LINK

Groundbreaking Ceremony Held For Atlantic Yards Project
Paterson said the development will create 16,000 union construction jobs and 5,500 permanent jobs.

"To those who supported the project, and to those who oppose the project, I guarantee that we will be scrupulous in our monitoring of the contract that Forest City Ratner signed with the state, to make sure that everything, we were promised, we receive," said the governor.

"For those that say it took a long time to get here, yes it did. But nobody's going to remember how long it took. They're only going to look and see that it was done," said Bloomberg.

Jay-Z said how he dreamed of being an NBA star growing up in Brooklyn's Marcy Houses, and now he felt proud to own part of a NBA team that will relocate to his native borough.

Groundbreaking Ceremony Held For Atlantic Yards Project
"We did it again, Brooklyn!" said the hip-hop mogul, seen right.

In addition to the basketball arena, three residential buildings, a day care facility, senior center and health care facilities will be built. The mayor says affordable housing units will be included, as well.

The construction of the first apartment building is set to begin in spring 2011.

Developer Bruce Ratner of Forest City Ratner thanked his many partners and colleagues and said his firm's law team won 34 lawsuits against Brooklyn business owners and residents to keep the project going.

The economic downturn also stalled progress on the project, but recently Ratner got approval from the state's highest court to use eminent domain to move the project forward.

Groundbreaking Ceremony Held For Atlantic Yards Project
As a result, 22 residents and businesses near the site have been sent letters from the state telling them they will be evicted if they do not leave voluntarily by April 3.

Opponents wearing masks of the governor, mayor and Brooklyn borough president and a crowd of angered residents and business gathered near the site to hold a mock funeral for the "soul of Brooklyn." Their chants could be heard throughout much of the ceremony.

Protesters said the controversial project will transform multiple neighborhoods surrounding the site.

"I think it's a very bad day for democracy in New York," said a protester. "It's very sad. They're supposed to stand for us, but they serve the developers. They don't serve the people."

Many local residents told NY1 they thought the Atlantic Yards project would have a negative impact on the area's quality of life, but other residents and store owners said the arena could bring more business.

The Nets are scheduled to begin playing at the Barclays Center at the start of the 2012-2013 season. They will play the next two years at the Prudential Center in Newark.

OK, NOW, we can talk about "Brooklyn Nets" or "New York Nets" or whatever they're gonna be called. I guess Little Jimmy has officially been put on notice. Or something.

"Long term community protesters".........That means the local residents right? Ok, just stay with me here.....,

I assume this means people that live there a long time? Ok, I understnd. Are these people that own the surrounding property or are there mostly people who rent? Now, I feel for those displaced but the owners this neighborhood, the REAL residents of this area gotta be very happy as property values are going to climb and the area is getting a big boost.

In this country we have some very bad aspects to our economy and there are those that get cast aside. True with any government in any part of the world.

I assume that if anyone is forced to sell they are getting fair value for the home or property.

Its a shame when this happens in a way as progress forward displaces regular folk. NYC is becoming very unaffordable to the middle class and below and getting pushed out.

THe Russian is loaded and will plow money and talent into this franchise. I can see lebron doing a full extension in Cleveland with an opt out in 24 or 36 mos.

jimimou wrote:

Juice wrote:But But But But....

Fans said they would never break ground in Brooklyn

once again goes to show that the average fan dont know jack. anything spewed by 99% of fans is either an emotional reaction or pure speculation. Very few people know what really goes down - not just talking about the arena here, but the nba in general. take this site for instance - how many different threads have we seen about people claiming 'the inside scoop' or 'what they've heard from sources' etc???? pure speculation.

Yeah I've come to find out the majority of posting on forums is based off emotions and very little rationale.

There was the Brooklyn Dodgers New York's first major Baseball team(1883), then the New York Yankees came from Baltimore to New York(1903), then came The Mets(1962)

You have many New Yorkers who are Freakin Die Hard Yankee fans and they aren't a New York original team. I guess because Brooklyn Dodgers left for the City of Angels there was justification to become a committed Yankee fan but the move didn't happen until almost 1960. And obviously there was a strong discipleship well before 1960 as you had greats like Babe/DiMaggio/Lou Gehrig/Whitey Ford etc etc

Then there was the New York Giants 1925, then came the New York Jets in 1960. You have many New Yorkers who are fans of both teams

But oh no don't let the Nets come from Jersey to Brooklyn and even think about becoming a fan otherwise that would be a sin.

Real talk what if the New York Knicks were sold off to some filthy rich owner and he for whatever reason wanted to move the Franchise to Buffalo or Albany would fans still remain Die Hards? What if New York got another team and took over MSG but it was a new Franchise? What if New York got another Franchise located it Staten Island and Dodgers was part of it's name?

kam77 wrote:Any Knick fan who begins supporting the Brooklyn team was NEVER a Knick fan to begin with.

or maybe puts sports into a proper perspective...

Nalod wrote:Nets in brooklyn are going to be huge. Its brilliant business.

Ratner's idea is massive and while he had to dilute his ownership stake he will still do ok.

Nine years since the knicks were anything. You think any 15 year old out there remembers anything but them sucking and being a joke? how many 20 year olds out there are die hard knick fans watching eisley as a kid? The causual fan does not care.

If Lebron joins his Jay-z buddy with an offshore promise to sell part of the team to Lebron in the future for a set amount that arena will rock.

Anyone want to guess how Magic owns 5% of the Lakers?

if the knicks dont get lebron next year, i can see half the fanbase (probably a conservative estimate) looking for something new to latch onto. and, with brooklyn having that old school toughness aspect to it, i can see many current knicks fans embracing a new club in brooklyn very easily.

i'll say this, knicks fans better hope donnie and mikey come through in free agency, b/c at the end of the day if they dont - 5 yrs from now, you'll all be sitting on this board still talking about the 'plan' while donnie is sipping mimosas in the bahamas and mikey is coaching in europe...or even brooklyn!

jimimou wrote:if the knicks dont get lebron next year, i can see half the fanbase (probably a conservative estimate) looking for something new to latch onto. and, with brooklyn having that old school toughness aspect to it, i can see many current knicks fans embracing a new club in brooklyn very easily.

i'll say this, knicks fans better hope donnie and mikey come through in free agency, b/c at the end of the day if they dont - 5 yrs from now, you'll all be sitting on this board still talking about the 'plan' while donnie is sipping mimosas in the bahamas and mikey is coaching in europe...or even brooklyn!

ny fans are mainly frontrunners. if the nets get lebron, i don't know if the knicks can recover.