Jay-Z not just one of TIME's 100 most influential, he's the cover (one of seven); tribute is by myopic Mike Bloomberg

It's stunning that, among TIME magazine's rather celeb-heavy list of the world's 100 most influential people, one of the seven most important--gracing one of seven covers--is Jay Z, Artist and entrepreneur, 42, under the category of Titans.

The tribute, dated 4/18/13, comes from none other than New York Mayor Mike Bloomberg:

Jay Z embodies so much of what makes New York New York. A kid from a tough neighborhood who grows up in public housing, overcomes lots of bad influences on the street, never lets go of his dream, makes it to the top — and then keeps going, pursuing new outlets for his creativity and ambition. When no one would sign him to a record contract, he created his own label and built a music empire — before going on to design clothing lines, open sports bars and, most recently, represent professional athletes. He’s an artist-entrepreneur who stands at the center of culture and commerce in 21st century America, and his influence stretches across races, religions and regions. He’s never forgotten his roots — “Empire State of Mind” was a love song to our city — and as a co-owner of the NBA Nets, he helped bring a major league sports team back to Brooklyn, not far from his old neighborhood. In nearly everything he’s tried, he’s found success. (He even put a ring on Beyoncé.) And in doing so, he’s proved that the American Dream is alive and well.

Overcomes lots of bad influence on the street is a pretty gentle euphemism for being a drug dealer who went on--at least in his recording persona--to often celebrate that world. No "ethical pickle" recognized by Bloomberg.

And surely the mayor (or his minions) wrote this before Jay-Z issued his pissy, Trump-ish "Open Letter," claiming “Would’ve brought the Nets to Brooklyn for free/Except I made millions off it, you f---in’ dweeb."

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Did "Cousin Brucie" diss Marty Markowitz by not attending the State of the Borough Address? Maybe not, but the FCR absence was odd

Early in his State of the Borough Address last Thursday, after saluting the Brooklyn Nets, Borough President Marty Markowitz offered "a special thank you to 'Cousin Brucie'--as I affectionally call Bruce Ratner, the CEO of Forest City Ratner."

"This is the house that Bruce built," Markowitz ad libbed, offering additional praise for the developer of the Barclays Center arena, the setting for the speech. (Use of the arena was donated, which sure sounds like an in-kind contribution to Markowitz's charities, which already operate with opacity.)

The crowd, perhaps 2000 people and surely all Markowitz fans, barely applauded for that mention,  though, had Ratner been there to take a bow, there surely would have been more cordial enthusiasm.

Where was Bruce?

So why wasn't Rather there? (He honored Markowitz effusively at the Barclays Center ribbon-cutting last September.) Perhaps there was a good reason, like another obligation. Then again, also not attending was Brett Yormark, the arena/team CEO, though Markowitz called him "the best-looking CEO of any sports team" and saluted his upcoming wedding to Elaina Scotto of "Brooklyn's famed Scotto family."

They didn't even send an emissary. Surely Forest City Ratner could have sent a stand-in to share the spotlight.

If not a diss, it was at least non-reciprocal. Markowitz had to ask himself: They couldn't show up for my swan song?

Why stay behind the scenes?

Was there a lingering fear that Ratner might get booed by the fraction of people who remember unmet promises of housing and jobs? (Unlikely.)

Was Forest City worried some reporter would buttonhole Ratner or another FCR official and ask why they donated the arena and what that was worth as an in-kind donation? (Maybe.)


Were they worried about some fallout from "Ratner and the Raccoon," one of Jim Windolf's "Bloomberg's Fables" in last week's New Yorker, about a "builder named Ratner who was cruelly treated by certain shortsighted Brooklyn residents"? (Unlikely.)

Still, it wasn't good publicity, as the moral of the fable was distilled into "Do not behave like the small-minded people who fail to recognize the importance of the construction magnates who make our city great."

Markowitz surely recognizes "the importance of the construction magnates who make our city great." Perhaps there will be a private event, away from the prying eyes of the media, where Marty and Cousin Brucie can savor their victories. The 40/40 Club, anyone?

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At emblematic Barclays Center, Bloomberg delivers final State of the City, claiming arena triumphed "against all the odds"

In his 12th and final State of the City Address, a total achieved only by engineering a suspension of term limits, Mayor Mike Bloomberg came to one of New York's most prominent new buildings, the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, for an event that had elements of pep rally (as per the Daily News), valedictory, and triumphant kiss-off to his critics.

As the Times reported, Bloomberg "will attempt to ban plastic-foam products, ease the consequences of marijuana possession, install curbside charging stations for electric cars and legalize European-style youth hostels across the city."

"And five times in the 50-minute speech, he denounced 'special interests,'" the Times reported, prompting journalist Gail Robinson to observe that the speech "proves once again a special interest is any interest the person speaking does not agree with.” (As I tweeted, Bloomberg has said "Bruce Ratner's word... should be enough.")

Daily News columnist Juan Gonzalez was another relatively rare dissenter, writing:

And Bloomberg isn’t finished. He is determined to use his final months in office to ram through a string of long-term deals, not only for charter school operators but for real estate developers, the financial industry and information technology firms.

Image via Barclays Center

The arena was festooned with championship-type banners in Nets black-and-white touting positive city statistics.

The lead-in was a Brooklyn-heavy soundtrack (Times coverage), then brief performances by the team's cheerleaders, the  Brooklynnettes, and the Brooklyn Nets Kids dance team.

The event was also a celebration of the Barclays Center and the entire Atlantic Yards project, with a focus on the positive and, of course, a failure to look more closely at those much-ballyhooed promises of jobs and housing.

Enter Markowitz

A cute kid introduced Borough President Marty Markowitz, who began with typical parochialism and personalism: he cited the borough as the home of the new Miss America, Mallory Hagan, and said he'd be richer than Bloomberg if they were only worth their weight in gold.

"When I first ran, I promised to work on a lifelong dream," Markowitz said of his bid to bring Brooklyn big league sports.

"Who would've guess it would have taken the help of two boychicks, who weren't even from Brooklyn, to make it happen," Markowitz said, citing "the visionary developer Bruce Ratner... who believed in Brooklyn, chose to invest in Brooklyn during its toughest, most challenging times. Despite the obstacles that this whole project entailed, he stuck with the project and he made it happen, he made it happen.. he believed in Brooklyn... thank you for making this come true, for this and future generations."

That's of course a rose-colored view of a developer known for making deals and relentlessly renegotiating them.




"Of course, our Mayor," Markowitz continued, "who fully supported the project from Day One and under his watch, he made it a reality."

The question, of course, is whether it's prudent to "fully support" a development project from Day One, given that such a posture tends to forget the public interest.

