No change in my position on facilities

In his letter to the editor in SportsBusiness Journal [May 17-23], Bob DuPuy suggests that my study on the Nets’ move to Brooklyn contradicts my position on sports facilities and that I only support the project because I was hired by Ratner.

First, I am on record as supporting the Brooklyn site before I ever spoke to Ratner. Second, DuPuy doesn’t seem to have read my study. While the Atlantic Yards development includes an arena, approximately 80 percent of the development costs are connected to the construction of 1.9 million square feet of office space and over 4,500 residential units. Most of the positive fiscal impact is from the commercial and residential space, not the arena. However, in this case, New York will also benefit from some tax recapture as the Nets move from New Jersey to Brooklyn.

I’d be happy to send the report to any interested SBJ readers.

Andrew Zimbalist
Northampton, Mass.