BROOKLYN’S REAL NEWSPAPERS Including The Brooklyn Heights Paper, Carroll Gardens-Cobble Hill Paper, DUMBO Paper, Fort Greene-Clinton Hill Paper and the Downtown News Published every Saturday — online all the time — by Brooklyn Paper Publications Inc, 55 Washington St, Suite 624, Brooklyn NY 11201. Phone 718-834-9350 • www.BrooklynPapers.com • © 2005 Brooklyn Paper Publications • 14 pages •Vol.28, No. 33 BWN •Saturday, August 20, 2005 • FREE DOUBLE DEALING While heralding Atlantic Yards, city & state officials quietly agree to let Ratner build atop adjacent sites and Atlantic avenues, was first re- vealed in a June 4 article in The No city Brooklyn Papers based on com- ments made by Forest City Ratner Executive Vice President James review Stuckey. At a May 26 City Council hearing, Stuckey cited the expansion into Park Slope as a way to increase the amount of housing in the Atlantic required Yards plan. But no mention was made of the deal for the site already By Jess Wisloski signed by the city and state’s top de- The Brooklyn Papers velopment officials. The same day they signed a Develop-Don’t Destroy Brooklyn — a neighborhood group that op- widely publicized agreement poses Ratner’s plan to build a profes- setting aside land for developer The Brooklyn Papers File Photos The Brooklyn sional basketball arena and a 17- Bruce Ratner’s proposed At- Deputy Mayor Daniel Doctoroff (far left), city development czar for Mayor Michael Bloomberg (second from left), and Empire State Development Corporation CEO Charles tower housing, office space and lantic Yards project, top officials Gargano (far right), who controls development for Gov. Gerge Pataki (second from right) signed agreement last February to let developer Bruce Ratner (center) build up commercial complex over six blocks of the Pataki and Bloomberg sites adjacent to his planned Atlantic Yards project. The contract was made public this week as a result of a freedom of information request. of Prospect Heights emanating from administrations signed a sepa- Flatbush and Atlantic avenues — rate pact with the developer, made copies of the agreement ob- tion Act request made by a neigh- north and west of the Atlantic Av- Planning Commission and City Ratner is currently negotitaing with that property, the second MOU stip- tained in its request available to the granting him the right to build borhood group opposed to the At- enue rail yards, exceeding the cur- Council. The developer currently the state-controlled Metropolitan ulates, Ratner could still build on up adjacent urban renewal sites public on Wednesday. lantic Yards plan. rent zoning for those sites, without operates the Atlantic Center mall Transportation Authority to build the two new sites, but would have The second agreement, also without city review. The document stipulates that having to put the proposal through and leases space to a Modell’s over the Long Island Rail Road to either abide by current zoning or signed on Feb. 18, makes the Em- That second agreement was nev- Ratner would be able to obtain the the city’s lengthy land use review sporting goods store on those po- storage yards across the street to gain city approval to surpass it. pire State Development Corpora- er made public, but it turned up this development rights to build nearly process. That review requires pub- tential development sites. The Mod- build a professional basketball are- Ratner’s interest in expanding his tion (ESDC) the lead agency for de- week in the state’s response to a 1.9 million square feet of residential lic hearings before the community ell’s block also contains a PC na as part of the Atlantic Yards plan. plan to include the block bounded by velopment in the “Atlantic Terminal fairly broad Freedom of Informa- and commercial space on properties board, borough president, City Richard & Son electronics store. Should he fail to work out a deal for Pacific Street and Flatbush, Fourth See RATNER on page 11 SURF CITY Coney’s beachfront ready to go condo By Jess Wisloski idential development under the city’s plan to redevelop The Brooklyn Papers the formerly bustling seaside resort area, says the bro- ker. Adeveloper and realty company are market- Thor Equities principal owner Joseph Sitt, known ing a large, vacant lot along Coney Island’s largely for his development of shopping malls, bought boardwalk for what would be the former seaside the property in March. It sits between the former amusement mecca’s first luxury condominium Child’s restaurant, a city landmark that also awaits de- development. velopment, and the Abe Stark Arena, a city ice-skating The rectangular, 168,000-square-foot lot runs from rink that abuts the Keyspan Park parking lot. Surf Avenue to the boardwalk, between West 20th and The advertisement put out by Massey Knakal on West 21st streets. Wednesday boasts