Enter Bloomberg

BrooklyKnight

Bloomberg's passage to the stage was preceded by the Nets' weird mascot, BrooklyKnight, waving a city flag.

The chorus to Jay-Z's "Empire State of Mind" played, with no pesky lyrics mentioning things like "stash spot."

The speech

Bloomberg, early in his speech [transcript], stated:

Let me also thank everyone here on staff at the Barclays Center. Of the 2,000 people employed here, our Workforce One Centers helped 1,100 of them find their jobs. Nearly 75 percent of them are Brooklyn residents and because of the outreach we did, about one-third are NYCHA residents. 

That got moderate applause. Of course, nearly all the jobs are part-time, with no benefits (as DNAinfo's Leslie Albrecht pointed out), and the total is 1,240 full-time equivalent.

Bloomberg no longer mentions the promised 10,000 office jobs because they don't exist: three of the four planned office towers were swapped for housing, and the other--the flagship tower that would rise 510 feet over the arena plaza--is on permanent hold.

He continued:

That's only right - because after all, one of the owners here grew up in Marcy Houses. His name is Shawn Carter, and if you don't recognize that name, you may know him by what he's been called since the Super Bowl: Beyoncé's husband.

That got a few titters.

Beating the obstructionists

Bloomberg continued:

"Now, the Barclays Center is the latest sign of just how hot Brooklyn has become. Of course, not long ago, this arena was nothing more than a glimmer in Marty Markowitz's eye. NBA basketball and NHL hockey? In Brooklyn? According to Marty, everyone told him 'Fuhgeddaboudit!'

"But not us. And here we are. Against all the odds, despite all the legal challenges, despite all the naysayers and NIMBYers, here we are.

That got moderate applause. Crain's New York Business, in Bloomberg defiantly defends legacy in speech, described the setting as having been "built after surviving a bevy of legal challenges and staunch opposition from political and community leaders."

My comment:

C’mon, the Barclays Center didn’t face “staunch opposition from political and community leaders.”
It faced vigorous *local opposition* and actually polled badly for years, but was backed from the hilt by the political and business establishment. It was pretty much a steamroller, and Mayor Bloomberg, and a series of governors, agreed to renegotiate deals at developer Bruce Ratner’s behest.

Ratner and Markowitz stand; FCR's Ashley Cotton claps

Affordable housing

Bloomberg continued (as delivered):

And as we speak, the first residential tower at Atlantic Yards is rising, and it will have nearly 200 affordable houses. Right now, Marty, thanks to you and thanks to Bruce, who made it happen, I think you and Bruce should stand up and take one more bow.

City Limits' Jarrett Murphy wrote, citing my article for the Brooklyn Bureau:

As naysayers and others have pointed out, those apartments are targeted to relatively high income groups. Much of the affordable housing promised during the promotion of the heavily subsidized project may never fully be realized.

Bloomberg's legacy: Atlantic Yards

Later in the speech, the mayor said:

Today, I'd like to share our plans for how we'll keep New York City on course for a brighter future. And this is the perfect place to do it, here at Atlantic Yards - the largest development project in Brooklyn's history.

Of course, Atlantic Yards was supposed to take ten years but, thanks to renegotiations with city and state officials, could now take 25 years.

The Daily News summarized it:

The sparkling $1 billion home of the Brooklyn Nets, built after years of neighborhood acrimony, seemed to summarize the Bloomberg years as a symbol both of Brooklyn’s rebirth during his administration and the criticism that he’s favored rich developers.

The Times called the arena " itself a monument to his ambitious and controversial development agenda." But no one drilled down to questions, for example, of the land giveaway I wrote about yesterday.&

Then again, an early version of the Times coverage said the mayor viewed the arena "as an economic development success"--an assertion that deserves scrutiny rather than stenography--but didn't make it to the final:

The perfect setting?

In New York Magazine's Daily Intel Chris Smith wrote, Why the Barclays Center Was the Perfect Setting for Bloomberg’s Final State of the City Speech:

But it was the mayor's selection of his specific location today that spoke loudest. Atlantic Yards was first proposed in 2003; with the city in the early stages of recovery from 9/11 and an aggressively pro-development mayor in City Hall, Bruce Ratner showed a good sense of timing. New York State owned the land [AYR--only the railyard, actually, hence the controversy over eminent domain], and the Pataki administration, in particular, was instrumental in moving the project forward, but it never would have happened without Bloomberg's enthusiastic support, both political and financial. The city has contributed at least $179 million in subsidies to Atlantic Yards. Factoring in tax breaks sends the total much higher.
The price that's harder to calculate is how the creation of Atlantic Yards skirted basic democracy. So far the only finished product is the arena, which opened last September and has generated mostly favorable reviews as a piece of architecture and a place to watch sports and music. The greatest public benefit was supposed to be "affordable" housing; the first apartment tower is now under construction, but the rest could take another two decades to build.
Bloomberg's first State of the City speech, the only one he delivered in Manhattan, was somber and businesslike, delivered in the tight quarters of the City Council chamber just four months after the World Trade Center fell. Today, the final edition started with dancing Nets cheerleaders. It ended, though, with the same bracing Bloomberg call to get back to work. A full assessment of how he and the city got from there to here in three terms requires a longer story. But Atlantic Yards already stands as one monument to the Bloomberg years: Big, expensive, more praised than not — and accomplished by the top-down means that are one hallmark of this mayor's legacy.

I pointed out that it's the arena, not the project as a whole that's "more praised than not."

The contradictions

Ben Fried wrote in Streetsblog, Bloomberg’s Final State of the City Captures the Contradictions of His Legacy:

Bloomberg delivered the address from the Barclays Center, the arena built over the Vanderbilt rail yards thanks to a sweetheart land deal with the MTA,copious public subsidies, and a whole lot of eminent domain

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Uncounted savings on the Barclays Center: perhaps $124 million in free land for developer Forest City Ratner

Today, Mayor Mike Bloomberg delivers his final State of the City address at the new Barclays Center arena, chosen because it has generated “unprecedented economic activity in the area.”

He may even salute some well-publicized elements: an award to the 1 millionth visitor, a new gallery honoring black basketball in Brooklyn, a mural at the Dean Street entrance.

Surely he won't specify how much the arena has cost city taxpayers, and whether that money might have been directed at real public goods, things like open libraries and Head Start.

The city acknowledges $179 million in direct subsidies for land and infrastructure. But the city contribution is far greater than previously analyzed.

As I detail below, free land for the project has been vastly undervalued or not even counted, adding up to nearly $80 million, at least, and likely more than $124 million. The beneficiary: developer Forest City Ratner.

The first two lines in the graphic above regard property the city had long planned to give away. The third line--the streetbed of Pacific Street between Carlton and Vanderbilt avenue--was supposed to be paid for, at least initially. Now, neither the city nor Forest City Ratner will say whether anything was paid.

