CRUISE WINNERS IN BACK PAGES BROOKLYN’S REAL NEWSPAPERS Including The Brooklyn Heights Paper, Carroll Gardens-Cobble Hill Paper, DUMBO Paper, Fort Greene-Clinton Hill Paper and Downtown News Published every Saturday — online all the time — by Brooklyn Paper Publications, 55 Washington St, Ste 624, Brooklyn 11201. Phone 718-834-9350 • www.BrooklynPapers.com • ©• 18 pages •Vol.28, No. 28 AWP • Saturday, July 16, 2005 • FREE TERMINAL TERROR FEAR Study calls Atlantic Ave subway-LIRR complex prime spot for attack By Jess Wisloski The Brooklyn Papers EXCLUSIVE Less than a week after a terrorist attack on the underground subway system in before the attacks in London. It addresses an London left more than 52 dead and 700 overriding concern about any major develop- injured, a document examining the vul- ment near the Atlantic Terminal transit hub nerability of a once and potentially future that includes major subway stations and the target in Brooklyn has been released. Long Island Rail Road, at Flatbush and At- The Brooklyn Papers was given a first- lantic avenues, and outlines reasons the area look at the “white paper” report, titled “Ter- could be an effective target for terrorists. rorism, Security and the Proposed Brooklyn The report includes an account of the 1997 Atlantic Yards High Rise and Arena Devel- planned bombing of the hub by terrorists op- opment Project.” The study examines safety erating out of a Park Slope apartment just and terrorism concerns involving developer blocks away. Bruce Ratner’s plan, issues that have been The most chilling reference of the report raised at community meetings on the pro- comes from the book “Jihad in Brooklyn,” by posed project over the past year. Samuel M. Katz, who wrote about the effec- The report was completed July 6, a day Frank Ghery Associates See ATLANTIC TERROR on page 5 The latest rendering of Bruce Ratner’s Atlantic Yards plan, designed by Frank Gehry. The high-rises dwarf the Williamsburgh Savings Bank tower, pictured at far left. MTA receives rival bid for Atlantic Yards By Jess Wisloski Extell would bring 1,940 residential units Extell’s agreement is less specific in The Brooklyn Papers NEWS ANALYSIS onto the MTA-owned site alone; Ratner’s detailing its oversight structure and ben- plan, extending beyond the MTA site, in- eficiaries, but it commits Barnett’s com- At first glance, the May 24 issu- cludes approximately 13 acres of adjacent pany in ways not envisioned under the ance of a request for proposals by the and his partners for $1.8 billion, insisted private property, some of it subject to state Ratner plan: it promises to disavow the Metropolitan Transportation Author- in the face of scrutiny of their motivations condemnation under eminent domain, and taking of private property through emi- ity for the development rights over last week that the bid was legitimate, envisions as many as 7,300 housing units. nent domain and to voluntarily put its pro- the state agency’s Vanderbilt Yards earnest and sincere. posal through the city’s Uniform Land The Extell plan proposes 11 buildings, as Community support train tracks seemed a mere formality. Barnett said he learned of the MTA’s Use Review Process (ULURP). opposed to Ratner’s 17. The tallest would Ratner’s plan is excluded from After all, officials of real estate develop- be 28 stories, whereas the Ratner plan’s request for proposals through the solicita- ULURP, which is the most stringent re- ment company Forest City Ratner, and that tallest peaks at 60 stories, dwarfing the tion of the anti-Ratner-plan-group Devel- view process in the state. company’s principal owner Bruce Ratner, iconic Williamsburgh Savings Bank tower. op-Don’t Destroy Brooklyn (DDDB). He had spent the past year and a half in discus- With 1,940 residential units and has, like Ratner, signed on to a communi- Extell has also promised to comply sions with the MTA for the rights to build 116,000 square feet of office space, Ex- ty agreement of sorts. with contextual zoning regulations for the a professional basketball arena and 17 resi- tell’s proposal pales in size to Ratner’s Barnett has agreed to abide by the 60- surrounding area, not exceed a 6.0 floor- dential and commercial high-rises, includ- looming, Frank Gehry-designed towers, point “Principles for Responsible Com- area ratio in bulk, not close any public ing skyscrapers, over the Long Island Rail part of a plan that also includes 1.9 mil- munity Development” endorsed by at streets, partner with local housing advo- Road storage yards east of Flatbush Av- lion square feet of office space, and a least 19 organizations including such cates, guarantee 30 percent of the afford- enue in a development that would also in- 19,000-seat arena