Facility Notes

N.Y. Court Rulings Could Hamper Forest City Ratner Co.'s Plans To Build Atlantic Yards

CRAIN'S N.Y. BUSINESS' Amanda Fung reported two New York state appeals court rulings "could put a wrench in Forest City Ratner Cos.'s plans to build its sprawling Atlantic Yards project in Brooklyn," which includes the Nets' Barclays Center. The rulings give developer Henry Weinstein, who "owns almost an acre within the proposed Atlantic Yards footprint, the right to evict the property's tenant, Brooklyn developer Jeshayahu Boymelgreen and Forest City," as the rulings found that Forest City was "given an illegal assignment" to Weinstein's properties. A Forest City spokesperson said that the rulings "will not have an impact on the proposed project" (CRAINSNEWYORK.com, 5/13).

FEDERAL INSPECTION: In Dallas, Formby & Egerton report authorities have "taken the first step toward a possible full-blown investigation into why the Dallas Cowboys practice facility collapsed." National Institute of Standards & Technology spokesperson Gail Porter Thursday said that the agency "sent 'a reconnaissance team of structural engineers' to Irving this week 'to gather information about and examine the site of the collapse,'" and added that engineers "interviewed city officials and Cowboys representatives, among others." Cowboys Dir of PR Rich Dalrymple "declined to comment on the federal inquiry or his team's plans" for the site where the practice facility stood. Formby & Egerton note Irving officials have "granted the team a demolition permit, but it was not clear Thursday evening whether cleanup had begun" (DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 5/15).

INDUSTRY-WIDE STRUGGLES: NYRA said that the "uncertain fate of several of America's top racetracks threatens to undermine the entire thoroughbred industry." In New York, Paul Post noted Churchill Downs is "eliminating Wednesday racing at its spring meet, joining the likes of Del Mar in California and Ellis Park, ... which have already cut back on racing dates," while bankrupt Magna Entertainment Corp. -- "North America's largest track operator -- plans to sell some of its most high-profile sites." NYRA, which runs Saratoga Race Course, Belmont Park and Aqueduct Race Track, said that it has "no plans of eliminating race dates." Post noted Saratoga is the nation's "most lucrative meet with average daily purses of about $700,000" (THE SARATOGIAN, 5/14).