Beyond that, of course, there are numerous other public subsidies and tax breaks, including $100 million from the state, tax-free bonds, and the rights to develop the MTA's Vanderbilt Yard well below the appraised value, with the cash component of the bid well below that of the one rival bidder.

What we know: from IBO

Yes, people have a vague idea that something's wrong. Just yesterday, New York Times columnist Jim Dwyer made light of the fact that the Barclays Center, which is tax-exempt, was incorrectly listed on city tax rolls. (The New York City Independent Budget Office, or IBO, first pointed that out.)

From IBO 2009 report

How much might the arena cost the city? The best effort--though somewhat dated--to reckon with the arena's fiscal impact came from the IBO in September 2009.

It concluded that the arena would be a net loss to the city over 30 years, as the costs to the current budget--including direct subsidies used for land and infrastructure--would exceed expected tax revenues by $39.5 million.

Beyond that, the city would lose $180.5 million in opportunity costs--mainly from unpaid property taxes on the arena.

That $180.5 million total includes $9.7 million in city property and streets transferred to Forest City. I estimate that number instead at $124.1 million, which would make the opportunity cost total $294.9 million.

Update needed

That report surely could use an update. For one thing, the IBO overestimated the savings--mainly on federal taxes, not city ones--to Forest City Ratner on tax-exempt bonds, because only $511 million in bonds were issued, as opposed to a projected $678 million.

From IBO 2009 report

Also, given the number of expected arena events should increase significantly with the move of the New York Islanders in 2015, local revenues should rise.

Costs missing

Then again, some significant costs were ignored or downplayed.

As the graphic at right indicates, the IBO valued the transfer of city property to Forest City Ratner at $6 million and city streets at $3.7 million.

Those numbers, as I explain below, significantly undervalue the properties. Moreover, the IBO made no attempt to assess the value to Forest City of other city streets transferred to the developer, because the IBO assumed that Forest City would pay fair market value for the land.

There's no evidence Forest City did so.

(Forest City's partnership with Russian billionaire Mikhail Prokhorov, who owns 45% of the arena operating company, means that the Russian oligarch now shares some of the costs and benefits.)

Valuable land, big savings

New York City Economic Development Corporation President Seth Pinsky, in testimony at a May 2009 state Senate oversight hearing, claimed, “Finally, the city has committed to contribute to the project at agreed-upon discounts certain real estate assets for which there are unlikely to be other opportunities for monetization."

Forest City paid dearly for property on the site, and the city just gives it away? Land on the arena block was very valuable--as detailed below--and land nearby is also valuable. Retail rents are skyrocketing. Consider that, as the Wall Street Journal reported 9/16/12:

RedSky Capital LLC paid $4.1 million, or $900 a square foot, for the building at the intersection of Flatbush and Fifth avenues that's housed Triangle Sports a retailer of shoes and sporting goods.

Divide that sum by $900 and the total is about 4556 square feet over three stories, which suggests the plot itself is 1500 square feet. That suggests $300/sf for land. But you can't build high-rise there.

How much is land worth?

Land on the project site is likely worth well more than $300/sf.

At Floor Area Ratio (FAR) of 10--the same FAR used for the appraisal of the Vanderbilt Yard--and a price of $75 per buildable square foot (the assumption in the Vanderbilt Yard appraisal), the land is worth $750/sf.

Both those numbers need adjustments. The approved FAR of the arena block, according to the Land Use chapter of the Atlantic Yards Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS), is 8.6, including the streetbeds.

And land is no longer worth $75 per buildable square foot. In 2008, one developer said, the price per buildable sf (PBSF) sought by the city was $150. In 2008, a real estate professional told me, the PBSF was between $110 and $200.

In 2011, according to an analysis from TerraCRG, the PBSF for residential land in Downtown Brooklyn was $161, with an average of $125 for the overall category of Downtown Brooklyn and Park Slope. In 2012, according to TerraCRG, the numbers were $113 and $147, respectively.

Let's use $125 PBSF, a relatively conservative assumption given that the Atlantic Yards site is likely more valuable given its proximity to transit. That suggests land on the arena block is worth 8.6 times $125, or $1075/sf. For convenience, let's round down to $1000/sf.

The MOU's promise

From MOU

According to the 2/18/05 Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the city, state, and Forest City, the developer was to get the "City Properties and the City Streets underlying the arena for just $1. (The full MOU is at bottom.)

Initially, the city property on the arena block underneath the adjacent "commercial office building sites"--now, mostly, housing sites--was supposed to generate cash.

Maybe. The MOU cited payment "fair market value... based on an independent appraisal," which took into account "any extraordinary cost" to the developer. In other words, a potential wash.

The IBO, in its first report on Atlantic Yards, in September 2005, low-balled the value of the property under the arena, valuing the streets at only $56,400, based on $20/sf Department of Finance values applied to adjacent land, applied to an area--clearly undercounted--of approximately 2,820 square feet.

The other land on the site, including city properties and streetbeds, was supposed to reap fair market value.

That didn't last.

The deal changes

From 2006 GPP

According to the July 2006 Atlantic Yards General Project Plan (GPP, below), as approved by the Empire State Development Corporation (ESDC), the equation changed somewhat. Property under "the Arena" apparently encompassed the entire arena block. There was no mention of the land underlying the adjacent "commercial office building sites" generating revenue to the city.

However, the other city property within the Atlantic Yards site--the bed of Pacific Street between Carlton and Vanderbilt avenue-- would be acquired "at their fair market appraised value," paid by Forest City.

That didn't last, either.

The deal changes, again

In 2009, Forest City Ratner asked the MTA to revise the Vanderbilt Yard deal and asked the ESDC to agree to acquire the Atlantic Yards site via eminent domain in stages, thus saving the developer on land it didn't need.

From 2009 MGPP

Also, a subtle but key change in the June 2009 Modified General Project Plan (GPP, below) likely hid an additional subsidy.

No longer would the other city property--the aforementioned streetbeds outside the arena block--be acquired "at their fair market appraised value." Alternatively, the payment would be for "such other value as shall be agreed to by the City and FCRC."

How much was the saving on arena block streetbeds? 

Forest City wasn't saving just $56,400 on those streetbeds. In September 2009, the IBO updated its analysis:

The city will provide some property for the project at no cost. According to the latest modified project plan, this will include the street bed of Fifth Avenue between Flatbush and Atlantic Avenues and the street bed of Pacific street between Flatbush and Sixth Avenues, as well as a small traffic triangle at the intersection of Fifth Avenue and Pacific street. Based on recent sales prices in the area, IBO estimates that the 2010 sales value of this property is $3.7 million.

