John's Blog

Yesterday's NY Times had a piece about the rejection of the West Side stadium. Their title says it's a "big idea brought down by politics" as if that is a bad thing. Yes, the city DID have a reputation for getting things done and building things that were bigger and better than things found elsewhere. But even then, bigger isn't always better. Just ask those who witnessed the Robert Moses led dissection of neighborhoods and communities in the name of progress in the past. The acronym NIMBY pretty much says it all.

Who could blame anyone who is an opponent of building a stadium in a area with no mass transit, no parking, and doesn't really offer any perceivable benefit to the community? Hardly the catalyst for jobs and development that Bloomberg has been selling it as, it just looks like a project that's in the wrong place at the wrong time. Using public funds to create a behemoth stadium that benefits private concerns, in a city that is teetering on the edge of solvency doesn't make much sense.

Developers have a responsibility to build in the public interest. It's only fair that the people who are effected by this get a voice. This setback and the recent problems with the plans for Ground Zero development suggest success of the democratic process rather than any sort of failure.

Another project that looks like it's headed for trouble is The NEW Penn Station. Too bad, since this is a nice piece of design that is sorely needed. Not that it would make up for tearing down the old one.