6 Could Seek Yassky's Seat
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SATURDAY • JUNE 26, 2004 Including Carroll Gardens-Cobble Hill Paper, Downtown News, Published every Saturday — online all the time — by Brooklyn Paper Publications Inc, DUMBO 55 Washington St, Suite 624, Brooklyn NYPaper and Fort Greene-Clinton Hill Paper 11201. Phone 718-834-9350 • www.BrooklynPapers.com • © 2004 Brooklyn Paper Publications • 18 pages Brooklyn’s REAL newspapers • Vol. 27, No. 25 BWN • Saturday, June 26, 2004 • 6 could seek FREE Yassky’s seat Councilman / Gary Thomas may run at DA Hynes The Brooklyn Papers By Deborah Kolben Renegade Francisco Leandro slides past Cyclones catcher Danilo Reynoso as ball bounces off his glove and The Brooklyn Papers toward the backstop. Leandro scored, but the home team held on for a 4-3, opening night win. With Brooklyn Heights Council- man David Yassky eyeing a challenge of longtime Brooklyn District Attor- ney Charles Hynes, a slew of Demo- cratic candidates are lining up to run CLONE-DEMONIUM for his seat next year. Yassky, who was first elected to the seat in 2001, when he replaced the term-limited Ken Fisher by defeating heavily favored De- mocratic Party stalwart Steve Cohen in the primary, has raised more than half-a-million dollars thus far for the 2005 election. Potential candidates have surfaced from across the district, which also includes Down- Take home town Brooklyn, DUMBO, Vinegar Hill, Park Slope, Williamsburg and Greenpoint. Among the most high-profile names is opener, again Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce President Kenneth Adams. By Vince DiMiceli “If Councilman Yassky decides to run Brooklyn Papers Sports Editor for district attorney, I’m going to consider running for the seat,” said Adams, 44, a It seems that opening night victories at Cobble Hill native who now lives with his Keyspan Park are becoming old hat. wife, Diana, and daughters, Rose and Gin- For the fourth year in a row, the Brooklyn Cyclones ger, in Boerum Hill. took their home opener, this time topping the Hudson Before taking the helm at the chamber in Valley Renegades 4-3 before a sold-out house Tuesday 1995, Adams served as director of the night in Coney Island. Metrotech Business Improvement District. The win came after the normal pomp and circum- He currently serves on the boards of the stance surrounding the seasonal return of professional Brooklyn Arts Council, Brooklyn Bridge baseball to Brooklyn — which hasn’t lost much luster Park Local Development Corporation, since the Cyclones’ inaugural season in 2001. Brooklyn Navy Yard Development Corpo- This year, fans were even greeted at the gates by Cy- ration and Brooklyn Sports Foundation, / Gary Thomas clones players, who signed autographs and shook hands among many others. while introducing themselves to the Brooklyn faithful. Both Alan Fleishman and Jo Anne Simon, After Borough President Marty Markowitz received Democratic co-district leaders from the 52nd J.L. Aronson, of Fort Greene, holds a sign in protest at last Saturday’s rally against / Jori Klein a resounding “boo” for bouncing the ceremonial first Assembly District, are also considering runs the proposed Nets arena and high rise development in Prospect Heights. pitch in front of home plate, the home team quickly for the council seat. went to work. The Brooklyn Papers A gay activist who works for city Comp- troller Bill Thompson, Fleishman is a for- Tyler Davidson rockets a run-scoring double in the first In the top of the first, shortstop Kevin Rios flashed some leather and lightening by charging and fielding a mer president of the LAMBDA Indepen- The Brooklyn Papers inning of Tuesday’s opening night victory. high chopper from the New York-Penn League’s lead- dent Democrats political club. He is a board ing hitter, Chad Cooper (.556), before firing a strike to member of the Brooklyn AIDS Task Force Arena foes at Tyler Davidson at first for the out. and is a member of Brooklyn Pride, which With the ever-increasing crowd roaring, Dante organizes Brooklyn’s annual lesbian and gay pride parade. “I would like to see responsible develop- See OPENER ment downtown, and would like to help on page maintain the character of brownstone DUMBO Starbucks5 near ‘center court’ See YASSKY By Deborah Kolben The Brooklyn Papers on page 15 The Brooklyn Papers Starbucks, the Seattle-based It may one day be center court for retail coffee giant, is negotiating and Front streets in the once-indus- the Brooklyn Nets, but over the week- NO with a DUMBO real estate devel- trial neighborhood. end the intersection of Pacific Street T JUS oper to open one of its ubiquitous “We’re negotiating with Starbucks … and Fifth Avenue was center stage for THE T N hood, tucked between the Brooklyn and NEW ETS coffeehouses on the corner of Main and we’re close to