How was that calculated? The IBO said:

The property amounts to approximately 61,625 square feet. The value is based on a price of $60 per square foot, which takes into account the citywide drop in property prices.
In IBO’s 2005 fiscal brief a calculation error led to a significant underestimate of the value of street beds to be transferred.

The calculation error related to the square footage. But the valuation surely was a lowball figure, geared to a city assessment rather than any recognition of the market.

As stated above, the value was likely closer to $1000/sf, given the FAR of 8.6 and the $125 PBSF.

With property covering 61,625 sf--a bit more than 1.4 acres--that suggests the savings on streets is $61,625,000.

What about the other properties?

There were other properties on the arena block. The 2005 IBO report described the transfer of an FDNY site at Block 1127, Lot 33, valued at $93,800 by the Department of Finance.

City property records indicate that the plot was 25 feet x 110 feet, or 2750 square feet. Multiple that by $1000/sf, and the value is $2,750,000.

That sum doesn't looks out of line when compared with that another small property on Block 1127, Lot 20, purchased by Forest City Ratner for $3 million in 2006. (The payment was reimbursed via city taxpayers' $100 million subsidy for land.) Lot 20 looks marginally wider but not as deep.

A footnote in that first IBO report stated that  another city-owned parcel at the tip of the site (Block 1118, Lot 6) was part of Phase 1, but appeared to "be outside the arena building footprint" and thus would be sold at fair market value.

Nope.

The 2009 IBO report acknowledged that the latter property would be included in the city's giveaway, and nudged up the value of the first site. It stated:

The city will also transfer two city-owned parcels to the Empire State Development Corporation (ESDC) at no cost, which will then be leased to FCRC, that appear to be included in the arena site. The first (Block 1127, Lot 33) is valued by the Department of Finance at $124,000 on the current tax roll, and the second (Block 1118, Lot 6) has a reported full market value of $5.8 million.
Based on these market values, the value of the subsidy from ignoring the opportunity to sell these properties is $6.0 million.

That deserves an adjustment. Block 1118, Lot 6, according to property records, covers 13,500 sf, or about .31 of an acre. It's the tip of the arena plaza and the future tip of the area in front of the flagship office tower. It's a prime site.

Even the city, when it assessed the property at $5.8 million, valued it at nearly $430/sf. It's likely worth more. At $1000/sf, given the FAR, it's worth $13,500,000.

Adding it up

The savings on these two city properties is estimated at $16,250,000,

The savings on the streets is estimated at $61,625,000.

Estimated Phase 1 total savings: $77,875,000.

What about Pacific Street in Phase 2?

Another key piece of land is Pacific Street between Carlton and Vanderbilt avenues, demapped for construction staging (trucks line up there), access to the adjacent surface parking lot, and, ultimately, open space to serve the towers surrounding it. This is part of the Phase 2 site but integral to arena operations.

The approved FAR for the project site east of 6th Avenue (Phase 2) is 7.4, including the streetbeds, according to the Final Environmental Impact Statement. Multiply that by $125 PBSF, and the value is $925/sf.

How big is that stretch of Pacific Street (outlined in red)?

It seems roughly commensurate to the Phase 1 streetbeds (blue + yellow) that total 61,625 square feet.

However, just to be conservative, let's call Pacific Street 50,000 square feet, or about 1.15 acres. Multiply that by $925, and the estimated value is $46,250,000.

Total estimated savings: $77,875,000 +  $46,250,000 = $124,125,000.

Of course, a different PBSF would adjust the numbers. Consider: a 20% decrease, with a value of $100 PBSF, would mean total savings of $99.3 million. A 20% increase, with a value of $150 PBSF, would mean total savings of $148.95 million. Also, of course, an adjusted total of Pacific Street square footage would tweak the formula.

How much did Forest City pay?

We don't know exactly what happened with this Phase 2 property. (That street was indeed condemned, addressed in a 9/17/09 board memo and a later legal petition.)

According to the 2005 GPP,  other city property within the Atlantic Yards site was to be acquired "at their fair market appraised value." However, the 2009 MGPP offered a loophole, allowing payment for "such other value as shall be agreed to by the City and FCRC."

What was that value?

It's a mystery. My queries to the mayor's press office, the New York City Economic Development Corporation, and Forest City Ratner have been ignored. A Freedom of Information Law (FOIL) request to the Empire State Development Corporation returned no relevant documents. Other FOIL requests remain pending.

Maybe another city agency, or elected officials, can probe further.

For now, however, my working assumption is that Forest City didn't pay and that the developer, with its allies in the Bloomberg administration, has assumed no one would check.

Atlantic Yards General Project Plan, July 2006 by

Atlantic Yards, Modified General Project Plan, June 2009 by

IBO Atlantic Yards 2009 Fiscal Brief by Eliot Brown / New York Observer

Atlantic Yards Memorandum of Understanding, Feb. 18, 2005 by

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A "sense of dominion": from Moses to Bloomberg, master builders standing over their city

OK, former Deputy Mayor Dan Doctoroff  deserves it (almost) as much as Mayor Mike Bloomberg, but the latter got to pose, for The Atlantic (a too-gentle interview), as standing on/over the city.

Photo by Jake Chessum/The Atlantic. apparently Panorama of the City of New York, Queens Museum of Art

I haven't seen it discussed publicly, but surely one antecedent of that shot is Arnold Newman's classic 1959 portrayal of Robert Moses.

Photo: Arnold Newman/Getty Images; also see color version 

From UT/Austin web site:

Often called the "Master Builder," Robert Moses planned many of the most important public works and buildings in New York City. He was arguably the most powerful figure in New York City government in the mid-20th century and was responsible for numerous bridges, including the Triborough Bridge, as well as parkways, tunnels, two World Fairs and Shea Stadium.
Newman wanted to portray Moses as the builder of New York, so he placed him on an I-beam with a roll of drawings in his hand. In reality, Moses is only about two-and-a-half feet off the ground and about 12 feet from the East River. But he appears to float over the river with a sense of dominion.

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Mike Bloomberg on the arena: "nobody's going to remember how long it took." Mike Bloomberg on Sandy: "I’m determined we’re not going to [forget].”

Remember Mayor Mike Bloomberg, with his supercilious prediction of amnesia, at the March 2010 Barclays Center groundbreaking: "And for those that say it took a long time to get here, yes it did. But nobody's going to remember how long it took. They're only going to look and see that it was done."

