That story about the MTA officer that harassed someone shooting video of the Atlantic Yards footprint reported by Atlantic Yards Report pissed off a lot of photographers and bloggers, many of whom do duty as journalists without the minimal protections offers by press credentials. (Not that a press card is a shield against those bent […]

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A video artist and teacher taking photos and video of the Atlantic Yards development site was stopped and questioned by an MTA police offer this Sunday. The incident is throughly reported in Atlantic Yards Report. Here’s a bit of what Norman Oder writes about the disturbing little story: Though a good number of photographers regularly […]

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[Photo courtesy of threecee/flickr] These could be our favorite street couches ever. We’ve seen better ones, of course, but the placement on these–on Atlantic Avenue near S. Oxford in the Atlantic Yards footprint–is perfect. So perfect, in fact, that we got two photos of it within 12 hours of each other. The photo on top […]

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Yesterday’s big news was that a Federal Appeals Court had dismissed an appeal of an earlier ruling in the Atlantic Yards eminent domain suit. In a 24-page ruling, the judges noted the project creates public benefits like housing and that “Federal judges may not intervene in such matters simply on the basis of our sympathies.” […]

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A Federal Appeals Court has dismissed the eminent domain case brought against Atlantic Yards. It is the last remaining major legal challenge against the project. The decision can be still be appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court. Forest City Ratner distributed copies of the 24-page ruling to the press. Develop Don’t Destroy Brooklyn quickly issued […]

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Says Forest City Ratner spokesperson Bruce Bender after the company has endured several days of media speculation about whether further delays in its Atlantic Yards project will cause problems in sagging credit markets: “We remain completely committed to making Atlantic Yards and its numerous benefits a reality for everyone. Regardless of the opponents’ delay tactics, […]

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The results from last night’s Atlantic Yards Quiz competition are in. The winning team was put together by No Land Grab. Atlantic Yards super-expert Norman Oder of Atlantic Yards Report, who would have been our odds on favorite because his mind is like a machine when it comes to Atlantic Yards, came in second. (Although […]

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“Though they didn’t say so explicitly, plaintiffs in the Atlantic Yards eminent domain case had to be pleased to learn that U.S. District Judge Edward Korman, the most skeptical member of a three-judge panel who last October 9 heard the appeal after the case had been dismissed, recused himself from the case. Develop Don’t Destroy […]

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Tracy Collins, the photographer who has been documenting the changes in the Atlantic Yards “footprint” and creating an invaluable visual record, will be showing some of his photos. The opening is on January 24 at 7PM and all the info is in the image above. If you haven’t seen them, click over to Mr. Collins’ […]

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If the truth be told, we’ve always felt that there were parts of the Atlantic Yards “footprint” in Prospect Heights that could have used a bit of a cleanup, particularly since the city and Forest City Ratner had been allowing conditions like dirty streets to get worse over the last couple of years. Yet, the […]

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Late yesterday afternoon State Supreme Court Judge Joan Madden issued her ruling dismissing the suit brought by 26 groups challenging the environmental review process that led to the approval of Atlantic Yards. Judge Madden’s ruling weighs in at 71 pages and the crux of her finding is that the actions of the Empire State Development […]

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The press release announcing the decision dismissing the environmental review lawsuit about Atlantic Yards and providing Develop Don’t Destroy Brooklyn’s reaction hit our inbox at about 4:55PM yesterday afternoon. It was followed by Borough President Marty Markowitz’s press release at 5:55PM. Then came Forest City Ratner’s release at 6:02PM. Here’s a sampling of the reactions: […]

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In a setback to groups fighting the Atlantic Yards development, a suit by 26 groups challenging the environmental review for the huge project has been dismissed. Early details were sparse, as the decision was announced at 4:30 PM, but New York State Supreme Court Judge Joan Madden ruled in favor of the Empire State Development […]

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From “absolute absence of democratic process” to “you’re the victim” with stops in between at things like “brutally weird” and “instant gentrification,” here’s the complete guide to Atlantic Yards terms and phrases.–AYR

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Of course, it’s only a sign, but it is a sign that packs a lot of symbolic importance. It’s about the pending closure, on January 16, of the Carlton Avenue Bridge for work on the rail yards related to the Atlantic Yards project.–Brit in Brooklyn

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The Empire State Development Corp. is hiring an “Owner’s Rep” to be its “eyes and ears” during any Atlantic Yards construction (though, uh, not demolition, which has been going on without “eyes and ears”). “The Owner’s Rep will help ESDC identify, address and investigate risks associated with construction activities, including; demolition, site and civil construction, […]

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Remember the heady days of predictions that a Nets arena would open in Brooklyn in 2006? For a long time, the official word from the teams and Forest City Ratner has been that the project–which is still tangled in legal challenges and has recently been the subject of questions about security concerns–would open in 2009. […]

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A new book, Brooklyn Was Mine, an anthology of the work of 20 writers including Jonathan Lethem and Phillip Lopate, was officially published yesterday. In addition to the writers included in the book, it’s notable because proceeds from the sale will be used to support Develop Don’t Destroy Brooklyn. A release says: The twenty novelists, […]

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Wonder what’s up with those Atlantic Yards lawsuits or, simply, wonder what they are? Then, read this handy guide to the suits and to what might or not be happening soon to determine the future of the proposed mega-development.–Atlantic Yards Report

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Late last week, the crew from Streetfilms stationed themselves at Atlantic and Flatbush Avenues, where the traffic was awful and talked to drivers. The results are interesting. You can read more about it here, here and here.

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“An article appearing in last week’s issue of the Courier-Life chain read a bit like something out of The Onion, if you read between the lines.” Why? Because groups that signed the Community Benefits Agreement with developer Bruce Ratner and that have gotten significant cash from him, say the press simply isn’t writing enough stories […]

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There are still decisions pending in two major cases concerning Atlantic Yards. One is a challenge to the environmental review process that was argued in May. The other is an appeal of a decision to dismiss the eminent domain lawsuit.–AYR

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[Photo courtesy of threecee/flickr] This is the site of the former B65 bus stop on Dean Street near Flatbush Avenue in Prospect Heights, where water and sewer work has been going on. It only took a few days to let befuddled passengers know they were waiting for a bus that would never come at the […]

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An email about an Atlantic Yards Hoax site, called atlanticyardspark.com, made the rounds yesterday, causing a small stir among those that clicked over to the website. (The distribution list seemed to have excluded a number of blogs and online news sites, however.) While ostensibly a satire about the controversial development the site was full of […]

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Go back four years in the Atlantic Yards time machine, to a time when Borough President Marty Markowitz said the city had “no money to provide” to the big project and said that neighborhood opponents would “be involved.”–Atlantic Yards Report

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