atlantic yards phone survey

just got off the phone with someone, based in utah, who peppered me with a lot of questions about the yards project, and whether i agree that forest city ratner's doing a great thing for the slope and the community as a whole. i assume ratner's paying for the survey since many of the questions seemed tilted in his favor.. but i had some free time, and it was a very cathartic experience.

still, to be doing a survey like this, the developers must be really worried about something.

have them call karl


karl is worried that reverend daughtry's

community-based prayer station

and bertha lewis' scategory kiosk

will never be built

It could be Ratner...It could also be any number of other organizations (Media, random anti-eminent domain groups, etc)...It could even be a business looking to go into the area and curious about community opinion...Did you get the name of the polling company?

How tilted were the questions? Was it colbert-style like:
Describe your opinion of the arena. You must choose one option:
1. Its a good thing
2. Its a great thing

Subject: Re: atlantic yards phone survey

Survey SAYS...

good answer

big money

good answer

Top 10 community benefits provided by forest city ratner...

audience?

So far? ...or what we realistically expect?

*ding* 10. BLIGHT OF HAND

both are not much to speak of

let's move into a 20 year projection

but stop at "when apes rule the planet once more"

*ding* 9. SLOWER TRAFFIC (and lots of it)

* ding * 8. Litter filled parking lot, in place of people using transit and affordable housing.

* ding * 7. Part time "event" jobs that pay no benefits and are filled by temp firms. No living wage jobs for local residents, despite Acorn's selling out in exchange for promise of same.

*ding* 6. A WINNING TEAM (Ratner & Co.)

*ding* 5. THE CIRCUS (the whole process, really)

* ding * 4. Overpriced sports events and performances that attract people from Long Island. Our very own Nassau Colliseum!

"ding" 3. giving staten island and queens something to laugh about for at least 25 years

*ding* 2. Over taxed local police and fire department. Let's remember, when one includes the costs of building it and the almost free land, this thing is expected to be a net loss of tax dollars for years to come.

I've always found it amusing that those opposed to Ratner and the arena are forever falling back on the hackneyed line, "he must be afraid of something".

What could he possibly be afraid of? He's won the battle, a battle waged by incompetents like Karl, whose only "activism" is writing silly, childish posts on this blog. Or Daniel Goldstein, who snatched Ratner's money once the price was right. Or Norman Oder, who spent years criticizing the NYT, only to bend over once they offered him a chance to write an article. If we're lucky, he'll offer Karl a few dollars to publish a chapbook of the latter's exquisite, innnovative poetry.

Ratner has nothing to fear. The stadium is underway and no one or nothing (except perhaps Karl's *highly effective* community organizing), can stop it at this point.

But, just for fun, let's pretend that Ratner is cowering in fear from that mysterious thing that opponents always cite but can never name.

*ding* 1. A slew of shitty sports bars ruining the local scene.

Jack, you are correct. We are about to get an arena with a large parking lot.

....and little else.

One more to go people ....c'mon, big money, big money.

*ding* (bonus round answer)

SEPTIC SHOCK (Gowanus Canal sewer station already overwhelmed)

Jack Krohn wrote: I've always found it amusing that those opposed to Ratner and the arena are forever falling back on the hackneyed line, "he must be afraid of something".

i'm impressed you found so many theme bars to frequent

bonus round...

can i call my life line?

Karl the Druid wrote: bonus round...

can i call my life line?

Are you going to call the Capital Center, and the zero benefits it has brought to DC? (surrounded by lovely SE)

...or Atlantic City?

Who you gonna call? Bad Government Busters!

the bp hot line was busy

http://atlanticyardsreport.blogspot.com/2010/07/planyc-1950-to-under-reconsideration.html

I took the survey too and also think it was sponsored by Ratner. Whenever they asked whether finding out something positive e.g., about job creation changed my mind, I just responded that I didn't believe any of it (the good stuff) would happen.

Ditto what oldsloper said. I took the survey and it was obviously sponsored by Ratner. I told the guy that I really shouldn't be taking the survey as my husband used to work for FCR and says the affordable housing phase of the project ain't never gonna happen. I told him my main concerns were traffic - which is already horrendous in my neighborhood, just west of Atlantic Center - and displacement of residents. I'm not bitterly opposed to the project as it's a done deal at this point but do I think it will be a plus for my neighborhood? Hell no. The only benefit that comes to mind is that it will hopefully employ people from the area.

This sounds like a push poll, not something genuinely intended to gather data.

whynot_31 wrote: Are you going to call the Capital Center, and the zero benefits it has brought to DC? (surrounded by lovely SE)

I'm from DC and I'm confused. You mean the Cap Centre in Landover, or Magic Johnson's thing in Largo, or something else? Or Nats Park?

shekb wrote: [quote=whynot_31]Are you going to call the Capital Center, and the zero benefits it has brought to DC? (surrounded by lovely SE)

I'm from DC and I'm confused. You mean the Cap Centre in Landover, or Magic Johnson's thing in Largo, or something else? Or Nats Park?

It seems I am the one who is confused.

....there was some arena thing built in the DC area that was supposed to bring great things the the local 'hood, but since it was build the neighborhood actually declined.

I forget which one it was. It was similar in that it was boondoggle where lots of tax payer money was spent to build a privately owned project. (the name and location might not be important).

....hopefully this AY thing will not turn out as bad as everyone thinks it will. I would LOVE to be wrong on this issue.