Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz is pushing state officials to steer some of the federal stimulus aid toward Bruce Ratner’s Atlantic Yards project, which includes a new arena for the New Jersey Nets.Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz is pushing state officials to steer some of the federal stimulus aid toward Bruce Ratner’s Atlantic Yards project, which includes a new arena for the New Jersey Nets.
The project is in serious jeopardy as it is: Ratner has been forced to scale it back and has really only committed to moving forward with just the arena. And while there’s no doubt a $4-billion construction project would infuse some money back into Brooklyn, it’s not clear whether it’s appropriate for federal stimulus money should be used on a private development.