Ratner Nabs Nets
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Ed Weintrob / The real story is the land grab, not the Nets That the Nets are coming is ries in Thursday’s edition.) seizure of private property for too good a hub to leave fallow, more than a holding action. Ratner’s architect (sorry, the pay millions for homes in neigh- beside the point. And that is the The real story is that the At- private benefit ever in Brooklyn. and they should have suspected With virtually no public con- media’s been instructed to say borhoods abutting the condemn- real story, a story masterfully lantic Yards project — and its Let’s dispose of the sidebar that Ratner’s early step there — sultation (and no request for “world renowned” architect) ed sites) for many reasons, not buried by developer Bruce Rat- companion Downtown Brook- first: Atlantic Terminal is proba- the ugly, dysfunctional, failed competing proposals), Gov. Pata- Frank Gehry said his intent is to the least of which is it’s not Man- ner and his media shills. (When lyn Plan — is not about the Nets bly the best site in town for a Atlantic Center shopping mall he ki is apparently prepared to con- build a neighborhood from hattan but close to it, and it’s not the New York Times is your real (whose stadium would occupy a Nets arena, just as it would have opened in the ’90s and his demn enough privately-owned scratch. Brooklyn’s been hot for the kind of sterile, suburban cam- estate partner, it’s amazing the tiny part of the massive site), it’s been for the Dodgers in the ’50s. takeover of the Manhattan-cen- property to allow a potential a number of years, and not be- pus represented by Ratner’s Met- story its pages will tell — more about a land grab by Ratner and The site’s residential neigh- tric, expansionist (in a real estate, build-out of more than 14 million cause there’s nothing here worth rotech which, contrary to popular than three pages featuring nine his political clients, the largest, bors might not like to hear this, if not an artistic, vein) Brooklyn square feet, the equivalent of sev- preserving. but uninformed opinion, is any- upbeat, luciously illustrated sto- most expensive government but the Flatbush-Atlantic area is Academy of Music — was little en Empire State buildings. People live in Brooklyn (and thing but a smashing success. INSIDE BROOKLYN’S WEEKLY NEWSPAPER Including Carroll Gardens-Cobble Hill Paper, The Downtown News, Fort Greene-Clinton Hill Paper and DUMBO Paper ‘Hiroshima’ in DUMBO Published every Saturday by Brooklyn Paper Publications Inc, 55 Washington Street, Suite 624, Brooklyn NY 11201. Phone 718-834-9350 • www.BrooklynPapers.com • © 2004 Brooklyn Paper Publications • 18 pages including GO BROOKLYN • Vol.27, No.3 BWN • January 24, 2004 • FREE RATNER NABS NETS B’klyn cheers, trembles as $300M bid accepted By Deborah Kolben One of the loudest support- The Brooklyn Papers ers of the plan, Markowitz re- mained collected this week, Goodbye New Jersey. maintaining a wait-and-see at- Hello, Brooklyn. titude until the contracts are After months of negotia- signed and final approval giv- tions, developer Bruce Ratner en. reached a deal this week to The deal must be approved purchase the New Jersey Nets by three-fourths of the NBA for $300 million. He plans to team owners. A move of the bring the team across two team to Brooklyn would also rivers to the Borough of the approval of NBA owners. Kings. “I can hardly wait for Community Youth Organi- Brooklyn to realize all of the zation, which owns the team, jobs, housing and other bene- agreed to the deal at a meeting fits that this project will deliv- Friday morning putting an end to the drawn-out bidding war. er along with Brooklyn’s re- “We’re very excited,” said turn to the national sports Ratner spokesman Barry stage,” Markowitz said. Baum. “We have a few issues Until late last week, the to work out, but we think it Nets owners were also in ne- would be great for New York gotiations with New Jersey and great for Brooklyn.” real estate developer Jon Borough President Marty Kushner and U.S. Sen. Jon Callan / Tom Markowitz, who has been Corzine (D-N.J.), who had the dreaming of bringing profes- second-highest bid. sional sports back to Brooklyn “He fought hard to keep this ever since the Dodgers left for team in New Jersey,” said Gehry Partners LLP California in 1957, was ecstat- Kushner spokesman Michael Papers The Brooklyn Architect Frank Gehry’s design for an arena Bruce Ratner would like to build near the intersction of Atlantic and ic about the prospect of “net- Turner. “He played by the Developer Bruce Ratner tries on a fedora and jacket at Junior’s Flatbush avenues. This week, Ratner