Monday, March 19, 2007

Who's Watching the Watchers?

We've already seen the results of the ESDC and Forest City hiring 'experts' to analyze environmental impact or assess historical significance of buildings. In what can only be described as a remarkable coincidence, they have a near 100% track record of coming to conclusions favorable for the Developer. Now the ESDC and Forest City are hiring monitors to oversee compliance of the project: From Atlantic Yards Report:

"In-house discretion
Unmentioned in the press release is that FCR would fund the ICM, according to the CBA, with "an annual payment of up to $100,000 to be paid by the Project Developer"

So the sham continues. Forest City has a track record of tying their 'contributions' to charities into specific actions by those charities (which means they aren't contributions at all but bribes). If Forest City & Ratner corrupt the virtue of charity, can we seriously imagine that someone collecting a check from Forest City for actual work to objectively oversee this project? Or will it become a physical manifestation of the FEIS - within the letter of the law(barely), but mocking and insulting the spirit of the law.

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