April 06, 2007
Another lawsuit in Brooklyn
Yet another lawsuit has been filed against the multi-billion-dollar Atlantic Yards project, which would include a new arena for the New Jersey Nets. (And cost city and state taxpayers $305 million in cash plus an undetermined amount of tax breaks.) The latest suit, filed by the Council of Brooklyn Neighborhoods, a coalition of neighborhood groups, charges that the environmental impact statement for the project was insufficient, ignoring both public complaints and likely impacts in areas such as traffic and security concerns. Three other lawsuits are pending, challenging the taking of land for the project by eminent domain, demanding the release of developer Bruce Ratner's financial plan, and charging the state with failing to have an independent environmental monitor on site as required by law.
Construction work has begun on the project - albeit very slowly - while everyone involved waits for the legal challenges to be resolved. At least it's made for a fun Passover.
—Neil deMause
The lawsuits will be thrown out.Can't wait to see the nets playing in brooklyn in 2009
Posted by dan on April 7, 2007 04:46 PM
How come the lawsuits are gonna be thrown out, Dan?
And since you're paying such close attention, you know that Ratner's realizing that 2010's the earliest the Nets might be playing anywhere not the Meadowlands.
Posted by Scott Turner on April 8, 2007 01:49 AM
The reasons the lawsuits will be thrown is because Silver ,Pakaki and bruno voted yes for the project. The nets will be in brooklyn in 2009. The lawsuits were thrown out for the yankees. The same thing will happen for the nets.
Posted by dan on April 8, 2007 08:12 PM
Aw, Dan, you're just not paying attention!
A lawsuit filed last week in NY Supreme Court makes an 11-point charge that the entire Environmental Impact Statement process was flawed, for reasons too numerous to go into here. If the plaintiffs win, the entire project has to go back through the EIS review -- which means a new ESDC administration eager to show they're real watchdogs and not the previous regime's inept lapdogs.
If they clear that hurdle, eventually it would end up back with the PACB -- the three-men-in-a-room vote you believe is ironclad (it isn't). One of those men is different now. Goodness knows what that board will decide or what the house-of-cards that is the Atlantic Yards will be by then.
The other two lawsuits have nothing to do with the PACB's decision. One is a federal eminent-domain case based on constitutional issues, the other is a group of tenants suing Ratner for screwing with them on displacement and compensation issues.
In other words, the Silve/Bruno/Pataki vote is by no means a "slam dunk," as Ratner supporters like to say but haven't been right yet.
Posted by Scott Turner on April 9, 2007 12:17 PM
Like I said it will be thrown out. The brooklyn arena will startbeing built in the summer . They will can all go on lives. And we won't have to talk about arena/stadium issues in ny until dolan wants a new MSG.
Posted by dan on April 9, 2007 07:24 PM
Then we can go on with our lives. P.S. stop hanging out with neil demuse its unbecoming.
Posted by dan on April 9, 2007 07:30 PM
Yeah, stay away from that "demuse" character. He's always stealing my thunder. And my mail.
Posted by Neil on April 9, 2007 07:42 PM
I mispelled your last name neil sorry about that.
Posted by Dan on April 9, 2007 10:43 PM
I hate to tell you, Scott, but the ESDC is still a dirty organization. Spitzer has gone out of his way to carry on with terrible Pataki initiatives. So disappointing. . . .
This means that even if the environmental lawsuits are successful, you'll still run up against the fix, which is in deep.
Posted by brooklyn james on April 11, 2007 09:31 PM