When it comes to Superstorm Sandy, the mayor's singing a different tune, as reported by New York Magazine's Chris Smith:

When I asked the mayor, a week after Sandy, how he interpreted the anger directed at him by storm victims, the response was classic Bloomberg: “I’d love to tell you I had something to do with creating storms,” he said cuttingly. “There’s always somebody who screams, ‘I didn’t have coffee for 24 hours!’ What an outrage! But for most people, they understand we’re in this together ... As a society, we tend to forget pretty quickly and go on to the next thing. And I’m determined we’re not going to do that.” He was asking to be judged on substance, not style. The results so far are decidedly mixed, but unambiguously crucial: Not just to Bloomberg’s political viability, but to New York’s survival.

(Emphasis added)

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As Bloomberg collects kudos (The Atlantic, columnist Friedman), some convenient amnesia about the mayor's less-flattering side, again exemplified this week

Shepherding the response to Hurricane Sandy, Mayor Mike Bloomberg has had a strong week, bringing his mostly levelheaded, managerial attitude to the task of a daunting recovery. And, of course, he garnered headlines yesterday by belatedly endorsing President Obama.

At the same time, his casual comments three days ago in favor of the Brooklyn Nets debut were off-key and unwise, one day later reversed, with no acknowledgment of error.



Similarly, he maintained yesterday--despite very divided opinions in the city--that it would be a good idea to keep the New York City Marathon this Sunday, and that it won't redirect any (any?) focus from the city's needs.



That's Bloombergian certainty for you. In the video above, he suggests that, even if all the mass transit isn't back, there will be fewer people on the roads and thus the Brooklyn Nets game Saturday game should work.

A cover in The Atlantic

While Bloomberg makes the cover of The Atlantic's November issue (Brave Thinkers), the Bloomberg we know isn't all there.


The main acknowledged blot on his record--that astonishing arm-twisting for a third term--is dismissed rather handily in James Bennet's intro to The Bloomberg Way:

You could look at Michael Bloomberg—astringent, profane, irritated by small talk, impatient with the politics of empathy—and see a plutocrat whose billions have given him the freedom to say and do whatever he wants, even to change the law to run for a third term as New York City’s mayor. Or you could look a little further and see a more interesting pattern: a man who turned getting shunted off the fast track at Salomon Brothers—over to information technology, no place for a fledgling master of the financial universe—into an opportunity, creating an entirely new approach to getting traders the data they needed; who took getting fired as a chance to gamble his payout on this idea; who then took the billions he made and chose not to embark on a lifelong vacation but to step into the least-forgiving political arena in the country; and who has since governed New York assertively, putting himself in the vanguard of a generation of mayors who, at a time when the federal government is paralyzed, are testing new approaches to education, transportation, and public health. You begin to see a guy, in sum, who thinks for himself, but not only of himself.

Yes, there are reasons to admire Bloomberg, who's not influenced by outside wealth--except, perhaps, his comfort level with fellow billionaires and multi-millionaires.

Reasons for doubt

But what about Bloomberg's manipulation of nonprofit organizations--"reverse influence-peddling," in the words of Errol Louis, and described thoroughly by Michael D.D. White? That goes unremarked, as with Bloomberg's extraordinary comfort with real estate moguls and his casual, uninformed dismissal of dissent.

For example, what about Bloomberg's astonishing claim that the challenge in this country is more "education inequality" than "income inequality"? That masks the potential for numerous reforms, such as a tax on financial speculation.

Or what about some key metrics of stewardship, as New York Times columnist Michael Powell wrote 10/16/12:

As for New York, the mayor might consider crowing less and worrying more. Having wisely built up budget surpluses, the mayor has emptied most of his accounts during the economic storm. Tax revenues no longer come in above projections.
And he has become a sleepier fiscal shepherd. Once, Mr. Bloomberg fought for stringent union contracts. That time has passed.

The Bloomberg promise

As I wrote 10/10/11, in Bloomberg: "you promise users everything, then you build what you can and what you think they need", the mayor and developer Bruce Ratner share a penchant for making promises they can't keep.

In the film Battle for Brooklyn, as I wrote in my review, Bloomberg imperiously dismisses questions about the much-promoted Community Benefits Agreement (CBA), purported to guarantee affordable housing, local hiring, and minority contracting. “I would add something else that’s even more important,” the mayor declares. “You have Bruce Ratner’s word, and that should be enough.”

It wasn't. There's no Independent Compliance Monitor, as the developer promised. It's astounding that none of the elected officials who supported the CBA have called Ratner on this.

Bloomberg pro-life?

Wrote New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman 10/27/12:

That’s why, for me, the most “pro-life” politician in America is New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg. While he supports a woman’s right to choose, he has also used his position to promote a whole set of policies that enhance everyone’s quality of life — from his ban on smoking in bars and city parks to reduce cancer, to his ban on the sale in New York City of giant sugary drinks to combat obesity and diabetes, to his requirement for posting calorie counts on menus in chain restaurants, to his push to reinstate the expired federal ban on assault weapons and other forms of common-sense gun control, to his support for early childhood education, to his support for mitigating disruptive climate change.

Not everyone saw Bloomberg's record as unblemished. One commenter observed:

Generally excellent, Tom. But Bloomberg? He just came out against Elizabeth Warren and for Scott Brown in Massachusetts. She conceived and helped create the Consumers Protection Bureau—surely that is "pro-Life in your sense; but Bloomberg says that is Socialism, leaning toward communism!!! Brown is a tool of the finance industry, and definitely cynical on pro-life/pro-choice, slicing and dicing in various statements but when asked who his favorite SCOTUS Justice is, he said Scalia. He has voted with the Party of Cynicism on substantive issues 74% of the time!

Another observed:

Bloomberg is certainly pro-choice when it comes to term limits.

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OK, the consensus becomes that keeping the Nets-Knicks game would've been a bad idea. But the Nets and the NBA get off mostly unscathed, as does Bloomberg.

The belated backlash to the unwise decision to continue with the Nets-Knicks opener scheduled for tonight--until Mayor Mike Bloomberg yesterday stopped it--continues.

Still, no one has challenged the unfounded explanation, as accepted by the New York Times, by Brooklyn Nets CEO Brett Yormark and NBA Deputy Commissioner Adam Silver that they didn't know how bad the subways were when they made the decision to reaffirm the plan.

In fact, the Times devotes far more resources to an article about Knicks fans becoming Nets fans.

Nor has anyone tried to figure out how and why Mayor Mike Bloomberg--whose office, according to Yormark, coordinated with the decision to keep the game--changed his mind. (I speculate that the cops might have protested.) Michael D.D. White, in his Noticing New York blog, captures the mayor's unseemly, boosterish tone:

In the course of two back-to-back news conferences on the extraordinary disaster accompanying hurricane he twice embarrassed himself, each time taking time out from the business of the hurricane relief efforts and reports on deaths to swing into promotion for the so-called “Barclays” basketball arena (which he has started calling a “stadium”- does he think a full scale stadium could have been squeezed into the neighborhood?).

