Though, as previously reported, the documents won't be made publicly available for a week or two, the Atlantic Yards master closing scheduled for today has happened, a Curbed tipster reports. The master closing includes the sale of the arena bonds for the new Barclays Center as well as the real estate transactions for the $5B megaproject. It's a Merry Christmas in Ratnerville. The latest arena estimate is a mid-2012 completion. Update: Forest City Ratner has just issued a press release on the deal, including the fun detail that branded Atlantic Yards signage has gone up at the site. Grab hold of your Chains of Justice and read on.
(Brooklyn, NY) – December 23, 2009 – Bruce Ratner, the Chairman and CEO of Forest City Ratner Companies (FCRC), the developer of Atlantic Yards in Brooklyn, announced today that FCRC, the Empire State Development Corporation (ESDC), the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), the City of New York, and other parties have executed all necessary documents and officially closed on the project.
“Today, what has long been a vision for the future of Brooklyn becomes a reality,” Mr. Ratner said. “Six years after we announced our plan for Atlantic Yards we are very pleased to be closing on the project with our public partners. Today’s closing represents a vital step forward for New York City, one that is all the more important because of the economic challenges our City faces. The jobs we are creating today, as we set forth on the arena and one of the boldest affordable housing initiatives in our City’s history, will create a new dynamic center in this wonderful borough.”
While construction on the Barclays Center and the project site in downtown Brooklyn has commenced and is ongoing, today’s closing includes the issuance of bonds and the execution of various real estate documents, including the arena lease, financing, development, and purchase and sale agreements.
To date, 35 buildings, roughly 56% of the structures on the site, have been demolished and construction of the temporary rail yard has been completed. Removal of the Vanderbilt Yard tracks and critical upgrades to the sewer and water infrastructure in the area are underway.
Mr. Ratner thanked the Governor, the Mayor, the Brooklyn Borough President, ESDC, the MTA – Long Island Rail Road and the vast majority of the people of Brooklyn and New York who have stood by us and have long believed in the benefits and promise of Atlantic Yards.
Atlantic Yards will create close to 17,000 union construction jobs, as well as 8,000 permanent jobs once the project is complete. The project involves the redevelopment of 22 acres in downtown Brooklyn, which will include approximately six million square feet of residential space (6,430 units of affordable and market-rate housing), an 18,000-seat sports and entertainment arena to be known as the Barclays Center, 247,000 square feet of retail use, approximately 336,000 square feet of office space, and eight acres of publicly accessible open space.
FCRC and the Nets today also have placed branded signage along fencing at the arena construction site, which includes logos of the major partners of the Barclays Center. Those partners include Barclays, which is the naming rights partner, along with ADT, Cushman & Wakefield, EmblemHealth, MGM Grand at Foxwoods, Anheuser-Busch, High Point Solutions, IZOD, Jones Soda, and MetroPCS.
