Friday, January 29, 9:30 AM

Atlantic Yards Condemnation Proceeding Oral Argument

Kings County State Supreme Court
IAS Part 74
320 Jay Street, Room 17.21
Brooklyn
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The property owners and leaseholders fighting the condemnation proceedings, who include DDDB spokesperson Daniel Goldstein, Henry Weinstein and Freddy's Bar & Backroom, intend to vigorously oppose the state's attempt to take their properties and businesses against their will.

Attorney Matthew Brinckerhoff, who will represent them in the hearing, told Atlantic Yards Report's Norman Oder last month that "we will challenge the petition. It is defective in many respects." Weinstein said he would "fight tooth and nail" to save his property. In addition to seeking the dismissal of the condemnation petition, the property and leaseholders, with the support of DDDB, are pursuing all available legal means in their efforts to stop the project in its tracks.

The arguments will be heard before Judge Abraham Gerges. Be sure to arrive early to guarantee yourself a seat in the courtroom. You can read the ESDC's petition here.

Develop Don't Destroy Brooklyn continues to offer its full support to the property owners and leaseholders in their ongoing legal effort to defend their homes and businesses against Forest City Ratner's ill-conceived, politically corrupt project.  Today, their attorney, Matthew Brinckerhoff, has filed an answer challenging both the substance of the petition and the procedure by which the Empire State Development Corporation is attempting to seize title to their properties, which, unfortunately for Forest City, continue to stand in the way of its taxpayer-subsidized basketball arena and its thousands of parking spaces.

The respondents' answer points out, among many defects in the ESDC's papers, that the ESDC seeks to condemn this property to support a plan long ago abandoned by the developer in favor of a much-altered project that the state freely admits - but not in front of a judge - could take 25 years to build.  The answer also demands dismissal of the proceeding because the ESDC has failed to set forth the public benefits of the project, although it's expressly required by the law to do so.

DDDB and the property owners and leaseholders continue to hold out faith that the judicial system will finally expose the gross, irreparable flaws in the Atlantic Yards project, and in the governmental abuse of the public trust, and will refuse to grant Forest City Ratner the private property that it covets.