In an interview in the Queens Ledger, headlined ELECTIONS 2009: THE RACE FOR MAYOR, Mayor Mike Bloomberg implicitly lumps Atlantic Yards, where he permitted a state override of city zoning, with other large-scale projects for which the City Council has approved a rezoning.
On whether the city's large-scale development projects are overly ambitious:
No, the zoning for Willets Point was started for the 1964 World's Fair and we just got it done. So for the next 10 or 15 years, I don't know how fast the economy is going to come back, but when you want to build, the zoning will have been done. That's the tough part.
Thompson edges toward criticism
Comptroller Bill Thompson, the front-runner for the Democratic nomination, edges toward criticism of Atlantic Yards.
On development in the city:
I'm not against large-scale development, but I will cite two of the biggest announcements over the last ten years :Hudson Yards on the west side of Manhattan and Atlantic yards in Downtown Brooklyn. How many units of housing are there? How many jobs? What has happened since the ribbon cuttings and the big announcements? You haven't seen anything that has occurred there. I'm not against large-scale development, but I'm for smart growth in conjunction with communities and not by going around them. This mega-project that you give all to one developer isn't working. There are other models that work better...like Battery Park City.
On Atlantic Yards;
It's starting to look like a basketball stadium and one building.
If Thompson were truly a critic of Atlantic Yards, he would've shown up--or sent a surrogate--to the public hearing last week.
On whether the city's large-scale development projects are overly ambitious:
No, the zoning for Willets Point was started for the 1964 World's Fair and we just got it done. So for the next 10 or 15 years, I don't know how fast the economy is going to come back, but when you want to build, the zoning will have been done. That's the tough part.
Thompson edges toward criticism
Comptroller Bill Thompson, the front-runner for the Democratic nomination, edges toward criticism of Atlantic Yards.
On development in the city:
I'm not against large-scale development, but I will cite two of the biggest announcements over the last ten years :Hudson Yards on the west side of Manhattan and Atlantic yards in Downtown Brooklyn. How many units of housing are there? How many jobs? What has happened since the ribbon cuttings and the big announcements? You haven't seen anything that has occurred there. I'm not against large-scale development, but I'm for smart growth in conjunction with communities and not by going around them. This mega-project that you give all to one developer isn't working. There are other models that work better...like Battery Park City.
On Atlantic Yards;
It's starting to look like a basketball stadium and one building.
If Thompson were truly a critic of Atlantic Yards, he would've shown up--or sent a surrogate--to the public hearing last week.
I might also add that the Willets Point "rezoning" was not started back in 1964; the project was defeated in court back then by Mario Cuomo.
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