Daniel Goldstein, the Brooklyn gadfly who made a name for himself in his relentless and ultimately losing battle against developer Bruce Ratner's Atlantic Yards project, was ultimately forced out of his home in Prospect Heights through eminent domain. True, he won a $3 million settlement from Ratner when he finally agreed to move, but, ironically, he's now in a nasty fight in his new neighborhood, where his neighbor is on the warpath over an extension he wants to build on his Park Slope house. Is he his own Bruce Ratner? more ›

The Post's rantin' Steve Cuozzo is in rare form today with his takedown of the new plaza planned for the Barclays Center/Atlantic Yards project in Brooklyn. Cuozzo calls the design "singularly malevolent in its ugliness," and "more conducive to hosting a Crips-Bloods scrimmage than the intended upscaling of the neighborhood." The best part? When "He Who Yells At Cloud" lays the blame for this "travesty" at the feet of the project's biggest opponent. more ›

Bruce Ratner must have exhaled a sigh of relief when outspoken nemesis Daniel Goldstein finally agreed to vacate the last apartment in the footprint of his multi-billion dollar Atlantic Yards site last month, giving way for the humongous project to begin construction. But just because no one is physically in his way anymore doesn't mean Ratner doesn't have to contend with more ethereal concerns! more ›

Longtime Bruce Ratner nemesis Daniel Goldstein agreed to a $3 million settlement to vacate his apartment in the Atlantic Yards footprint last week, but that doesn't mean either side wants the bad-mouthing good times to stop! more ›

During much of the battle over the Atlantic Yards development, opponents of the project portrayed ACORN, the embattled community organizing group, as sell-outs, because the organization partnered with developer Bruce Ratner after he pledged more than 2,000 units of below-market-rate housing for the project. Some critics, like Daniel Goldstein, the former spokesperson of Develop Don't Destroy Brooklyn, saw this as betrayal, and questioned the ethics of a low-interest $1.5 million loan later given to the group from Forest City Ratner. Fast forward to yesterday: After Goldstein accepted $3 million in exchange for moving out of the Atlantic Yards footprint, ACORN's CEO Bertha Lewis sent out a rather nasty email to reporters, slamming Goldstein hard: more ›

Despite accepting $3 million in exchange for moving out of the Atlantic Yards, longtime Bruce Ratner enemy and last Atlantic Yards holdout Daniel Goldstein insists he is not giving up the fight. "I've not been silenced, and I am not leaving DDDB as it transitions into a new phase of fighting Atlantic Yards," he said in a press release sent out this morning. He claims that at yesterday's hearing with the Empire State Development Corporation, he had no idea he would be offered a settlement, and did not have a press statement ready. However, "Forest City Ratner saw it as a big press event and sent out a press release immediately," which Goldstein says led to biased reporting. more ›

The Atlantic Yards project is really, really underway after years of controversy and setbacks, and yesterday brought another reminder of that reality when seven of the final holdout families still living in Pacific St. apartments signed an agreement with developer Bruce Ratner to leave by May 7. Which of course leaves just one final holdout: Daniel Goldstein. Update: Now Goldstein is moving, after getting $3 million from Ratner. [More details below] more ›

Mikhail Prokhorov's plan to buy the New Jersey Nets may be put on hold as officials look into his possible Zimbabwean holdings. Rep. Bill Pascrell Jr. of the Ways and Mean Committee will look into whether Prokhorov's companies in Zimbabwe violate rules that forbid American citizens, companies, and subsidiaries from doing business with President Robert Mugabe, known for his frequent human rights violations. Pascrell told the Post, "Obviously, the Board of Governors of the NBA didn't do their job properly when they vetted this deal." more ›

After years of delays and legal objections, Atlantic Yards developer Bruce Ratner says he will break ground on his controversial megaproject on March 11. The announcement comes after a judge ruled that state officials can use eminent domain to evict Brooklyn residents who live in the footprint of the $4.9 billion development, which calls for high-rises and a basketball arena on the border of Fort Greene and Prospect Heights. "Today's court ruling marks the transition from the obstruction to the construction phase," said Forest City Ratner executive vice president Bruce Bender. more ›

According to the Brooklyn Paper, state Supreme Court Justice Abe Gerges ruled that 14 claims by project opponents regarding issues including the timing of the condemnations and recent modifications of the plan had no "merit." Last year, the project seemed stalled before an Appeals Court dismissed lawsuits challenging the development and Ratner managed to sell $511 million in bonds to get financing. Ratner—who project opponents attempted to arrest last month —will now likely be able to move forward by permanently closing streets around the project site and beginning construction on the Barclays Center. more ›

Here's a sign that the Atlantic Yards project might actually get built — longstanding opponent Daniel Goldstein has started to look for a new place to live, according to the Associated Press. Goldstein, the most vocal adversary of developer Bruce Ratner's plan to move the New Jersey Nets to Brooklyn and construct a high-rise housing complex, currently resides within the project's footprint and would be forced out using eminent domain proceedings. Though the wire service reports "he isn't ready to concede defeat," Goldstein has apparently started thinking about finding a new place to live. This comes after the seemingly beleaguered project won a major victory when a court dismissed a lawsuit challenging its use of eminent domain, and after Ratner finally closed on the $4.9 billion deal. In November, the state gave Goldstein a lowball offer for his Prospect Heights condo, promising him $80,000 less than he spent to buy it in 2003. more ›

