May 5, 2004 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: PROSPECT HEIGHTS ACTION COALITION Developer Shoots Air Ball at City Council Fails to Answer Economic Development Committee's Questions Press Contact: Patti Hagan, Prospect Heights Action Coalition, 718-219-2137 Daniel Goldstein, Developdon't destroy BROOKLYN, 917-701-3056 In four hours of testimony before the City Council's Economic Development Committee yesterday, proponents of a Nets arena complex proposed by Forest City Ratner (FCR) were unable to answer repeated questions about the size of public subsidies that will be required, the cost of "affordable" apartments being promised or guarantees of jobs to the community. Forest City Ratner's EVP Jim Stuckey responded to Christine Quinn's [D-Manhattan] repeated questions about the amount of needed public subsidies by revealing that they would be more than $10 million and less than $1 billion. (FCR has said that virtually no public monies will be used.) At one point, an exasperated Charles Barron [D-Brooklyn] asked, "Is it an economically viable project?" "We believe it will be," Stuckey said. Barron replied, "You believe?" When asked repeatedly to define "affordable" housing, Stuckey offered no guarantees, saying only that FCR would consider a mix of market, affordable and low-income housing and that the income level for "affordable" would probably be less than $100,000. Letitia James [D-Brooklyn] noted that a report prepared for FCR by Sports Economist Andrew Zimbalist states that $142,000 qualifies as 'middle income.' James said, "That is not the definition of affordable housing in my District." Andrew Alper, President of the City's Economic Development Corporation, likewise answered all requests for financial specifics with the statement "that is being negotiated." (Negotiations are between FCR, NYC, New York State's Empire State Development Corporation and the MTA.) "We have to see how the profit unfolds," said Alpert. "How do we know what we're getting if we don't know what else is out there?" asked Eric Gioia [D-Queens]. "How do we know we're not just bidding against ourselves?" Community advocates, who spoke for only two minutes each following a break from which most members of the Council, the Committee and the press did not return, called on the City Council to retain its role in shaping this proposal, and Brooklyn's future. Opponents raised issues including (1) taxpayer financing, (2) traffic and environmental impacts, (3) the secret, undemocratic nature of the process, (4) bypassing of ULURP (NYC's Uniform Land Use Review Process) and City or State legislative oversight, (5) the appropriateness of an arena in densely-populated, historic, low-rise neighborhoods, (6) the decades-long ripple effects and secondary displacement that are likely to ensue, (7) eminent domain abuse and (8) the selling of public property (the Atlantic Yards) without competitive bid. (See the attached quotes.) The community also presented six alternative development proposals, including one for the Brooklyn Navy Yards developed with Congressman Major Owens. Several of these can be viewed at http://developdontdestroy.org/public/dddb-kit042504.pdf. ### QUOTES FROM THE COMMUNITY All persons quoted below are available for comment and interview. Contact Daniel Goldstein, 917-701-3056, for more details. "Instead of eminent domain abuse, we propose the adaptive reuse of existing buildings. Instead of removing streets we propose adding new streets. Instead of privately held open space, we propose real public space that relates to the street, the true space of public life in New York." --Marshall Brown, Urban Designer and Architect Atlantic Yards Development Workshop "The alternative models have shown that we can have it allthe arena, the jobs, the mixed income housing as well as the continued economic success and preservation of our neighborhoods. Why are we not choosing that? Is this one man that powerful?" --Shabnam Merchant, Prospect Heights Resident "Bruce Ratner stands to lose millions if his not the community's timetable is not met. He is foisting his business problems on the community, without a shred of community input." --Eric Reschke, Prospect Heights Resident Developdon't destroy (Brooklyn) "Closed-door meetings between Public Authorities, the Developer, the Mayor and the Governor, plus PR salvos in the press are unacceptable ways of making informed, democratic and fair decisions about a $2.6B project that will forever change the face, heart and soul of Brooklyn." --Daniel Goldstein, Prospect Heights Resident Developdon't destroy (BROOKLYN) "It's crazy that (FCR) can walk in here and ask for between $10 and $999 million dollars when they won't even describe what they're going to give back, let alone commit to it on paper." --Jezra Kaye, Prospect Heights resident "We want full disclosure of the millions of dollars that are earmarked for an all-amateur arenawhere the funds originated and which politicians are controlling those funds at this point. Not one dollar of those funds should go to Forest City Ratner for any of their projects." --Vernon Jones, www.nycbastketball.com "Why have we allowed Ratner to frame the question? After seeing the brilliant alternative plans for an arena, the City Council should rip up Ratner's plans and say, 'Let's start from scratch.'" --Lucy Koteen, Fort Greeners for Organic Development "We object to the use of eminent domain to condemn the private property of residents and business owners of Prospect Heights for the benefit of one private developer, especially when that developer owns property adjacent to the proposed condemnation site which could be used for the proposed development." --Norman Siegel, Esq., who represents footprint residents and business owners in their fight to save neighborhood homes, businesses and jobs |
