Bloomberg Blames Atlantic Yards Protesters For Delaying Affordable Housing

Written by Nick Powell on October 25, 2012. Posted in Blog, Economic Development, Features, Heard Around Town, Housing, News, News & Features.

Towards the end of a press conference welcoming the New York Islanders to the Barclays Center–where they will play all of their home games starting in 2015–Mayor Michael Bloomberg addressed the delayed affordable housing portion of the larger Atlantic Yards project.

Mayor Bloomberg at the New York Islanders press conference

Barclays Center developer Bruce Ratner explained that the agreement with the Islanders has no impact on the planned affordable housing, and noted that the first building that is being constructed will be fifty percent affordable. Bloomberg then followed by assigning blame to the many activist groups that tried to block the project from happening.

“The fact that the housing is running behind schedule isn’t the least bit surprising,” Bloomberg said. “Those people that tried to stop the project or delay the project are the ones that really caused all of that.”

Bloomberg added that the fact that New York City has a record number of residents bodes well for the housing portion to be completed “expeditiously”.

Tags: Atlantic Yards, Barclays Center, Bruce Ratner, Mayor Michael Bloomberg, New York Islanders

http://twitter.com/AYReport Norman Oder

The record is that Bruce Ratner, who promised for years and years that Atlantic Yards would be built in a decade, later admitted that the ten-year timeline was bogus.

After predicting that Atlantic Yards would be built in a decade, the state agency overseeing the project then quietly signed contracts giving Forest City Ratner 25 years.
More:http://atlanticyardsreport.blogspot.com/2012/10/does-islanders-move-to-brooklyn-speed.html
http://observer.com/2012/10/islanders-move-to-brooklyn-will-not-make-it-any-easier-for-you-to-move-to-atlantic-yards/

Norman Oder / Atlantic Yards Report