Saturday May 3 2008
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MAY 3 RALLY ASKS GOVERNOR PATERSON TO CALL
TIME OUT ON ATLANTIC YARDS
Civic groups, elected officials unite
Concerned further demolition and displacement of residents will blight Brooklyn
Seek community involvement in new plan
BROOKLYN , NY: Several hundred people came together today in the footprint of the stalled Atlantic Yards project. During an afternoon of protest, music and speeches, they cheered and chanted as local elected officials joined with three community coalitions demanding that Governor David Paterson call a Time Out on Atlantic Yards.
The rally called on the Governor to suspend demolitions, displacement of residents and businesses, infrastructure disruptions and further subsidies to the project so that changes to the project can be assessed and a new plan prepared with community involvement. Officials speaking at the rally included NYS Senator Velmanette Montgomery, NYS Assemblyman Hakeem Jeffries, and NYC Councilmembers Letitia James, David Yassky, and Tony Avella. NYS Assemblyman Jim Brennan and NYC Councilmember Bill de Blasio had previous commitments but sent statements.
The Time Out rally was sponsored by BrooklynSpeaks, the Council of Brooklyn Neighborhoods and Develop Don’t Destroy Brooklyn, in response to the growing uncertainty and risks in plans for the Vanderbilt railyards and the proposed Atlantic Yards project. In addition to a weakened real estate market and the credit crisis, scarcity of housing bonds, and drastically increased construction costs, recent statements by Bruce Ratner, CEO of Atlantic Yards developer Forest City Ratner, have created concerns that key elements and promised public benefits of the original plan would be delayed, perhaps indefinitely. The rally represented the first time the three coalitions and elected officials who have previously expressed a range of views on Atlantic Yards joined publicly to call for action by the Governor on the project.
The State approved the Atlantic Yards project on the basis of its promise to create affordable housing, local jobs, publicly-accessible open space and an arena for the New Jersey Nets basketball team. On March 21, Mr. Ratner said in an interview with the New York Times that a downturn in the real estate and financial markets had left only the arena with a committed date for construction. The bulk of the affordable housing and open space was being placed on hold indefinitely. The developer has also said it “needs more” subsidy in order to build the project, beyond the $2 billion of public funds already estimated to be provided under direct and indirect subsidies. But FCR has continued demolition across the entire 22-acre site, prompting concerns among residents and elected officials that the site could become blighted for years or decades.
Speaking on behalf of the rally sponsors, Deb Howard, Executive Director of the Pratt Area Community Council, said, “The Atlantic Yards review and approval process was unresponsive to the public’s concerns. But now, neither the public nor its elected representatives even know what is planned for the site. The Empire State Development Corporation claimed Atlantic Yards would connect the surrounding neighborhoods. Instead, the agency is blighting and dividing our neighborhoods. We need the Governor to intervene immediately so that we aren’t left with a huge bill and a massive parking lot. The project that was approved doesn’t work for Brooklyn, and the current situation is unacceptable.”
Assemblyman Hakeem Jeffries, whose district includes most of the Atlantic Yards project, said, "Given the tremendous uncertainty that clouds the future of this project, we must proceed with extreme caution before demolishing buildings and blighting parts of the neighborhood on sites that may never be developed.”
“Forest City's promises for Atlantic Yards have proven to be false. The project, which I have opposed from day one because of its lack of input from the community and lack of accountability, is bad for my community, bad for my district and bad for Brooklyn,” said State Senator Velmanette Montgomery, whose district includes the Atlantic Yards site. “I believe that when Governor Paterson comes to fully understand all of the project's problems and abuses, he will put a halt to it and start over. My colleagues and I will make sure that the Governor is fully apprised of those problems and abuses.”
“The Empire State Development Corporation is failing in its obligation to assure that affordable housing is built simultaneously with other elements of the project. A stand-alone arena is not acceptable,” said Assemblyman Jim Brennan in a statement. “The excessive size of the project may be adding to delays by creating more financial risks, as well as adverse environmental consequences. ESDC needs to look at a downsizing and a reconfiguration of the entire project to assure that it can proceed.”
Said Council Member David Yassky, "Brooklyn residents and city taxpayers deserve to know what the real plan is for Atlantic Yards before another dollar is spent on this project.”
Council Member Bill de Blasio issued a statement stating that, “With thousands of units of affordable housing and jobs hanging in the balance, the number of unanswered questions and the level of uncertainty surrounding this project is unacceptable. Forest City Ratner must immediately provide the community with a timeline for construction, including all units of affordable housing, and release any revisions that have been made to the General Project Plan to date. We cannot tolerate further demolitions and certainly will not consider additional public investment in this project until these very reasonable requests are met.”
"I remain steadfast in my opposition to Atlantic Yards,” said Councilmember Letitia James who represents the district where the project would be built. “The project has definitively proven itself to be a classic bait and switch. For this reason, the demolitions need to stop, the subsidies need to stop and eminent domain must be taken off the table. It's time to stop blighting my district. I’m calling on Governor Paterson to put a halt to the project. Then, my city and state colleagues and I, along with the Governor, can start over with a new plan to develop the rail yards that works for the people of Brooklyn."
About BrooklynSpeaks
www.brooklynspeaks.net
BrooklynSpeaks is an initiative of city-wide and Brooklyn-based civic and community groups to inform New Yorkers about the Atlantic Yards development. The sponsors Brooklyn Speaks.net believe that the current Atlantic Yards Plan won’t work for Brooklyn, and that development on the site must: respect and integrate with surrounding neighborhoods; include a transportation plan that works and affordable housing that meets the community’s needs; and involve the public in a meaningful way.
About The Council of Brooklyn Neighborhoods
www.councilofbrooklynneighborhoods.org
The Council of Brooklyn Neighborhoods is a coalition of 41 recognized diverse community groups who have come together to ensure the meaningful community participation in the planning and development of any project involving the Brooklyn Vanderbilt rail yards. CBN led the community review and response to the Atlantic Yards Environmental Impact Statement and has published a library of research and conclusory documents, available to all on our website.
About Develop Don’t Destroy Brooklyn
www.dddb.net
Develop Don’t Destroy Brooklyn (DDDB) leads a broad-based community coalition
advocating for development that will unite our communities instead of dividing and destroying them. DDDB opposes Forest City Ratner's "Atlantic Yards" proposal in Prospect Heights, Brooklyn while advocating for a community developed plan for the Vanderbilt rail yards. The group is responsible for organizing two major lawsuits, one challenging the use of eminent domain for Atlanitc Yards, and the other seeks to overturn the project’s environmental review and overall approval. DDDB is a volunteer-run, 501c3 non-profit corporation supported entirely by the financial contributions of over 4,000 individuals from the community.
