Ratner calls arena "public building," says "I think everyone right-thinking realizes that this was well worth it"

NY1 this week looks "at the impact of the Nets and the Barclays Center on the community, on the borough and on the national stage," beginning with an exclusive interview, headlined Brooklyn Holds Court: Road To Barclays Center A Long One, Developer Says

"I think everyone right-thinking realizes that this was well worth it," Ratner tells Brooklyn reporter Jeanine Ramirez, implicitly suggesting that the New York City Independent Budget Office, which called the arena a loss for the city, is wrong-thinking.

"That's the right place for a public building like this," Ratner tells his interviewer, which prompts some editorial pause:

But whether a privately owned arena is a public benefit sparked much debate and prompted lawsuits over the use of eminent domain. 

The debate continues. After all, while the building may be open to the paying public, Ratner famously told Crain's New York Business 11/8/09, "Why should people get to see plans? This isn't a public project."