Amid rumors that developer Bruce Ratner and City Council Speaker Gifford
Miller were trying to nip in the bud his plan to hold a hearing on the
Atlantic Yards project, a Queens councilman said this week he will not
be stopped.
Councilman James Sanders, chairman of the Economic Development Committee,
will hold hearings on the plan to build a basketball arena for the New
Jersey Nets and office and residential towers in Prospect Heights.
“We need to make sure in our rush to welcome the Nets back, that
we are not being irresponsible,” said Sanders.
The sweeping, $2.5 billion office and residential development centered
around a 19,000-seat basketball arena at the intersection of Flatbush
and Atlantic avenues to house Ratner’s recently purchased Nets is
expected to be approved by the state.
Ratner unveiled plans for the 21-acre development in December when he
announced his intentions to purchase the basketball team.
Ratner is asking the state to use its power of eminent domain to seize
more than two square city blocks of private land housing between 400 to
800 people.
He is also asking the state to turn over the air rights over 11 acres
of the Long Island Rail Road storage yards, stretching along Atlantic
Avenue between Fifth and Vanderbilt avenues.
But Sanders says he wants to see if the plan is a “good financial
deal for New York City” and plans to bring in development experts
to critique it.
Asked about attempts to thwart the hearings, the councilman and former
Marine, who was inundated with dozens of e-mails in support of the hearing
this week, said, “I assure you, no one tells me what to do.”
“I’ve seen all kinds of statements that the speaker is pressuring
us. That just hasn’t happened. I’ve received no calls form the
speaker or his staff on this issue,” Sanders said.
“That’s absolutely not true,” said Ratner spokesman Barry
Baum.
Miller’s office did not respond to a request for comment.
The hearing is tentatively scheduled for the end of April. Sanders says
he is expecting “solid facts and numbers” from the developers.
“I think it would be an insult to the people of New York City if
they come in and say they are still working on this,” Sanders said.
