I got this in my inbox today from Develop Don't Destroy. Below are links to many breaking news stories about yesterday when the State Supreme Court Appellate Division ruled
in favor of the Empire State Development Corporation and against the community
in the challenge to the state's environmental review and "blight"
determination for the Atlantic Yards proposal:
Coverage of the ruling can be found here:
court, despite some misgivings, dismisses EIS case; one judge concurs but slams
blight study, says his hands were tied
—Atlantic Yards Report
Atlantic
Yards developer wins key legal victory
Forest City Ratner gets a green light from courts but still needs
one from banks.
–Crain's New York Business
Concerns
'Legitimate' But Project Proceeds
–New York Law Journal
Legal
Victory for Atlantic Yards Developer
–New York Times City Room Blog
Breaking
news! Ratner wins a big Yards case
–The Brooklyn Paper
Forest City Ratner put out a press
release and Mayor Bloomberg released
a short statement
(It is worth noting, amongst other things, that in Forest City's press release
Bruce Ratner says, "This project has been reviewed as thoroughly as any
in the City…" That's an Orwellian quote if we've ever seen one. This
project bypassed all city review for an undemocratic state take over and zoning
override and a state environmental disclosure process with one public hearing.
A project nobody in the city ever reviewed or voted on. A court ruling based
on extreme deference to a state agency is not evidence of any review at all,
let alone a thorough one.)
Orwellian quote indeed: many of my clients, whose projects have been one tiny fraction of the scale of Ratner’s proposed monstrosities, have had to spend huge amounts of time and money complying with all the regulations and requirements of city codes, zoning and ULURP. Allowing Ratner to continue, and not only that, but to even consider any amount of bailout, is simply to condone outright theft, from taxpayers as well as from homeowners in the footprint of Atlantic Yards.