December 10, 2008

Today the Council of Brooklyn Neighborhoods gathered with area residents, politicians and community leaders to mark the fifth anniversary of the announcement of the Atlantic Yards Development Project. In stark contrast to the announcement ceremony five years ago, the group stood outside in the project footprint under rainy skies, not admiring models but staring at vacant lots that have been cleared and abandoned by developer Forest City Ratner which has suspended all work on the project.

“Five years ago the people who lived here said this project would be a disaster for the community,” said Candace Carponter, co-chair of CBN. “CBN was formed to analyze the project, and all our studies confirmed what many had believed: this project was not only ill-conceived and socially unfair, it was never economically viable. Now Forest City Ratner has stopped all work and is trying to blame legitimate lawsuits that are preventing the disaster from getting worse. It won’t wash.”

“And where has the money gone?” continued Terry Urban, CBN’s other co-chair. “Hundreds of millions of dollars in city and state funds have been committed to this project. While there has been some infrastructure work done, the Carlton Avenue Bridge has been destroyed and is not currently being rebuilt. This healthy neighborhood has been severely blighted with the help of the public purse. And we want to know where the money went.”