purchased the NBA’s New Jersey Nets, which he plans to move to Brooklyn. ting the Nets.” See RATNER on page 5 when announcing plans in October to purchase the Nets. CB2 panels: Slow Man missing in lake By Deborah Kolben Ignoring several signs warn- The Brooklyn Papers ing against treading on the thin ice, a man witnesses described With temperatures dip- as about 6 feet tall and in his down D’town plan ping below freezing, the 20s, ventured out onto the ice search to recover the body and fell through around 9 am, By Deborah Kolben — are vague and developers would be tee voted 14-0 against the plan Tuesday of a man who is believed to on Sunday, Jan. 18 The Brooklyn Papers allowed to develop them as-of-right, re- night, calling the city’s application — have fallen through thin ice According to one account, quiring no further public review, should which involves 22 individual actions on the lake in Prospect Park the man was able to pull him- It’s the largest development plan the Downtown Brooklyn Plan be adopt- from rezoning to selling city property to last weekend continues. self out of the freezing water, for Brooklyn in decades, and with ed. expanding urban renewal areas — woe- The rescue effort was abort- but then fell through again. concerns about transportation, the As the full board gears up to cast its fully inadequate. ed several times this week due “It’s very, very tragic,” said seizing of private property and a vote on the sweeping plan on Jan. 28, With subways at capacity and traffic to the frigid weather, which Tupper Thomas, president of drastically altered landscape, three the Traffic and Transportation commit- See D’TOWN on page 5 froze police divers’ air tanks. the Prospect Park Alliance. Community Board 2 committees Ice must be at least six Mango / Greg this week indicated that the board inches thick before it can wants the city to slow down and maintain the weight of a provide more details. person, and to freeze to the The Downtown Brooklyn Plan, as it right thickness, the temper- is known, would turn the area — gen- ature must be well below Papers The Brooklyn erally bounded by Tillary Street (north), See LAKE on page 16 An ice rescue ladder at the shore of the Prospect Park Lake. Schermerhorn Street and Flatbush Av- enue down to Pacific Street (south), Ashland Place down to Fulton Street and then Fort Greene Place down to Pa- cific (east) and Adams Street (west) — into a major hub of commerce similar to Midtown Manhattan, with soaring skyscrapers that would dwarf the Williamsburgh Savings Bank building, Web cartoon currently the tallest structure in the bor- ough. The rezoning plan encompasses at least two current proposals: the plan for an arts and cultural library, within the Brooklyn Academy of Music Cultural Callan / Tom bashes shelter District at the intersection of Ashland By Deborah Kolben Place with Lafayette and Flatbush av- In one-sided, satirical car- INSIDE THE PAPER The Brooklyn Papers toon form, that is. enues; and Bruce Ratner’s plan for a Business Services. page 14 Frank Gehry-designed, 620-foot-tall For anyone who hasn’t Danny Contreras, a neigh- GO Brooklyn . pages 7-11 skyscraper at Flatbush and Atlantic av- borhood resident and vocal Home Improvement . page 15 The Brooklyn Papers The Brooklyn been following the neigh- opponent of the facility, decid- Health, Mind & Body . page 17 enues that would be adjacent to his pro- borhood fight against a bat- Parent. page 6 posed professional basketball arena. ed to turn the struggle to open Police . page 2 Real Estate . page 16 Plans for the rest of the more than tered women’s shelter a 20-bed facility for battered two-dozen other projected and potential Bridge over frozen waters opening in Carroll Gardens, Asian women and their chil- Centerfold Pull-Out development sites — at least 6.7 million The Manhattan Bridge span looms over a partially frozen East River on the shores of DUMBO Monday — you can now catch the dren into an animated series BCAT PROGRAM GUIDE square feet of office space is projected the result of a week’s worth of freezing temperatures. entire saga online. See SHELTER on page 16 What’s on Brooklyn Community Access Television ––––––––––––––– OUTSTANDING EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES AT THE BROOKLYN PAPERS ––––––––––––––– Listings Editor Jump start Update The Papers’ extensive nightlife Drivers We’ve SALES EDITORIAL and dining listings. If you’re detail- DELIVERY your career! oriented, computer-savvy with good ved communication skills and have the abili- Wanted mo F/T and P/T openings. In the ty to meed deadlines, this P/T, flex-hour Friday PM & Saturday AM for newspa- position might be yours.