Atlantic Yards Fallout

After Wednesday's public meeting, the NY Post is reporting that Ratner spokesperson Joe DePlasco said the developer "would consider suggestions" made by Marty Markowitz to scale down the Atlantic Yards project. Markowitz proposed limiting the height of the project's 16 high-rises to under 520 feet so that the Williamsburgh Savings Bank would remain Brooklyn's tallest building. The New York Times weighs in with a dissection of Markowitz's about-face, reporting that while Markowitz claims he had planned to speak out all along, the borough pres "may also be sensing a shift in the political winds." We think DDDB's Daniel Goldstein's take is interesting: "I can't see Marty demanding that those building be scaled back and going out on a limb unless he's received some kind of assurance that that will occur." And we like the Times' lowbrow breakdown of what the project means to Marty: "Junior’s Cheesecake, Nathan’s Famous Hot Dogs, a bag of chips and then some." Finally, in a down and dirty editorial on Wednesday's hearing, the Brooklyn Papers (edited by former Post reporter and columnist Gersh Kuntzman) calls Ratner supporters "thugs" for shouting down the anti-Ratner camp, or the "nerds." We can already picture it: Thugs vs. Nerds. In Theaters Now.

Rendering of the Atlantic Yards project from Invisible Man

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By Jill Priluck in News on August 27, 2006 11:22 AM

Comments [rss]

mike

jj - god forbid there are people who care about their city. I guess we should all shut up and go back to watching tv and popping pills, huh?

Lavinia

There is no reason why the government should give Ratner 2 Billion dollars in land, subsides and tax breaks so that he can make 1 Billion dollars in profit with his hideous buildings. Miss Brooklyn - it looks like the plane it it already.

P

"i'm getting sick of all the whining about this project."

JJ- what's your favorite part of Manhattan? I hope it is 6th Avenue in the 50's because this is what the Ratner project is going to look like: no street front retail and a 'park' that is actually just the backs of buildings in the shade. To say nothing of the surface parking that may be on that site for years.

http://maps.google.com/maps?oi=map&q=1301+Avenue+Of+The+Americas,+New+York,+NY

Big Time

Ho-mey is Dick Cheney's best friend.

How are the rims on your Hummer? You are the white man's little puppy - helping to destroy the black community.

redhooky

The Brooklyn Papers has sacraficed all credibility on this project. Their coverage has been absolute crap - sensationalist garbage. I hadn't realized that the editor was an ex-Postie. It makes sense since they've clearly decided to up their circulation on the backs of the Atlantic Yards project.

haw haw 12

I hope this project gets built, just to show those pasty, rural-America transplant Brooklyn nerds. You wonder why Bush is in power now? Not because people like him, but because people voted for him to spite whiney, pasty nerds with serious entitlement issues.

mighty mighty union

Even Gersh mentions how few of these "jobs" will go to blacks from the community.

It's all going to redneck (not southerners but rednecks from sunburnt necks) workers from Long Island.

Only the real estate people will get rich.

Why else is that hole in the ground not built yet? They're still trying to find out how to milk more money out of that pit.

I hope that place get's haunted forever and even fifty years from now, one will find a tooth fragment or bone.

jj

you go, ho-mey... love the post, couldn't have said it better. i'm getting sick of all the whining about this project.

ho-mey

#1 is a white person.

#2 is from jerkwater, WV. Please move back there.

#3 ironically is from NJ and is a Suns fan. Both good reasons not to take him/her seriously.

#4 has run out of insults/arguments.

Please nimbys, go and seek out happiness. You'll brood less and have fewer conspiracy theories (and feel less like impersonating a minority to "make a statement").

mike

Don't forget - the Times is not partial in this debate. Guess who's building the new Times HQ? Why, Ratner of course. You can see the results in the drivel coming from their architecture critic.

Toby

I have one and only one suggestion to Ratner: build the bloody arena in New Jersey.

laura

God I love brooklyn. But please no skylines. Skylines are meant for Manhattan.

jobs not knobs

Did they really think the community would get the coveted Union construction jobs? I mean, really now.

You know it's all whites that get the $30 per hour jobs, some even no shows.

Do they know the only jobs the community will be getting is selling Popcorn at the Net's games?

Popcorn because only the White vendors get to sell the Beer and hostess service.

The only people getting rich here are developers.

(and garage owners, same difference)

No one is going to a restaurant before or after a game, they want to go home to their safe suburban gated community with no minorities.