I hadn't seen this talked about anywhere on here - my apologies if my search fu missed it. Rubin was talking this morning about a Juan Gonzalez/Daily News article on last week's announcement about 23 acres of redevelopment on Willet's Point:

http://articles.nydailynews.com/2012-06 ... z1xs1Jnj6R

If you haven't been following it, the city's apparently been threatening the use of eminent domain on local businesses so that it can spend hundreds of millions cleaning up the land so they can hand it over to Wilpon and friends free of charge so they build a huge retail/entertainment complex near Citi Field.

I can't complain to understand all the complexities involved, but the deal certainly smells like the usual crap that cities and team owners do to screw over the taxpayer.

I have to say, while I feel like I should be mad about this, I have a hard time getting upset over any plan to get rid of the chop shops and have the area surrounding Citi not be such a laughingstock of awfulness.

There's certainly a better way to do it, but this idea has been out there for so long with no movement.

Just fix that area already.

I heard it will take 20 years or something crazy like that so I can't get excited about any development near the stadium.

It's not the cleaning up of the area that's the issue - it's the city spending hundreds of millions to do the cleanup and then just giving the land and the profits to the Wilpons and friends for free.

I personally think the worst thing about sports is how team owners beg, borrow or steal hundreds of millions of desperately needed city dollars.

At the same time, for the record, I should say that I don't know if JG's depiction of things is accurate.

I'm surprised they don't have to pay anything, but the city as a whole will benefit. They will use contractors, construction workers, etc. from the NYC area, some of which haven't had much business since the recession began. After the project is built, employees will be needed to staff the builded items and their salaries will be taxed with a portion going to NYC. The city also has a new tax base going forwards.

It's not the ideal way to do it, but over time the city with recoup the money and clean up what plenty of people may consider a blighted area near the stadium.

It sounds like the city is giving them the land.

But they're also giving it simultaneously to 500 other people.....

No one disputes the benefits of cleaning up a blighted area, but this kind of deal historically turns out terrible for taxpayers.

Just like when a new stadium is built on the taxpayer's dime, the owners and the city government will tout the jobs created and the increase in the tax base. And while there's some measure of truth in those claims, they tend to be very small compared to the amount of money spent by the city.

Without getting into political issues, I think this ties into what you think the role of the government should be. The government is not a for profit corporation, so it can take losses on things like this, which even if it doesn't improve the monetary position of the city or its constituents, enhances the lives of a portion of said constituents. Having said that with the financial situation of the world and the debt this country is in as a whole, this probably isn't the right time for a deal like this.

i don't know the details either.. but it seems to me that public-private partnerships is needed if you want big things to get done

The city(we) pool our tax paper money to help clean up the area ... and the Wilpons/private business are willing to take the risk of creating this new destination point that could possibly revitalize the area.

If everything goes according to plan ... The Willets Point Retail, Entertainment and Hotel are all big hits, transform the area into a place where people will want to go and spend money ... and the City will make its money back eventually through taxing all that revenue that will be generated... and just the value of the area looking nice should be worth something also.

Of course I want my city to be smart about how it makes these type deals to minimize as much risk as possible ... but if a private company has a great idea and they are willing to put some skin in the game in order to create something that will benefit the whole area ... then the city should be willing to step up and help because it's in all of our best interests.

This is the argument of our time. But I would say now is the best time to spend money and stimulate the economy... it will cost more if you wait a couple of years. If you believe this is a worthwhile project .. don't wait. do it now.

You talk a sensible game, but you completely ignore the details of what's being alleged - and if you disagree with JG's claims, say so.

This doesn't appear to be about some mutually beneficial partnership. This appears to be about the city spending $500 make a lucrative property developable, and then simply giving it away for free. Good government involving redevelopment involves a transparent bidding process, so that the benefits can actually match the costs.

Too often, particularly, with sports stadiums and sports owners, it's simply a giveaway - corporate welfare at its worst.

Again, if you want to argue that JG has his fact wrong, go ahead. But a blind trust in city government's and sports owners to create mutually beneficial partnerships ignores the clear history of sports owners raping their cities.

double post.

As to the last response, at the risk of saying something political here, I'll say that I'm all for stimulating the economy. But let's not simply give land and rights to the Wilpons and friends. That's the kind of thing that gives economic stimulus a bad name.