When Forest City Ratner Companies proposed its $4 billion Atlantic Yards development project near Downtown Brooklyn, the borough was instantly split into those who believe its completion will boost Brooklyn's economy and those who believe the plan will destroy Brooklyn's quality of life. The heated debate has been ongoing for over three years.
Ratner's plan calls for the development of a basketball arena, skyscrapers, and condiminiums along eight acres of Brooklyn's Atlantic Avenue. The massive construction, designed by architect Frank Gehry, would affect many Brooklyn neighborhoods, including Prospect Heights, Fort Greene, Park Slope, Clinton Hill, Boerum Hill, Crown Heights, and Bedford-Stuyvesant.
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The controversy continues. In October 2007, protestors marched in the third annual Walk Don't Destroy Walkathon. The event was organized by Develop Don't Destroy Brooklyn (DDDB), a community coalition working to stop the progression of Ratner's plan.
What's all the Fuss About?
If completed, the Atlantic Yards Proposal will be the biggest development project in Brooklyn history. Development may boost Brooklyn's economy, but it will also dramatically change the landscape of the neighborhoods in which people have happily lived and worked for nearly 200 years.
