Ratner cooks up rally for Brooklyn project

[Trainspotter 0]

Ratner cooks up rally for Brooklyn project

BY BROOKE NAYLOR, AYALA FALK and MELISSA GRACE

DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITERS

June 6th 2008

 

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Egan-Chin/News

Isaiah Damiana, 3, enjoys rally for Atlantic

Yards project and dons duds from developer.

[/float]Scores of people turned out to support the controversial Atlantic Yards project on Thursday at a rally paid for by the developer.

 

As part of Brooklyn Day celebrations, Forest City Ratner handed out free hot dogs and T-shirts at Columbus Park near Borough Hall. The developer's $4.2 billion project in downtown Brooklyn includes offices, apartments and a basketball arena for the Nets.

 

"This is Brooklyn's future," Borough President Marty Markowitz said from the stage. "Nobody is going to hold it back, nobody. We deserve it."

 

The developer said 3,000 attended the rally, held on a day city public schools were closed.

 

Along with families enjoying the food, music and warm weather, union workers turned out in force to back the project and the jobs it will bring.

 

Members of an opposition group - Develop, Don't Destroy Brooklyn - showed up, too. They say a slow economy and tough credit market have hobbled the proposed development.

 

Group spokesman Daniel Goldstein called the rally "a blatant attempt to boost a project that is coming undone."

 

Ratner spokesman Loren Riegelhaupt insisted the project is on track and that preparation work - including demolition - is well under way.

 

"Work is continuing every day," he said.

[metsfan 2]

NYC has had its share of paid-for BS, but this is going a bit far i think. You can't force highrises into a lowrise area.

 

- Andy

[TransitGuy 1]

Honestly I support this plan for the simple fact that I think this plan will help boost the area itself and provide a source of income to the city. I mean why not use this space for something.

[East New York 4,104]

I don't think it's a bad idea either.

[metsfan 2]

I don't think it's a bad idea either.

 

I don't think the plan is bad, i just think the way they are going about it is bad.

 

- Andy

[East New York 4,104]

I don't think the plan is bad, i just think the way they are going about it is bad.

 

- Andy

 

I don't really know all the details, but I think it will be good for the area. There will definitely be the increase in traffic, and I hope they have a contingency plan for that.

[metsfan 2]

I don't really know all the details, but I think it will be good for the area. There will definitely be the increase in traffic, and I hope they have a contingency plan for that.

 

Growing pains, growing pains. The city is bursting at the seams. Needs more residences & more transit.

 

- Andy