The NY State Court of Appeals, the highest in the state, dismissed a lawsuit challenging the use of eminent domain for developer Bruce Ratner's Atlantic Yards project. The NY Times calls the lawsuit the "last major obstacle" for Ratner, "whose 22-acre development has been delayed for three years by a flurry of lawsuits, the collapse of the credit and real estate markets and a glut of luxury housing, plans to begin selling tax-free bonds next month to finance the development’s cornerstone project: an 18,000-seat basketball arena for the New Jersey Nets at the intersection of Flatbush and Atlantic Avenues near downtown." more ›

We noticed two YouTube videos, taken from an apartment with a view of Dean Street, documenting some late night construction activity at the Atlantic Yards site in downtown Brooklyn. How late? Well, one video takes place at 11:42PM (video) while the other is in the 4AM hour (above!). For reference, according to 311, construction hours are generally 7AM to 6PM on weekdays (there may be emergency work in the middle of the night, but only on occasion; we also know some contractors get variances and conduct work late at night). more ›

Yesterday, people critical of developer Bruce Ratner's massive, billion dollar Atlantic Yards project held the Third Annual Walk Don't Destroy Walkathon. And leading opponent Develop Don't Destroy Brooklyn held a press conference asking a new question that goes beyond eminent domain and the size and scale of the plan. Now the question is whether the Atlantic Yards will be safe from a terror risk. more ›

A federal judge dismissed an eminent domain lawsuit that would have stopped the Atlantic Yards project in Brooklyn. The lawsuit, brought by Daniel Goldstein of the vocal anti-AY group Develop - Don't Destroy Brooklyn, claimed that the multi-billion dollar project abused eminent domain, by not having much public benefit, only benefit for developer Bruce Ratner. Judge Nicholas Garaufis dismissed the case, writing, "Plaintiffs have not set forth facts supporting a plausible claim of an unconstitutional taking. Nowhere in the amended complaint or their briefs do plaintiffs sufficiently allege any purpose to confer a private benefit." You can read more about the case, Goldstein vs. Pataki, here. more ›

Developer Bruce Ratner has been letting the media know that construction will begin on the Atlantic Yards project. The controversial development will bring an arena for the Nets as well as commercial and residential space in the millions of square feet, as well as displace residents in its 22 acre footprint. Metro reports that for the first phase of prep work, a "temporary rail yard" will be set up on the eastern side so Forest City Ratner can build the arena on the western side. The work on the arena itself would begin in the fall. more ›

Leaving our local Key Food this morning, for the first time we heard the spare change guy's rendition of "Bad to the Bone" and then we turned to one of our weekend rituals: Reading the The Brooklyn Paper. more ›

It’s another defining week for the Atlantic Yards. On Wednesday, the 8 million square-foot project faces one of its last hurdles: approval by the Public Authorities Control Board, the state oversight body that monitors Albany’s fiscal commitments to projects like the Yards. PACB votes have derailed large-scale projects before, most notably last year when Assembly speaker Sheldon Silver and Joseph Bruno, the Senate majority leader, killed the West Side Stadium plan. Of course, it’s no secret how Pataki, who also has a vote, will go. more ›

The NY Times is reporting that Atlantic Yards developer Bruce Ratner will cut the size of the project by 6-8%. How? By reducing the amount of market-rate housing. And also from the Times:

"[Ratner's company] Forest City is also considering reducing the height of the project’s tallest tower, which is known as Miss Brooklyn, to get it under the height of the borough’s tallest building, the nearby Williamsburgh Savings Bank tower, according to real estate executives."

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People are wondering why City Council Speaker Christine Quinn is so quiet about the Atlantic Yards project. The Observer points out that Quinn was instrumental in leading City Hall opposition to the West Side Stadium, with the suggestion being that Quinn is thinking about running for Mayor and will need to keep certain people happy. Develop Don't Destroy Brooklyn's Daniel Goldstein tells the Observer, "It would not be a principled position for her to support it as it is currently proposed," while City Councilwoman Letitia James, whose district will be affected by the project, says, "We’re still negotiating with the Speaker’s office. She definitely remembers that I was there for Hudson Yards.” Oh, yeah, Hudson Yards - that's what the West Side project was called. more ›

Endearing themselves to no one except the Mayor, Jay-Z, Marty Markowitz, and Bruce Ratner, the MTA board voted to negotiate with Ratner's group exclusively on the Brooklyn rail yards. Ratner's bid had $50 million in cash, while rival bid from Extell was worth $150 million in cash; the MTA valuation of the land was more like $214.5 million. The MTA is probably reacting to the fact that Ratner is offering to redevelop a lot of transit authority's land and facilities in the area, but they need more cash to make any dealing seem on the up and up. MTA Chairman Peter Kalikow said, "I think the bid that we did get from [Ratner's company] Forest City, while complete and well thought-out, frankly was not as high as I expected." Duh. The one MTA board member who voted against the Ratner negotiation said he wanted the MTA to negotiate with both Ratner and Extell. more ›