deal because Forest City Ratner’s building “would be too expensive, too slow and too controversial”).The Atlantic Yards project is turning into the deal that couldn’t get done.
The future of the affordable housing (on which the development was sold to the public by supporters) will also be discussed. (There is growing sentiment that much of the affordable housing is threatened if a real estate downturn and recession swamp the project.) The UNITY Plan for the Vanderbilt Rail Yards will also be presented again.
The meeting is sponsored by Develop Don’t Destroy Brooklyn, Society for Clinton Hill, Fort Greene Association, Park Slope Neighbors, Friends and Residents of Greater Gowanus, Bears Community Garden and the South Portland Block Association. The meeting, which starts at 7PM, is at the Hanson Place United Methodist Church at 144 Saint Felix Street in Fort Greene.
“While out documenting the despicable demolition of the Ward Bread Bakery Building for Atlantic Yards, i noticed that some birds appeared to be building a nest, or have already built a nest, inside of a support pole on a lamp post on the corner of Dean Street and Carlton Avenue.” Check out the fight over the nest, which is soaked with symbolism and irony.–Not Another F*cking Blog
The latest missive to Brooklyn residents from Forest City Ratner touts the Community Benefits agreement related to Atlantic Yards. “You gotta love the seven(!) images containing the dummy copy of ‘Ye Olde Community Benefits Agreement.‘ Complete with frayed and crumbling edges, calligraphy font and faux-antique yellowing — the sub-text that the CBA is make-believe couldn’t be more apparent. Learn all about it.–No Land Grab & Atlantic Yards Report
Opponents of the Atlantic Yards project got nowhere in court trying to get an injunction to block the demolition of the Carlton Avenue Bridge but gained a procedural advantage yesterday. An appeal of a lower court’s decision against the challenge to the Atlantic Yards Environmental Impact Review process won’t be argued until September. The decision was issued yesterday afternoon. (For those having a hard time keeping track, there is a separate case concerning eminent domain that is being appealed to the US Supreme Court.)
Forest City Ratner had argued for an expedited hearing, as early as May, but an appellate court ordered documents filed by July and a hearing held after Labor Day. The decision means a delay until fall or winter for any decision and any final resolution of this particular case (assuming a decision goes against the opponents). Atlantic Yards Report concludes the “best case scenario” for the Nets to play in Brooklyn arena would now be the 2011-12 season. Here is scenario as laid out by Norman Oder, whose knowledge of Atlantic Yards is encyclopedic:
It’s not clear how much the timetable has been pushed back. It might take two years to build the arena, once construction starts, but it would be unwise to open the arena until bridges around it have been reconstructed, a three-year process likely not complete until January 2011.
In a best-case scenario, a ruling on behalf of the defendants next fall or winter, would have to be coupled with the U.S. Supreme Court’s unwillingness to hear a challenge to the eminent domain case, as well as a dismissal of the emiment domain plaintiffs’ effort to bring the case to state court. That would have to be followed by condemnation proceedings to acquire remaining property and those buildings would have to be demolished…In other words, the 2011-12 season in Brooklyn may now be the realistic best-case scenario for the opening of the Barclays Center, leaving the Nets three more years in the Izod Center, where crowds have been sparse.
Could Bruce Ratner and fellow team owners be thinking a bit harder about the option of moving–at least temporarily–to the Prudential Center in Newark? It would cost them a significant penalty as of now, but state officials in New Jersey, thinking they might have a chance of keeping the Nets, might be amenable to negotiation.
An interesting scenario could develop if Newark officials desperate for another tenant at the Prudential Center start offering big subsidies.
GLmigration 