Shhh, It's a Secret!

From DDDB:
State, NYPD, Ratner All Mum on Arena Setbacks

Arena renderings from the Final Environmental Impact Statement,
and the 5/12/06 NY Times
(Top: along Atlantic Avenue. Bottom: Along Flatbush Avenue.)

First Forest City Ratner and the NYPD have refused to state basic facts to the public about the setback of the arena from the streets; that is the distance from Atlantic, Flatbush and Dean Street from the proposed Barclays Center arena. Now the state agency overseeing the project ostensibly on behalf of the public, the Empire State Development Corporation, is also refusing to state what will become obvious if the arena is ever built--the setback distance to the arena. Claiming confidentiality about this distance seems suspicious and is unacceptable.

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Huh? The ESDC is claiming (this is the 'new' ESDC of the "everything changes" Spitzer administration) that they cannot devolge the setback distance of the stadium for security reasons. Hmm, how do they intend to keep that little fact from the public once its built?

NoLandGrab wonders:

Seriously, if the ESDC claims that a security study isn't warranted because a terrorist attack isn't a "reasonable worst-case scenario," then why has one security expert testified on FCRC's [Forest City Ratner Companies] behalf that "safety of the arena and surrounding area could be easily compromised" if security measures were disclosed?

The implication is, if they told us how bad things really are, then a worst-case scenario might be within reason.