DailyHeights

Letitia James, who represents District 35 (includes Clinton Hill, Fort
Greene, parts of Crown Heights, Prospect Heights and Bedford
Stuyvesant) on the New York City Council, on life, politics, education, affordable housing, Bruce Ratner and Atlantic Yards, and the best place to get red velvet cake.   

to The Brian Lehrer Show.

Thanks to DDDB for the link. UPDATE: no, the link doesn’t appear to be working right now (noon Wednesday).

Julie Satow writes in the The
New York Sun: “Community groups opposing Bruce Ratner’s Atlantic
Yards development in Brooklyn are advancing an alternative proposal to develop
the site. The "unity plan" calls for the development of the 11-acre
rail yard but does not include a new home for the New Jersey Nets.”

MARSHALL BROWN: “It is about stitching communities together by
creating new street connections and public parks … rather than act as a wall,
as in the Forest City Ratner plan."

DePLASCO (Forest City Ratner): “Not feasible …
They have no way to pay for it.”

HENRY WEINSTEIN (owns 120,000 sq ft of property in the Ratner footprint): "The
unity plan … is a good alternative and is definitely
feasible."

LETITIA JAMES: "The community is not antidevelopment,
it just opposes eminent domain.”

Errol Louis writes in the Daily
News: “…City Councilwoman Letitia James, a vocal
critic of Bruce Ratner’s Atlantic Yards development plan, may have to fight for
her political life this summer. James – who first got elected to office on the
Working Families Party line in a special election after the assassination of
James Davis in 2003 – is ineligible to run as a Dem in an overwhelmingly
Democratic district.”

“…
she could face a tough general election race against a pro-development Democrat
this fall, unless (she gets) special permission to run in its primary …
James’ entrenched opposition to Atlantic Yards has strained her ties
with the pro-jobs, union-backed Working Families Party, which generally
supports Ratner’s plan.

"I have yet to hear anyone say, ‘We will not
support you because of your position on Atlantic Yards,’" James says. But
about 20 neighborhood residents, upset about James’ opposition, recently
picketed the councilwoman’s office.” Read
more…

Stephen Witt, writing in the January 10, 2005 edition of the Park Slope Courier, reported on an "incendiary letter" charging that "Forest City Ratner is the hidden force behind grassroots suppport" for the Atlantic Yards project. According to Witt, the letter alleges that Forest City Ratner Companies (FCRC) "orchestrated and engineered" a protest outside the office of City Council member Letitia James.

Witt writes of the "quickly scrapped" note: "The note, bearing the letterhead of City Council member Albert Vann, asks for ‘black elected officials’ to express outrage …"

BUILD President James Caldwell is quoted in the article: "I as a black man can think on my own … We’re an independent organization and all we want is betterment for all the people in our community." ACORN Executive Director Bertha Lewis: "Out of respect for Mr. Vann, I refuse comment…" Forest City Ratner Companies spokesperson Joe DePlasco: "Ridiculous."

Would be nice if the whole article was online, but it doesn’t appear to be. Can anybody find it?

Jesse Serwer writes in the Brooklyn Skyline: "The Coney Island Nets? Councilwoman Letitia James thinks Coney Island is a better
place for developer Bruce Ratner’s proposed 19,000-seat Nets arena rather
than the Prospect Heights neighborhood he’s looking to take over by
eminent domain.

"’Coney Island has plenty of public
transportation,’ said James, whose Fort Greene-based 35th Council
District includes the swath of Prospect Heights where nearly 1,000 residents
and workers could be displaced if Ratner gets the approval needed to build Brooklyn
Atlantic Yards, a commercial/residential development that would include the
arena."

Read more…

Letitia James writes: "Recently
New York developer Bruce Ratner announced plans to build a 20,000 seat
basketball stadium and 17 skyscrapers in Brooklyn’s Prospect Heights.
This project depends on Ratner placing the winning bid for the New
Jersey Nets. However, it also depends on the condemnation of over 1,000
homes and businesses in Prospect Heights and a risky financing system
that is full of false hope."

On Gothamist.com: "Brooklynites protested the proposted Nets basketball arena and real estate complex yesterday … a coalition of residents argued that 1,000 people would be
out of a home if the development goes ahead as planned. Brooklyn
Councilwoman Letitia James and others argue that the original number
(100) of homes to be razed was grossly underestimated by developer Bruce Ratner …" Read entire article.