that the property has the potential for Thor Equities, which owns the lot and plans to build at least a 672,000-square-foot build-out. The listing Mango / Greg a large-scale amusement and retail mall on property it calls the potential residential development “Ocean owns further east along the boardwalk, has listed the Towers” and shows by way of example a rendering of property with Massey Knakal Realty Services. Muss Development’s recently completed Oceana Con- The asking price — $85 million. dominiums in Brighton Beach, where apartments in the And while the city-block-sized property is currently “gated community” development run from $500,000 to Papers The Brooklyn zoned as part of the entertainment and amusement dis- $2 million, according to the developer’s Web site. Developers are hoping to turn this empty lot in Coney Island, at West 21st Street and the boardwalk, next to the Abe Stark ice skating trict, it holds the promise of rezoning to large-scale res- See CONEY on page 5 rink (pictured at center), into condominiums. The beachfront property is up for sale with an asking price of $85 million. Cops charge Fear ‘Purchase’ man with 8 to be torn down By Jess Wisloski “providing magnificent views of the Manhat- The Brooklyn Papers tan skyline from both north and south.” muggings An historic building proposed for dem- To the mind of the park planners, the build- olition by designers of Brooklyn Bridge ing divides two segments of the park — the somewhat-complete Empire-Fulton Ferry By Lilo H. Stainton on a street corner in Flatbush, at Park, a 1.3-mile open space, housing and State Park portion, where the Brooklyn Bridge commercial development along the The Brooklyn Papers 5:45 pm on Aug. 16, police said. Park Conservancy hosts events throughout the Officers Michael Gaynor and waterfront, has split supporters of the With his photo on the front year, from the commercial cluster of activity Andrew Mennella confirmed the plan and even preservation agencies at leading to the yet-unformed portion of the page of newspapers and man was indeed the mugging the city and state level. broadcast on TV, freedom park: Piers 1 through 6. suspect and arrested Reyes on Built in 1936 as a project of the Works For historians and artists, the building repre- was bound to be short-lived the corner of Cortelyou Road Progress Administration, the Purchase Build- sents a step in architectural design that married and East 21st Street. ing, located under the Brooklyn Bridge over- for William Reyes. But See PURCHASE on page 11 instead of curtailing his crim- Reyes was set to be arraigned pass off Old Fulton and Water streets in Fulton late on Wednesday, Aug. 17, on Ferry, features late-art deco and early modernist inal behavior, the armed rob- Callan / Tom PAGE 7 bery suspect seemed to pick multiple robbery and assault designs. up the pace, say police. charges. The district attorney’s According to the Environmental Impact office had little information on Statement (EIS) released last week by the state- On Aug. 16, police say, they his case by press time and efforts run Brooklyn Bridge Park Development Cor- caught their man. to locate his attorney or family poration, the warehouse, a mix of brick and thin Reyes was arrested on were unsuccessful. Papers The Brooklyn glass-window facing with pink-toned concrete charges that he mugged as Neither Reyes nor his attor- ribbons, is useless to an 80-acre open space of many as eight people — the ney could be reached for com- green, water and revenue-generating develop- majority of them of Asian de- ment by press time. ments that will form Brooklyn Bridge Park. scent — in Sunset Park subway ‘Park’ views Police sought the public’s Additionally, the EIS says the building will split stations and on streets in Park help in locating Reyes early last A member of the Brooklyn Heights-based Willowtown Association, Judi Francis, hands the park in two, destroying view planes. Slope and Downtown Brook- week, providing his picture and fliers to people entering Empire-Fulton Ferry State Park for Aug. 11 screening of “Chi- “The park plan calls for the removal of the lyn within the past year. physical description to news natown.” Francis says the state’s plan for Brooklyn Bridge Park is too dependent on Purchase Building, currently located under the ‘Wet Hot’ star Two members of the 70th outlets across the city. But po- private housing and that by promoting the park plan through its weekly movie series, Brooklyn Bridge,” states the document, calling Precinct’s burglary team spotted lice believe that just days later the Brooklyn Bridge Park Conservancy, an advocacy group, is stifling debate over what the demolition “critical for connecting the sets flick in Bklyn a man they believed to be Reyes See ARRESTED on page 2 Francis calls privatization of the waterfront park.