NEW YORK, NY— Nearly three years to the day Forest City Ratner’s mega-development proposal, branded “Atlantic Yards,” was unveiled, the Empire State Development Corporation (ESDC) has rubberstamped the approval of the General Project Plan, the State Environmental Quality Review findings, and condemnation based on the Eminent Domain Procedure Law findings. These approvals for the largest project proposed by a single developer in the history of New York City were a foregone conclusion on the day the project was officially announced, December 10th, 2003.

“Ratner’s project is illegal, illegitmate, ill-conceived, and irresponsible. Today’s rubberstamp by the ESDC is indeed a milestone; a milestone for an utterly undemocratic process, irresponsible agency review, a complete lack of public planning, and corporate goals ruling the day,” said Develop Don’t Destroy Brooklyn spokesperson Daniel Goldstein.

“The environmental review is fatally flawed, and the entire project stands on shaky legal ground. After this rubberstamp we call on the Public Authorities Control Board to postpone any vote on the project most simply because they will not have adequate time to review so many outstanding issues such as a complete lack of transparent accounting of public cost and an egregiously deficient environmental impact statement. Additionally, the PACB should postpone any vote on the project until the federal lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of eminent domain for Ratner’s plan is resolved in court.”

Key components of “Atlantic Yards,” such as the arena, and the superblocks which require street demappings, cannot be built until the use of eminent domain is shown to be constitutional.

“We also believe that the Spitzer administration deserves to review the project, because if it is built in some form or another, its construction and financing period will occur entirely during his administration and beyond. We believe that a Governor Spitzer will bring refreshing transparency, oversight, and scrutiny to the project’s review,” concluded DDDB’s Goldstein.

Earlier in the day a letter from Develop Don’t Destroy Brooklyn Attorney Jeffrey Baker was delivered to the Board of the Empire State Development Corporation (ESDC) and its Chairman Charles Gargano prior to their meeting on the project today. The letter explained explained the gaping holes and deficiencies in the ESDC's Final Environmental Imapct Statement.