Develop
Don't Destroy Brooklyn
For
Immediate Release: April 12, 2006
State
Legislators and Governor Grant $100 Million for Ratner Proposal
"Atlantic Yards" Developer Receives Subsidy
While Project
Remains a Financial, Planning and Environmental Mystery
ALBANY, NY - State legislators in the Senate and Assembly, and
Governor Pataki have proposed to grant $100 million for Forest
City Ratner's "Atlantic Yards" development proposal in Brooklyn.
Developer Forest City Ratner (FCR) requested $100 million for its 17 tower and arena proposal. Last week the Assembly appropriated $33 million, and reports today say that the Senate has appropriated $33 million and that the Governor will add $34 million.
Develop Don't Destroy spokesman Daniel Goldstein said, "It appears
that Albany has put a mystery development proposal and potential
white elephant in the state budget. This giveaway has been made
without any knowledge of the proposed development’s: cost-benefit
analysis, scale, density, design, environmental impact,
cost of mitigation, financial viability, and security measuresto
name just a few of the unknowns about the development plan.
Goldstein continued, "Granting a single cent to Ratner at this point is grossly premature. We'd like to know what other backroom politics were at play 150 miles from the people of Brooklyn who would have a front row seat to Ratner's destructive, publicly-subsidized, sweetheart, backroom deal."
Brooklyn assembly members, such as Roger Green who represents
the district where the development is proposed and is an avid
Ratner booster, lost their one chance at using the Ratner request
for $100 million as legislative leverage to gain any meaningful
concessions or mitigations from the developer. In November,
Mr.
Green said, “"I didn't sign the C.B.A. and that was intentional,
because my position was that my ultimate endorsement on behalf
of this project would be the state legislation, the legislation
that would authorize the resources that they would need to complete
this project."
The lone Senate vote against the $33 million appropriation came from Senator Velmanette Montgomery who represents the district where the development plan has been proposed.
"We want an explanation about this thoughtless and reckless
giveaway from Assemblyman
Green, his colleagues in both houses, Mr. Silver, as well
as Mr. Bruno and Governor Pataki," Goldstein added.
The Daily News report on the budget item has this comment from Brooklyn state Senator Martin Golden (R-Bay Ridge): "I support it because of economic development," said. In a DDDB meeting with Senator Golden last year the Senator stated that he supported "Atlantic Yards" but would never want to see it in his district or neighborhood.
DDDB sent a letter earlier this week to Governor Pataki, Speaker
Silver, and Majority Leader Bruno explaining to them why their
appropriation for Forest City Ratner's proposal is premature
and irresponsible and at this early stage relinquishes any leverage
the state legislature would have over the proposed development
plan. That letter can be found here: www.dddb.net//budget/patakiletter.pdf
The state has granted this giveaway despite the fact that Forest
City Ratner has only provided this indecipherable, meaningless
20-year profit/loss
financial projection to Albany and the MTA (a real 20-year
projection was required in the Metropolitan Transportation Authority's
Request For Proposals for Vanderbilt rail yards.).
DEVELOP DON’T DESTROY BROOKLYN leads
a broad-based community coalition
fighting for development that will unite our communities instead
of dividing and destroying them.
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