Supreme Court Will Not Hear Appeal Against Atlantic Yards

U.S. Supreme Court Declines To Hear Appeal Against Atlantic Yards

The U.S. Supreme Court yesterday "declined to hear an appeal by about a dozen [N.Y.] property owners and tenants whose homes and businesses are scheduled to be taken over by the government and demolished to make way for the $4[B] Atlantic Yards project in Brooklyn," which includes the Nets' new Barclays Center, according to Sewell Chan of the N.Y. TIMES. The Supreme Court's decision "was a victory" for N.Y. Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Nets Owner and Atlantic Yards developer Bruce Ratner. The plaintiffs "vowed to continue their legal fight by pursuing other arguments." But Ratner said in a statement, "The opponents have now lost 20 court decisions relating to Atlantic Yards, and we are now one step closer to making these benefits a reality for the borough and the city" (N.Y. TIMES, 6/24). The plaintiffs said that they now plan to file their case against Forest City Ratner Cos. in the State Court of New York (CRAINSNEWYORK.com, 6/23).

MOVING FORWARD: A N.Y. POST editorial written under the header, "A Win For Atlantic Yards," states the court's ruling is a "step forward" for the project. The city "needs this development -- not just for the housing, the jobs and the civic pride that comes with a brand new New York sports team, but also for new taxable property that the project would provide." But a "long line of legal hurdles for Ratner & Co. ... have already pushed construction back years and threatened to scare away investors." And Ratner "can't break ground on the Nets' arena until the state's chief development agency goes before a judge to defend its environmental-impact study of the project" (N.Y. POST, 6/24).