Office of Council Member David Yassky

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Evan Thies, 917 715 9265

NY Times Gets it Wrong --
Yassky Does Not Support Ratner Plan Without Major Changes

October 21, 2005 -- The New York Times erroneously reported yesterday that Council Member David Yassky supports the current plan by developer Bruce Ratner to redevelop Atlantic Yards.  In a statement, Yassky rebuked the Times, saying that he is for housing, jobs and investment for Brooklyn at the site, but will not support the project until significant changes are made.

"I believe that a professional sports team has the potential to benefit Brooklynites, both as an amenity and by creating hundreds of job," Yassky said.  "In addition to the arena, development at Atlantic Yards could also create much-needed housing and space for commercial development.  However, there are many problems with the latest proposal.  Chief among them is the scale of the project.  I do not believe that Downtown and Brownstone Brooklyn can handle such out-of-scale development, nor do I believe that the current plan has adequately considered the impact on surrounding communities."

For more on Yassky's position, read his testimony from Tuesday's public hearing:
http://www.davidyassky.com/show_issue.php?id=21&x=22&y=4