When: Wednesday April 30, 2014 from 5:30 PM. to 9:00 PM
Where: Long Island University, 75 DeKalb Avenue, Room HS107

In 2009, sponsors of BrooklynSpeaks filed suit against the New York State Empire State Development Corporation (ESDC) and Forest City Ratner Companies for their decision to allow the completion of the Atlantic Yards project to be delayed from 10 to 25 years. A State Supreme Court ruled in July 2011 that ESDC’s failure to study the effects of the 15-year delay on surrounding communities violated State environmental law.

Now, four and a half years after its illegal approval of the delayed project schedule, ESDC has issued a draft environmental report that claims waiting until 2035 to complete Atlantic Yards won’t be a big deal for our community.

Our neighbors in danger of being displaced through rising rents can’t wait a generation or more for Atlantic Yards to make good on its commitment to provide 2,250 affordable apartments. The community asked that the State consider bringing in other developers to speed up the project. Can’t be done, the State tells us.. In the meantime, Forest City just announced that the first building at the Atlantic Yards site will be delayed for yet another year—until the end of 2015.

Local residents haven’t forgotten the disruptions they suffered during construction of the Barclays Center arena, either—disruptions that were supposed to be relieved through environmental commitments by Forest City that ESDC failed to enforce. ESDC says it’s learned from past mistakes, but we’ve heard that before. Should we have to take a chance on the agency’s utter inability to look out for the community’s interests for another two decades?

Atlantic Yards is the only large State project where decisions are made by a board of political appointees with no local members. It’s time to use this opportunity to tell Governor Cuomo how you feel about giving Forest City Ratner the exclusive right to hold 22 acres of our community hostage for 25 years with no accountability to the public. Join us! Make your voice heard for accountability, transparency and community input and speak up for Brooklyn!

An internal memorandum by the New York State Empire State Development Corporation (ESDC) shows that a proposed sale by Forest City Ratner Companies (FCRC) of its interest in the Atlantic Yards project to Greenland Holdings Group will result in Greenland’s securing decision-making control on the remainder of the project. The sale would result in the creation of a new joint venture between FCRC and Greenland, and Greenland will be allowed to appoint a majority of directors to the new firm’s board, including its Chairman and CEO.

Had enough of the broken promises at the Atlantic Yards project? Our elected officials sure have. Now that the State has to consider whether to approve Forest City Ratner's proposed sale of interest in Atlantic Yards to Chinese developer Greenland Holdings, it's your chance to tell Governor Cuomo not to let what may be the last opportunity for accountability at the project slip away.