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Today the Supreme Court declined to hear an appeal by 11 Brooklyn property owners and tenants whose homes and businesses would be razed to make way for the $4 billion Atlantic Yards project. Coincidentally, today marks the third anniversary of the Supreme Court’s narrow 5-4 ruling in the case of Kelo v. City of New London, which affirmed the government’s power to use eminent domain to accommodate private development.
The plaintiffs vowed to file their lawsuit in New York State Court, which could delay the seizure of the land for several more months. Atlantic Yards Report notes that the case is still a long shot for the residents, and wonders if some of them will now be more amenable to a settlement with the developer, Forest City Ratner. Two other lawsuits are still delaying the start of construction on the future Nets arena, which Bruce Ratner promises to start by the end of the year. Or he could just give up and move the Nets to Newark.
Photo courtesy Triborough.
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Just let the Nets move to Newark and have the Supersonics move to Brooklyn.
Ah yes. The Kelo ruling. Nothing like the highest court in the land saying that it is ok for government to use our tax dollars to take our homes/land/etc. from us for use by private developers for private property. Why aren't more people incensed by this again?
'scuse me I meant "private profits" not private property.
Anyone interested in making a difference and fighting against this nonsense can do so by visiting Develop Don't Destroy Brooklyn: http://dddb.net/
Face the music... its a huge and ill-used piece of land that sits at the crux of North Brooklyn's transportations and best neighborhoods. It's a big ugly area of wasted space. If you want to take up a case against the use of eminent domain - fair enough. I you are worried about how well it will be designed and built - fair enough. But you're crazy if you think Brooklyn is better off with a massive no-man's-land-crater at its heart than a multi-billion dollar piece of development.
...And what's wrong with private profits so long as the building proportionately improves the site and surrounding areas?
So I guess a Taco Bell is out of the question...