The indefatigable Brooklyn borough president, Marty Markowitz, weighed in on Forest City Ratner's proposed $1 billion basketball arena near downtown Brooklyn on Tuesday, calling on the developer and state officials to review the design with an eye toward paring costs so that the long delayed project is more financially viable.

In light of the economic downturn, he said Forest City should conceive of a "sports and entertainment venue that is more economically feasible but provides the modern amenities our residents and visitors to Brooklyn demand and deserve."

Funny, but that is pretty much what Forest City Ratner acknowledged it was doing last week. The arena, designed by the architect Frank Gehry, is the centerpiece of a $4 billion development that includes thousands of apartments. The developer said it was meeting with architects and engineers to find ways to cut the cost of the arena, which could be difficult to finance during the recession.

Mr. Markowitz, who takes credit for persuading Forest City to buy the Nets basketball team and move it to Brooklyn from New Jersey, appears to be providing his political blessing after the fact. He suggested that the developer could incorporate some design and construction changes that would lower the bottom line, while celebrating Brooklyn architecture.
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Opponents of the project, who view it as an oversize intrusion, regarded the Forest City announcement as a death knell. Daniel Goldstein, a spokesman for Develop Don't Destroy Brooklyn, said he found Mr. Markowitz's statement "bewildering."

"We're in the midst of the most severe recession since the Great Depression and he's discussing what a publicly subsidized arena should look like?" Mr. Goldstein said. "It is indefensible to subsidize a luxury housing project and an arena when so many other vital city services are being cut or going begging. It is long past time to start over with the process of developing the railyards in a feasible manner where we can actually achieve job creation and truly affordable housing in a timely fashion."
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Joe DePlasco, a spokesman for Forest City Ratner, said in a statement responding to Mr. Markowitz's comments, "We look forward to discussing the Borough President's proposal with him and continuing to work with him and others to bring this project to fruition."
(Emphasis added.)

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