SATURDAY • JANUARY 1, 2005 Including The Bensonhurst Paper Brooklyn’s REAL newspapers Published every Saturday — online all the time — by Brooklyn Paper Publications Inc, 55 Washington Street, Suite 624, Brooklyn NY 11201. Phone 718-834-9350 • www.BrooklynPapers.com • © 2005 Brooklyn Paper Publications • 12 pages •Vol.28, No. 1 BRZ • Saturday, January 1, 2005 • FREE PAGE 7-13 INSIDE: PAGES 12-18 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 Including The Bensonhurst Paper 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 Japan is Brooklyn at 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- 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 BRZ • February 7, 2004 • FREE 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- in season Sundance 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.4 AWP • January 31, 2004 • FREE 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 Gentile ‘SOB Marty’ comment Including The Bensonhurst Paper ‘Hiroshima’ 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 BRZ • January 24, 2004 • FREE brings hush to BRCC luncheon NOT JUST NETS in DUMBO By Jotham Sederstrom Alaughing Golden, who hosted the lunch- ton High School. Along the way, the coun- The Brooklyn Papers eon at his 76th Street catering hall, came up to cil has organized political, public and Gentile after and shook his hand. school board forums. Touting Brooklyn as a 2012 Olym- As always, the luncheon attracted Bay “Many organizations together can roar,” pic destination and home to future Ridge’s most active community board mem- said Sacco. national conventions, both Democratic bers, religious leaders, business owners, and Praising the council for “making Brook- MAPPING THE NEW BROOKLYN and Republican, Borough President elected and appointed officials. Between bites lyn, Brooklyn,” Markowitz named Jan. 31 Marty Markowitz roundly praised of chicken or salmon, the audience applauded “Annual Luncheon Day in Bay Ridge,” a plans to build a professional basketball Ilene Sacco, chairwoman of the Bay Ridge similar honor to the one he bestowed last arena in the Downtown area for the Community Council (BRCC), who spoke of year, when he declared Feb. 1 as Bay Ridge National Basketball Association Nets, the past year’s successes and failures. Community Council Day. E DUMBO during his address at the Bay Ridge “We’ve won some and we’ve lost some,” Markowitz, whose idea it was to lure a Community Council’s annual Pres- said Sacco. “Some of the issues have stayed professional basketball team to Brooklyn, IV RATNER NABS NETS T ident’s Luncheon at the Bay Ridge the same — we want good schools and safe spoke with pride of the pending move of S N Manor Saturday. streets. But other things have changed,” she the New Jersey Nets to Downtown Brook- U E But it was a pregnant pause by Council- said, referring to the ever present threat of lyn by developer Bruce Ratner. Although L K M Brooklyn terrorism. the proposed Frank Gehry-designed arena, P B’klyn cheers, trembles as $300M bid accepted man Vincent Gentile, a Democrat, that held C R O EMPIRE STORES Navy Yard The BRCC, which was formed in 1951 office tower and housing complex to be A L SHOPPING WATCHTOWER the rapt attention of more than 150 digni- X E P HIGH-RISES MAKING HEADLINES taries and community leaders attending the to promote issues of importance throughout built at Atlantic and Flatbush avenues has V By Deborah Kolben One of the loudest support- E Bay Ridge and Dyker Heights, is an um- been a bone of contention for residents in E E The Brooklyn Papers ers of the plan, Markowitz re- 53rd annual luncheon. D brella organization consisting of more than that area, it was hard to gauge whether the G mained collected this week, Mango / Greg Playing on his rocky relationship with L D A Goodbye New Jersey. Marty Golden, the former Republican coun- 100 area organizations. arena was on the hearts and minds of many I maintaining a wait-and-see at- / Greg Mango Among its accomplishments, the BRCC living in Bay Ridge. N Hello, Brooklyn. titude until the contracts are cilman who in 2002 unseated him as state R O helped lead a campaign to save the Fort “I predict that it will be the center of city I After months of negotia- signed and final approval giv- senator, Gentile briefly silenced the room B T MAYOR’S EMERGENCY BUNKER with a quip that eventually had those in atten- Hamilton Army Base from being closed life,” said Markowitz, noting that the arena A tions, developer Bruce Ratner en. N E reached a deal this week to dance laughing, or at least sighing in relief. and put the kibosh on plans for a jail to be could one day be included among venues R The deal must be approved Papers The Brooklyn Y Brooklyn “Ever since he stole my job, Marty’s built in Bay Ridge. As early as 1969, it for the 2012 Olympics if New York is cho- L C purchase the New Jersey Nets by three-fourths of the NBA E Councilman Vincent Gentile, at the BRCC been a real S-O-B,” Gentile said, pausing fought on behalf of students living east of sen to host the summer games. The Brooklyn Papers R Heights for $300 million. He plans to team owners. A move of the K - FEDERAL COURT bring the team across two luncheon, called state Sen. Marty Gol- before further explaining, “A ‘Senator Of Third Avenue who, because of district zon- “Brooklyn,” he added, “is on the threshold State Sen. Marty Golden is all smiles at Saturday’s Bay Ridge Community O L team to Brooklyn would also A rivers to the Borough of den an SOB — “Senator Of Brooklyn.” Brooklyn,’ that is.” ing, were kept from attending Fort Hamil- of getting back the respect it deserves.” Council luncheon in his Bay Ridge Manor on 76th Street at Fifth Avenue. O I the approval of NBA owners. C R Kings. “I can hardly wait for R Community Youth Organi- B E Brooklyn to realize all of the M GENERAL POST OFFICE BQE zation, which owns the team, BANKRUPTCY COURT jobs, housing and other bene- M F agreed to the deal at a meeting O L Fort fits that this project will deliv- Friday morning putting an end VINCE DIMICELI C A Greene to the drawn-out bidding war. er along with Brooklyn’s re- T turn to the national sports B “We’re very excited,” said U Ratner spokesman Barry stage,” Markowitz said. Until late last week, the S Baum. “We have a few issues Downtown H Clinton Nets owners were also in ne- CRUISE SHIP PIER to work out, but we think it ‘LOOK BOTH WAYS’ A gotiations with New Jersey Hill would be great for New York Ratner’s V real estate developer Jon and great for Brooklyn.” E / Tom Callan / Tom COURT STREET Kushner and U.S.