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Atlantic Yards/Pacific Park infographics: what's built/what's coming/what's missing, who's responsible, + project FAQ/timeline (pinned post)

In Industry magazine, Gilmartin cites Ratner as having "civic conscience and a sense of neighborhood obligation" (bonus: Barclays Center food called "overpriced")

Business-friendly Industry magazine has a glowing profile of new Forest City Ratner CEO MaryAnne Gilmartin in the current issue. Here are a couple of excerpts.

In the first, note that Gilmartin was working for the New York City Public Development Corporation, predecessor to the New York City Economic Development Corporation (which was headed for years by Jim Stuckey, later to joing Forest City):

Gilmartin said of Bruce Ratner: "What he was doing was as close to public development as I could hope for. He was undertaking large scale projects, and had a similar focus on job creation and positive community impact."

Do public agencies and private developers really have the same agenda? Shouldn't there be some negotiating tension?

She also said: "I can remember thinking, 'If I were a developer, that's the kind I wanted to be... one with a civic conscience and a sense of neighborhood obligation."

Or, perhaps, as the New York Times put it in September 2012, his "reputation for promising anything to get a deal, only to renegotiate relentlessly for more favorable terms."

Regarding Atlantic Yards


The arena did not swallow the borough--she's right. But I don't think they fully "addressed the quality of life concerns. And while the arena itself alarmed people, the entire project was estimated to have far larger impacts.


On modular housing

Note Gilmartin's unguarded rhetoric: it's not 50% market housing but 50% luxury housing.

Dissing arena food costs

Despite the magazine's focus, a positive mention of a Prospect Heights falafel joint comes with a dis of Barclays Center food prices.

 "Don't waste the rest of your hard earned money on overpriced food from the Barclays Center"?

Wow. I'd bet someone in the magazine's editorial office will get a nasty phone call.

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