for Ratner’s New Jer- community stalwarts as the Boerum Hill able housing units are owner-occupied, clude private property south of those train sey Nets NBA team. Association, Fifth Avenue Committee, guarantee 20 percent of all construction tracks. Extell’s proposal also boasts some of the Fort Greene Association and Pratt Area work to minority and women-owned con- So it was inevitable that the rival bid same community-centric ethos that Rat- Community Council. tractors and provide job training pro- submitted by a Manhattan-based develop- ner’s company touted at the signing on June Ratner’s CBA promised certain ameni- grams, ensure 100 percent of storm water er for the 8.5-acre rail yard site just before 27 of a community benefits agreement, or ties to the co-signers, such as active roles in run-off goes into a sewage treatment plant the July 6 deadline would turn some CBA, witnessed by Mayor Bloomberg. oversight of job development, hiring and and assure more than 160,000 square feet heads, to say the least. The Extell design, by Brooklyn architects training, and made commitments regarding of public park or open space.. Extell Development Company, which Cetra-Ruddy, snakes in waves across the Cetra-Ruddy construction work for minorities (35 per- “It’s something we thought we could recently purchased 77 acres of Upper three MTA blocks “like a train,” as de- Extell Development Company’s plan for the railyards along Atlantic Avenue is cent) and women (10 percent) and the live with,” said Barnett of the agreement. West Side property from Donald Trump scribed by principal owner Gary Barnett. considerably smaller than the plan proposed by Bruce Ratner. placement of public housing residents. See COMPETITION on page 5 Wal-Mart’s thinking outside the big box By Jess Wisloski meeting with Brooklyn reporters. might look like, and what competitors have The Brooklyn Papers Company executives and their public rela- taught them about this borough’s “urban mar- tions representatives met reporters at the New ket.” National discount retailer Wal-Mart is York Marriott Brooklyn on Adams Street not “Each project is different,” said Mia Mas- so interested in opening a store in New to announce a specific New York City site — ten, Wal-Mart’s communications director. Callan / Tom York City, and specifically Brooklyn, although they conceded that their local press “If we can’t have it on a single story, we they’re willing to change their big-box- outreach had not extended beyond Brooklyn can do a tiered structure,” she said. “There is- store image, executives said at a June 30 — but to discuss what an urban Wal-Mart n’t an urban prototype per se, but it would have to be feasible for an urban market.” After a deal to build a Wal-Mart in Rego Park, Queens, fell through earlier this year the Papers The Brooklyn company began eyeing Brooklyn, among oth- er locations in the city. “Population alone is huge; we know that Night and day there are other retailers doing well here,” said Fourth of July fireworks light up the sky above the Brooklyn Bridge during Macy’s fireworks extravaganza Masten. “We also know that Brooklynites want a Wal-Mart,” she said, citing a study (above). Below, the ocean and beach at Coney Island seemed filled to capacity earlier that day. commissioned by the Marino Organization, the public relations firm representing the company. That study claims that 67 percent of Brooklynites would support the opening of a Wal-Mart in the borough. The survey inter- viewed 240 Brooklynites by telephone on Feb. 28 and March 1 of this year. As part of the company’s efforts to soften / Tom Callan / Tom its image in the face of criticism, largely from labor unions, of its wage structure and other employment practices, Wal-Mart has adopted appearances that are aesthetically suitable to their environment, Masten said. The Brooklyn Papers The Brooklyn “We’ve gone past the old ‘battleship blue’ style, and now accommodate nationwide,” said Masten. “Say, if it’s going to be in a rural setting, we’ll do like a mountain resort with Chowhounds an Adirondack look to it. In Main Street, it Callan / Tom The hot dogs didn’t stand a chance when some of the world’s top competitive will appear more industrial,” she said, and eaters descended on Coney Island July 4 for Nathan’s Famous’ annual Hot Dog pointed towards an in-process renovation in Eating contest. (Left to right) American title holder Sonya Thomas, world champ White Plains, N.Y., where a Wal-Mart is be- Takeru Kobayashi and Eric “Badlands” Booker all knocked back a lot of dogs, but ing developed in a former Sears department perpetual champ Kobayashi retained his Mustard-Yellow Belt. See WAL-MART on page 6 Papers The Brooklyn ©The Brooklyn Papers.