Goodbye New Jersey. After months of negotiations, developer Bruce Ratner reached a deal this Community Youth Organization, which owns the team, agreed to the deal “We’re very excited,” said Ratner spokesman Barry Baum. Borough President Marty Markowitz, who has been dreaming of bringing professional One of the loudest supporters of the plan, Markowitz remained collected The deal must be approved by three-fourths of the NBA team owners. A move “I can hardly wait for Brooklyn to realize all of the jobs, housing Until late last week, the Nets owners were also in negotiations with New “He fought hard to keep this team in New Jersey,” said Kushner Purchasing the team is just the first step of Ratner’s sweeping plan In addition to the Frank Gehry-designed arena, the project would include If all goes according to plan, a Ratner spokesman said, the team should During the season the team would play half of its 82 games at the arena This week’s decision caps six month of negotiations to purchase the Over the past few weeks, former Knicks and Nets great Bernard King, a Rap star Jay-Z, who has announced his retirement from performing, is also But not everybody is thrilled with the proposal.
To construct the arena, more than two square blocks of private property And residents along those blocks do not plan to go quietly — or quickly.
“We’re going to fight this,” said Dan Michaelson, a graphic Another group, the Prospect Heights Action Coalition, an early opponent But residents won’t be the only hurdle for Ratner, who is best known Ratner must first secure development rights from the Metropolitan Transportation He would also need the Empire State Development Corporation to condemn “We have to be careful on how we use taxpayer money for stadiums “Sometimes we can help with infrastructure, we can help in other Pataki, Mayor Bloomberg, Sen. Charles Schumer and Markowitz have all rallied State inolvement could help Ratner avoid much of the city’s lengthy Ratner has held high-level positions in two mayoral administrations, and Said James, “There’s a notion that he’s not going to have — with Brooklyn Papers wire reports
Hello, Brooklyn.
week to purchase the New Jersey Nets for $300 million. He plans to bring
the team across two rivers to the Borough of Kings.
at a meeting Friday morning putting an end to the drawn-out bidding war.
“We have a few issues to work out, but we think it would be great
for New York and great for Brooklyn.”
sports back to Brooklyn ever since the Dodgers left for California in
1957, was ecstatic about the prospect of “netting the Nets.”
this week, maintaining a wait-and-see attitude until the contracts are
signed and final approval given.
of the team to Brooklyn would also the approval of NBA owners.
and other benefits that this project will deliver along with Brooklyn’s
return to the national sports stage,” Markowitz said.
Jersey real estate developer Jon Kushner and U.S. Sen. Jon Corzine (D-N.J.),
who had the second-highest bid.
spokesman Michael Turner. “He played by the rules and was told there
would be ample time to negotiate a deal. Clearly, there wasn’t.”
to construct a $2.5 billion arena and office complex at the intersection
of Flatbush and Atlantic avenues stretching into Prospect Heights.
17 towers — reaching as tall as 60 stories — with 4,500 units
of housing down the line.
be playing in Brooklyn by 2007.
and up to an additional 10 games if the team went all the way to the NBA
finals. During the off days, a Ratner spokesman said the arena could be
used for high school and college sports, concerts, ice shows, conventions
and graduations.
team, which despite faltering ticket sales has won the Eastern Conference
championship the past two seasons.
Fort Greene native who attended Fort Hamilton High School in Bay Ridge
toured the city as a booster for Ratner’s bid.
an investor in the plan along with Vincent Viola, chairman of the New
York Mercantile Exchange.
would be condemned and seized by the state.
designer and spokesman for Develop Don’t Destroy, a group of tenants
and owners who live on the blocks that would be taken. Over the past month,
the group has been meeting with attorneys and is weighing legal options.
of the arena plan, has collected more than 5,000 signatures against building
the arena at Flatbush and Atlantic avenues.
for developing the Metrotech office complex in Downtown Brooklyn and far
less visionary Atlantic Center mall, also at Flatbush and Atlantic avenues.
Authority to build over the Long Island Rail Road yards along Atlantic
Avenue.
and seize property along the blocks from Flatbush to Vanderbilt avenues
between Pacific and Dean streets, something both city and state officials
have indicated a willingness to do in order to realize the arena plan,
which is being called the Atlantic Yards project.
or arenas,” said Empire State Development Corp. chairman Charles
Gargano, who will direct state involvement in the project.
ways, but at this point we don’t know,” Gargano said shortly
after a meeting with Gov. George Pataki on Thursday afternoon. “It
remains to be seen what’s coming up and what happens.”
behind the plan, but Councilwoman Letitia James and state. Sen. Velmanette
Montgomery, whose districts encompass the planned arena and tower sites,
are fiercely opposed.
and stringent land-use approval process. Opponents said that is one of
a number of advantages Ratner has because of his political connections.
was once appointed by Pataki to study the possibility of luring pro sports
back to Brooklyn.
any problems getting MTA approval because of his relationship with the
governor.”