Yormark sheepish

Appearing for the second straight day on the WFAN show Boomer & Carton, Yormark this morning was sheepish: "Y'know, we had our conversation yesterday... as I said... it's been a collaborative effort, with the league, the mayor's office, and obviously our management. And yesterday morning, and more towards midday, the mayor had called us, and after further assessment on obviously the prolific damage done to the city, he felt it was most appropriate to pause for a couple of days until Saturday. So that's what we all agreed to. Listen, we've got to do what's best for the community; if that in fact is what's best, then we went along with it."

That doesn't hold water: the NBA's explanation was that they didn't realize how long it would take for mass transit to recover--but that warning was issued nine hours before the game was reaffirmed.

Craig Carton (who'd earlier tweeted about "media sheep") commented, "This was not a decision that you guys were allowed to make unilaterally... But it was interesting to me that, y'know yesterday, everybody on the conference call, you said to us, you, everyone was 100% Yes, we're playing the game. And the mayor was the one who picked up the phone and said, Y'know what, we're not playing the game, and here's why. When he makes that phone call, who's involved?"

"He called the league first, and the league got me involved," Yormark responded. "And obviously , if that was the wishes of the mayor's office, then we went along with it." (Note that Yormark had said yesterday that the mayor's office was part of the group that agreed that the game should go on.)

"Obviously you heard him the day before, he was interested in making sure this game went on and in fact said he would attend it," Yormark continued. "But listen, we all reserve the right to make changes, and those changes are hopefully based on further evaluation, and doing what's right. And the mayor changed his position, and we did as well." (But there was no new evaluation to be done; it looks like the mayor was either ignored by the NBA, or swayed by the arguments for the "historic" home opener.)

"We'll open up on Saturday night, it'll be as dramatic as it would've been Thursday," Yormark claimed, settling back into "carnival barker" mode (to quote Ian O'Connor). "We're going to open up two hours earlier... It seems like slowly rail's coming back on line. Maybe it's going to be better because more fans are going to be able to come out."

Carton said later, "It doesn't matter to me how you get to the right answer, as long as you get there. I told you was offended by the fact that there was going to be a game when we all spoke yesterday... And I'm glad you guys got to it: whether it was the mayor, or Marty Markowitz, or you guys, y'know, whatever Boomer and I had to do with it by bringing it up.... I'm glad that you guys--don't be offended by this--came to your senses and agreed that today was not the right day to open up that building."

"Craig, I agree with you," Yormark replied. "Y'know what, no one's perfect. I think, after just further assessment and further evaluation, we decided it was the right thing to do. And I appreciate your candor yesterday."

"Plus, there's another good aspect of it as well," Carton riposted. "You're not going to lose your home opener." Yormark invited him to join him at the rescheduled game.

Bloomberg on video

The video below mashes up Bloomberg's statement on two days ago with his statement yesterday:



A couple of columnists

Columnist Tara Sullivan of The (Bergen) Record wrote:

New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg did the right thing when he convinced the NBA to postpone tonight’s scheduled season opener between the Nets and Knicks, correctly realizing how frivolous the image of a half-empty Barclays Center would appear in the midst of the sad, haunting pictures of damage. Now it’s time for him to do the same with Sunday’s New York City Marathon. After telling fans, “I’m sorry about the game,” the mayor underscored his own point by adding, “The police have other things to do.”
...So yes, Bloomberg was right in changing the minds of an NBA brain trust that, for days, continued to insist the Knicks-Nets opener would go on as scheduled. Their desire came as no surprise, given the strong national TV ratings that would have been drawn with two regional powers going at it for the first time since the long-standing, stepchild Nets moved right into big brother’s backyard.

Wrote Daily News columnist Mitch Lawrence:

[NBA Commissioner David] Stern doesn’t normally take orders. But when Mayor Bloomberg called Wednesday to say he thought that the league should postpone Brooklyn’s big night and the season-opener between the Nets and Knicks, the commissioner did the right thing.
The NBA didn’t object. Everyone knows it had to be done.
As of Wednesday morning, it bordered on incredible that the NBA was still willing to give the Nets what they had lusted for long before the schedule came out. It’s as if Stern was sitting out in Omaha, oblivious to what Sandy had done right below his nose.
...When it comes to promoting their new digs, Bruce Ratner and everyone else associated with the Nets have trumpeted the same sensible advice from the get-go: Don’t drive. Take the subway. After what Sandy did, it’s become, what subway? Thankfully, no one is going to have to figure out a way to get to a place no one wants to take his car to.

Not quite. Saturday's game will be a challenge. But it least it won't be a work day, with commuters, and more of the transit system should be back.

No one's nearly as tough as ESPN's Ian O'Connor, who called the decision to keep the game heartless, clueless, lacking in any redeeming social value, and didn't let Yormark and Silver off the hook.

Mike Vaccaro wrote in the New York Post:

The important thing is, everyone got it right, postponing the Knicks-Nets game in Brooklyn tonight and preventing what would have been an epic case of misplaced judgment. It isn’t necessary to over-praise Mayor Bloomberg for essentially forcing the NBA to do the right thing, same as it isn’t imperative to fillet the short-sighted decision makers who were originally going to allow an event to go on in a building celebrated for its devotion to public transportation even as saltwater continues to eat away at subway tracks in stricken stations and tunnels.
Here is what matters: They got it right.
We’ll know when the time is right to resume...

Times sports columnist Lynn Zinser wrote:

O.K., let’s see if we have this straight: Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg wisely slaps down the N.B.A.'s initial ridiculous idea to play the Nets-Knicks opener as scheduled Thursday at Barclays Center in Brooklyn because of the devastation of Hurricane Sandy, then pauses about two secondsbefore declaring the New York City Marathon must go on.

...The mayor’s news conferences often seem to be conveying several different ideas at once, in several languages, including one resembling Spanish, but this time he is apparently talking from two different planets. The wise, caretaking mayor from Planet Earth decides the N.B.A. must take a back seat to the city’s overall welfare on Thursday while the smooth-talking mayor from Planet Money Trumps All decides that whatever cash spills from the pockets of out-of-town runners, however many of them can even manage to get to the city, is worth draining the city of critical resources for a race on Sunday.

As noted, he really wasn't so wise about the NBA game.
The beat reporters

The story has been mostly left to the sports reporters, whose main sources (duh) are the Nets and the NBA.

Daily News beat reporter Stefan Bondy, who's often unskeptical of Yormark, did recognize an irony:

On Wednesday morning – hours before Bloomberg announced the postponement – Nets CEO Brett Yormark went on WFAN to laud the decision to play the game, urging New Yorkers to use it as a source of inspiration. He also said e-mails from season ticket holders indicated fans "overwhelmingly" wanted to the game played Thursday.
“This can be in many respects rallying cry for New York,” Yormark told the radio station. “Obviously its devastation what went on here. It’s going to be a long recovery, but we do need to forward.”

