Despite months of delays and false starts in realizing his vision of building
a Brooklyn arena for his New Jersey Nets, Bruce Ratner remains convinced
that everything is going according to plan.
“These things do get delayed, [but] I have a very a good track record
of getting things done,” Ratner told The Brooklyn Papers and other
reporters before a Nets game at the Meadowlands last week.
“You look at the kind of development [Forest City Ratner Company]
does, almost everything winds up taking longer than we anticipate. This
is how it is … Normally, there wouldn’t be a matter of great
consequence [but] here everybody [is] watching, asking questions …
So it’s not unexpected from my point of view.”
Ratner originally predicted that the Frank Gehry-designed arena —
at the intersection of Flatbush and Atlantic avenues in Downtown Brooklyn
— would be finished in time for the 2007 season.
Now he says it will be finished for 2009. As a result, the Nets are negotiating
with New Jersey to extend their lease, which runs through next season,
at the Meadowlands.
Ratner’s company has said in court papers that it loses $4 million
every month his Atlantic Yards mega-development — of which the Nets
arena is a small part — is delayed. Opponents have kept Ratner’s
lawyers busy, first objecting to plans to begin demolition of some old
buildings on the Atlantic Yards project site as well as the state’s
use of an environmental lawyer who was on Ratner’s payroll.
The lawyer, David Paget, was ordered off the case (see story on page 6),
but the demolition of the buildings is proceeding. Ratner’s Atlantic
Yards has not been approved by the state.
“It’s fair to say when we get to Brooklyn, it’s going to
be the moment this franchise has been waiting for probably since it got
into NBA,” said Nets CEO Brent Yormack. “Everyone that works
for this team realizes that, we believe it and we’re betting on it.”
The National Basketball Association takes a very dim view of gambling.