signing,” said Will a rally against Bruce Ratner’s massive BROO Kim, a project developer for Shaya Manhattan bridges, has undergone a ma- arena, housing and office development dem acres of private property — “theKL biggestYN jor transformation over the past several giveaways in the history of the state.” Boymelgreen, the property’s owner. also houses lawyers and investment plan. The once gritty industrial neighbor- years with hundreds of new luxury Ratner’s purchase of the New Jersey Nets apartment conversions. Formerly home bankers. Hundreds of opponents, including sever- is expected to be approved by the NBA be- to a number of sculptors, painters and So news of Starbucks, a symbol of al elected officials, turned out on the sunny Saturday afternoon to protest what they fore the end of the month. He wants to build furniture makers, the neighborhood now corporate retail America, coming to called the “over-development” of the neigh- the team a new arena at Flatbush and At- DUMBO sparked a broad range of reac- lantic avenues. tions from neighborhood residents. borhood. “This is a land grab for the rich,” His $2.5 billion plan, known as Atlantic Prospect Heights Councilwoman Letitia Yards, also includes four soaring office tow- See COFFEE ers and 4,500 units of housing. A total of 17 on page James, an ardent opponent of the project, H 15 told the crowd. buildings would rise in a six-block area ea bounded by Dean Street and Flatbush, At- ve Rep. Major Owens, who wants to move n the proposed arena to the Brooklyn Navy lantic and Vanderbilt avenues, over the Ross realty sold MTA-owned Long Island Railroad storage o Yard, called details of Ratner’s plan — under n yards and on privately owned land. 7t By Deborah Kolben which the developer would aquire air rights h As part of the plan Ratner has relied on The Brooklyn Papers owned by the state-run Metropolitan Trans- Christian Rogers, portation Authority and the state would con- the state’s authority of eminent domain to 2, enjoys an ice As if we needed a reminder executive director of Halstead’s condemn the privately held property, thus / Tom Callan Brooklyn office. cream cone during that Brooklyn real estate is forcing their sale. With that threat hanging booming, Manhattan-based In addition to the office at 156 over their heads, several area property own- the “Seventh Montague St., Halstead, whose PAGE 7 ers, primarily in two condominium apart- Heaven” street Halstead Property is setting focus until now has been almost ment buildings, have agreed in principal to fair on Seventh up shop here. exclusively Manhattan, will also sell their property to Ratner at well above The Brooklyn Papers Avenue in Park One of the largest real estate operate out of Ross’ office at 162 market rate. As part of those deals, which re- brokerage firms in the city with Court Street in Cobble Hill. portedly have not been signed yet, the prop- Slope last Sunday. more than $1.5 billion in sales last “A large number of Manhat- erty owners must agree to gag orders pre- year, Halstead has purchased Wil- tan firms have been trying to venting them from criticizing Ratner’s plan liam S. Ross Real Estate. come to Brooklyn for a long or attending anti-arena rallies. Bill Ross, owner of the Mon- time,” said Ross. “I chose Hal- The contract also reportedly requires two tague Street realty firm, will be stead because they understood residents from each building to speak in fa- It’s not just Nets . It’s athat Brooklynwhole is a borough of new Brooklyn!vor of the plan. Those negotiations are still underway and See An alternative PAGE 7-13 several tenants from 636 Pacific St. could be ROSS on page 15 seen mingling in the crowd at Saturday’s rally. Serving New York’s original Historic District since 1978 for boro brides Japan is in season 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 • 16 pages including GO BROOKLYN • Vol. 27, No. 5 AWP • Februa y Queens Councilman Tony Avella, who chairs a land use subcommittee, joined the MUM’S THE WORD opposition this week and called on the de- VINCE DIMICELI Confused Community Board 2 fails Including Carroll Gardens-Cobble Hill Paper, Downtown News, DUMBO Paper and Fort Greene-Clinton Hill Paper Ratner’s to speak on massive D’town Plan 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. 13 BWN • Saturday, April 3, 2004 • FREE By Deborah Kolben The Brooklyn Papers HE MOST COMPLEX rezoning See suburban plan in city history, which would RALLY T convert Downtown Brooklyn into a booming metropolis with soaring towers Ratner ups the ante and require the taking of seven acres of on page nightmare private land, is moving forward through “We do very much want to incor- the city review process — without input Says he might add ‘mini’ arena porate a larger amateur athletic pro- NOT JUST NETS HEN it comes to con- which means very little.