The New York Post reported simply:

The NBA initially had announced Tuesday night that the game would proceed as scheduled. But Mayor Bloomberg said at a news conference yesterday he had pushed the league to postpone the game because of the impact of the storm on the city, and in particular to the mass transit system.

New York magazine's Joe DeLessio wrote:

Frankly, we couldn't believe the NBA had intended to go ahead with the game. Fans have been told for months that they should take public transportation to the arena, and that they shouldn't even think about driving. Barclays Center has been playing up all the subway lines that service the arena, but as of last night, all lines were shut down, and only partial service could be restored tomorrow. Suddenly, Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz was encouraging fans, if the game was on, to take buses and ... carpool. It would have been a total shitshow — unless everyone just stayed home, which isn't exactly ideal either.

Then again, his colleague Will Leitch had written a day earlier:

Mayor Bloomberg had put his support behind playing, but with no trains — and a flooded subway entrance — the much-anticipated game was in serious doubt. But no longer! Tipoff is at 7 p.m. on Thursday night.
This might turn into one of those "can't keep New York down!" nights, and hey: The game's cheaper to go to now too.

The Wall Street Journal's Scott Cacciola reported, in So Much for the Grand Opening:

The move came at the request of mayor Michael Bloomberg, who urged NBA officials to postpone the game because of continuing issues with mass transit in the aftermath of superstorm Sandy. Tickets for the game had been selling for hundreds, even thousands, of dollars on the secondary market. Now, the Nets will make history Saturday by playing their first official game in Brooklyn against the decidedly less sexy Toronto Raptors.

Newsday's Roderick Boone reported, in Knicks-Nets season opener at Barclays Center postponed:

It's a turnaround from Tuesday, when Bloomberg said he hoped the game would go on as planned despite the lack of mass transit to the area.
"At my recommendation, the NBA has canceled tomorrow night's Nets-Knicks game," Bloomberg said. "I'm sorry about the game. There is a not a lot of mass transit and our police have better things to do."

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Bloomberg, with no chagrin about reconfirmation yesterday of Brooklyn Nets debut, announces inaugural game against Knicks postponed "at my recommendation"; NBA expresses sympathy with "all those affected"; CEO Yormark does a 180-degree turn

Screenshot from BrooklynNets.com

In a blow to the grand plan to have the Brooklyn Nets debut on national TV, the team's "historic" home opener tomorrow night at the Barclays Center against the New York Knicks has been postponed, even though it was reconfirmed yesterday despite the devastation of the subway system in the wake of Hurricane Sandy.

Was that the right thing to do, or was it because they couldn't get people to the game? Maybe both.

Asked yesterday about the postponement, he replied (in the video below) that he didn't know: "I did see the story on a well known news service that said that the NBA was going ahead with the three games, I guess tomorrow night, and they had not decided yet about Thursday night's game. Um, I hope they do it. I plan to go. It's going to be tough to get there because, remember, one of the great things about the Barclay's Center is the great mass transit that runs under it, unfortunately for the moment, not a lot is running under it. What they are going to do, I don't know, but if it's scheduled I will go. I think it's going to be a great arena and it's a great thing for Brooklyn, and so..."



This afternoon, he spoke at a news conference, beginning rather bureaucratically, "At my recommendation, the NBA has canceled tomorrow night's game between the Knicks and the Nets. It was going to be the first Nets game in the new stadium. Now the first Nets game will be Saturday at 7:30 at the Barclays Center. The Nets play the Toronto Raptors, and this game will be rescheduled. The NBA will be working with the city to provide extra bus services for Saturday night, because the subways may not be back. After that, there's plenty of mass transit, that's one of the beauties of the Barclays Center."

Bloomberg didn't express any chagrin about the announcements yesterday, apparently with coordination of his office, reconfirming the game. "Unfortunately, we didn't count on Sandy," he said, his style a bit warmer. "Hopefully Sandy doesn't come along very often. I'm sorry about the game, I was personally going to take my daughters and [companion] Diana [Taylor]. We were looking forward to it. It's a great stadium, it would've been a great game, but the bottom line is: there is just not a lot of mass transit; our police have plenty of other things to do. I know lots of fans are going to be disappointed. And the players are disappointed--the players wanted to play this. But I did talk to the NBA and recommended that--ask them to cancel the game. It's all up to me.

A mistaken decision yesterday?

Overall,  it's a repudiation of what I called a "stone cold power move," the decision to hold "the game before anyone knows if mass transit will work--when the arena was built to rely on mass transit." That decision, I observed, suggested that the interests of the league, the network, and the arena operators trumped those of the ticket holders and the citizens of Brooklyn.

USA Today yesterday reported that the decision was made after the NBA consulted with Bloomberg's office and the Nets.

Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz yesterday told ESPNNewYork.com. "I am confident that the NBA, in conjunction with the MTA, the NYPD and all of the necessary city agencies, will make a decision that represents the best interests not only of sports fans but of all of our citizens in New York City."

Right.

The NBA backed off, according to the AP:

"Mayor Bloomberg informed us this afternoon that after further analysis of the damage caused by Hurricane Sandy that he felt it was in the best interests of the city of New York, the teams and our fans that we postpone the Knicks-Nets game scheduled for Thursday night," NBA Deputy Commissioner Adam Silver said in a statement. "Our thoughts are with all those affected by this devastating storm."

They didn't say that yesterday.

Nets CEO's tune

Brett Yormark, CEO of the Nets and the arena, yesterday tweeted, "Tnt makes it official. Brooklyn nets debut will happen on thursday. Going to be a huge night."

This morning, as noted by Daily News beat reporter Stefan Bondy, "Nets CEO goes on the radio saying that playing Thursday was best possible solution and New York could use it as a rallying cry."

On the radio

"You know I love you, and you know I think that going to Brooklyn's a great thing for you guys and for the franchise, and ultimately for basketball in New York," WFAN host Craig Carton said in the interview. (Also check podcast.) "I think it's terrible that this game's being played tomorrow night, and hope you can walk me through the decisionmaking."

Yormark responded, "At the end of the day, there was a lot of people involved. We worked very closely with the NBA and the Mayor's office... At the end of the day, for lots of different reasons, we felt we needed to move forward. We're working with the MTA... We'll have that posted on BarclaysCenter.com sometime today. We also feel today this can be in many respects a rallying cry for New York. obviously, it's a devastation... We do need to move on, and we're going to do the best we can."

Co-host Boomer Esiason, a Long Island resident, "The problem is, we're not going to be able to watch it at home.. .I think it's one of the reason why Craig and I have been talking about it... I know what they're going to say to you: there are no trains. Are they going to increase bus service?"

"The plan is to increase buses, to provide shuttle services," Yormark responded, "We're going to work on what that plan is going to look like, in order to mitigate any problems."

"You're going to have a half empty building and no one watching on TV in the tri-state area," Esiason retorted. "It takes away from the that it's the first sporting event since 1957, and ther ality so so many people have real life going on, and frankly offended that the game is being played."

"My heart is going out to anyone who's in a bad spot," Yormark said. "But we felt collectively that it was the right thing to do. We received an enormous amount of emails form our season ticketholders... and we're going to try to make the most of it... the timing obviously is not good, but we have to move on, because it could be days before the subway system is back in order.

Carton asked, "Who makes the ultimate decision?"

"I think it's a collective decision," Yormark responded, "The league has their perspective, we have our perspective, local government officials have their perspective."

Esiason asked if Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz was "all on board."

"We spoke to Marty, our people did yesterday, we collaborated with everyone," Yormark responded. "This isn't a decision the NBA, or the Nets, made in a silo... we think we had a good process in coming up with this decision."

"Did anyone say no?"

No, Yormark said.

"That's fascinating to me, Carton responded, suggesting that Markowitz, representing Brooklyn, would know different neighborhoods might have different opinions. (I think that's a bit generous.) "I gotta tell you, this game should not be played. How much does [cable network] TNT have a voice in it?"

"Safety's paramount in all our decisionmaking," Yormark responded. " TNT, obviously collaborated with the league. This is not about television or TNT." (Really?) "This was about what we felt was best for all concerned. Again, I think we made the decision to move forward... I do expect a great crowd and a great moment."

"Was the thought process: if you didn't play tomorrow night, you'd find a date later in the season... or open up on Saturday night?" asked Carton.

"The next thing would be opening up on Saturday, and I'm not sure how much improvement we'd have," said Yormark. (And that's what they're doing--transit access will be better because there are two days more to fix the system, and no commuters will be going home.)

Carton also asked Yormark if they'd run "special buses solely for getting people... specifically to the center?"

"We're exploring every and all options," Yormark responded.

A letter from Yormark

This afternoon, Yormark wrote fans a letter, with a different message:

Mayor Bloomberg recommended to the NBA this afternoon that after further assessments of the damage caused by Hurricane Sandy, he felt it was in the best interests of New York City for the NBA to postpone the Brooklyn Nets-New York Knicks game scheduled for tomorrow night. As a result, the game has been postponed for a date to be determined. Tickets for the November 1 game will be honored for the rescheduled game.

The Brooklyn Nets home opener at Barclays Center will now be Saturday, November 3 against the Toronto Raptors. We will have a transportation plan in place, including additional bus options, for this game.

Saturday’s game is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. and doors will open at 5:30 p.m. Fans are encouraged to arrive early to enjoy select food and beverage specials from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Our hearts go out to everyone affected by Hurricane Sandy. We know these are trying times for so many of you and our thoughts are with you.

That 5:30 door means they really want people to start getting there early.

More from the mayor

Bloomberg said there'd be no subway service below 34th Street in Manhattan, where there is no power and cited "a very complicated process"  to get water out of tunnels. He said service under the East River was "unlikely"until sometime in the weekend.

While all the East River bridges are open, most tunnels remain closed. To reduce number of cars coming into Manhattan, the four East River bridges will be be restricted to High Occupancy Vehicles (HOV) containing three or more people from 6 am until midnight.

Also, bus lanes are being established. Schools are still closed for students the rest of the week.

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Does Islanders' move to Brooklyn speed up Atlantic Yards housing? No, says Ratner. Bloomberg blames opponents for delays. Both ignore the record.

During the press conference following the announcement this afternoon of the New York Islanders' move to the Barclays Center in 2015, there was exactly one question about the larger Atlantic Yards project and its unfulfilled promises.

"Of course this arena was supposed to be part of a overall complex, 6,000 housing units, many of them affordable," asked Mike Pesca of NPR. "Can you talk about how this deal affects building those units, and can the mayor comment on how he's satisfied with the progress building of the housing?"



Ratner kept it brief: "This deal doesn't affect the housing, and I announced at our last press conference...  that on December 18th we will have the groundbreaking for our first building, which is 50% affordable."

Bloomberg blames opponents

Bloomberg tried harder at defense, "I would say that we'd obviously like to get things done quicker, but given all of the angst that Bruce had to go through to get the building going, the fact that the housing is a little bit behind schedule isn't the least bit surprising."

"Those people that tried to stop the project or delay the project are the ones that really caused all of that," he added. "The marketplace also wasn't terribly helpful, but I think the fact that New York City's at a record population, is having a record number of tourists coming here... there's a lot of good indicators that say that Bruce will be able to build and get it done reasonably expeditiously. Would it have been nice if it was done earlier, sure? But the real world is what it is."

Or blame the developer and government

Though some, like a new City and State reporter, took Bloomberg at face value, that ignores history. In the real world, Ratner has made two self-sabotaging--if rather little-noticed--statements regarding those promises:

• he repudiated the ten-year timeline to build the project previously endorsed by his company and the state
• he claimed that high-rise, union-built affordable housing isn't feasible, even though that's what he long planned and the state approved twice

As for the ten-year timetable, after the state approved the project a second time in 2009, it signed a contract with Forest City giving the developer 25 years to build Atlantic Yards.

Just this week an executive from Forest City indicated, for the first time to my knowledge, that the six planned towers over the railyard would not be constructed until seven other towers are built first. So much for removal of the below-grade blight, a major justification for the project.

Reported Matt Chaban in the Observer:

After the press conference, reporters tried to ask Mr. Ratner if he had made a final decision on whether the first apartment building would be built modular or not. “We’re not talking modular today,” he responded curtly. Maybe that is because he still does not have financing for the tower, as Mr. Oder reported.

Welcome to the real world, indeed.

The Times whiffs

The Times reported, at least in the early editions:

The project has been met with fierce opposition with critics citing its size, the increased traffic the arena will attract and what they claim is an inadequate amount of low-priced housing that will ultimately be built.

I don't think critics haven't claimed "an inadequate amount of low-priced housing that will ultimately be built." I think they've pointed out that Forest City has delayed plans to build the housing,

Actually, according to the invaluable NewsDiffs.org, which tracks how articles change, the final article doesn't say that. Here's the latest version:

 Below is the earlier version:

Something's lost: the "absence of governance" quote. Yes, I know they have to pick and choose, and Council Member James represents more people. But her statement about "reviewing this deal" is empty. Krashes' assessment is more valuable.

Also note that the only required traffic study is next year, before the Islanders are set to move. Surely another is in order.

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