Watchdog journalist, writes Atlantic Yards/Pacific Park Report (& more), about controversial #Brooklyn real estate project #BarclaysCenter #AtlanticYards
Brooklyn, NY
Joined April 2009
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As I wrote in December 2012 (!):
“Atlantic Yards ‑ for now, an arena, with one tower slated to start construction on Dec. 18 ‑ should serve as a reminder that, as such complicated deals evolve, the public interest requires constant vigilance.”
web.archive.org/web/20121219…
Still true.
Would Joe Tsai's Slickest Move Be Poaching Ticketmaster Plaza?
normanoder.substack.com/p/wo…
Keeping the branded plaza bolsters #BarclaysCenter operations & revenues.
@empirestatedev has more leverage than they admit. Why not map it as parkland & charge BSE Global a licensing fee?
1/
Has Atlantic Yards really “gone nowhere”?
normanoder.substack.com/p/ha…
A summary in The City Reporter misses the opportunity to clarify the project’s progress and risks, notably whether the full platform would be completed.
The project comes with an outlandish price tag, and there’s a cost in focusing so much attention on the oft-proposed but never-built development as well, experts tell The City Reporter.
buff.ly/1HrRcyK
Does AG Tish James know Atlantic Yards “like the back of my hand”? Not anymore.
normanoder.substack.com/p/do…
The area resident (and former representative) supports “affordable housing,” but doesn’t recognize how the new proposal has been criticized regarding subsidies & affordability.
We interviewed New York's incumbent attorney general nyeditorialboard.substack.co… and her challenger nyeditorialboard.substack.co…. Enjoy!
Genuflecting to the rich: the NY Times on Clara Wu Tsai
normanoder.substack.com/p/ge…
Plus: a pricey Playback film festival.
Also, Brooklyn Sports & Entertainment buys three gyms to “expand access” to youth basketball.
Some problems, Wu Tsai told NYT, are larger than any one person’s capacity to solve.
Girl, *please*
That's what *government* is for
If the Tsais paid taxes on the Barclays Center site, or otherwise were required to share their gains, more problems might be solved
@NetsDaily
Atlantic Yards: a complicated story
normanoder.substack.com/p/at…
An official project history leaves a lot out. Even my annotated version does, too.
Panel tonight.
Sports unites America, and reaps big profits. Brooklyn Nets/BSE now worth $7.45B
normanoder.substack.com/p/sp…
That’s more than double what the Tsais paid in 2019. So why do the Barclays Center (& MSG) deserve tax-exempt sites?
The average NBA team is worth $6.64 billion, according to data compiled by Sportico. The Golden State Warriors rank first at $14.5 billion, while the Memphis Grizzlies rank last at $4.2 billion
Full list: sportico.com/feature/nba-tea…
According to @GiniaNYT, Clara Wu Tsai does not contribute to political campaigns.
Wrong
share.google/U20z8Ii7CsAUBrX…
What’s Clara Wu Tsai up to? In NY Times interview before Liberty exit, she talks about her move to Brooklyn, a growing connection to city’s arts, including some new pieces at Barclays as well as a social justice initiative for new mothers in Brownsville. nytimes.com/2026/10/09/style…
Big winners from Atlantic Yards have been Brooklyn Nets/ArenaCo owners Mikhail Prokhorov & now Joe & Clara Wu Tsai.
Why can't they share their state-enabled wealth?
Tsais want NY State to make the Barclays Center plaza permanent.
NYS has leverage it's unwilling to use.
New valuation post-Lakers sale, etc. has Nets at #8 at $7.45B. Thats more than double what Tsais paid for it in 2019.
Barclays Center tells neighbors:
NY Liberty vs. Atlanta Dream Game 3 is tomorrow Oct. 9.
Doors open 6PM, game 7:30-10:30PM
There will be amplified sound on the plaza from 5 to 8PM.
Given new state funds, would former developer Greenland still be the “largest subsidy provider" to Atlantic Yards? Was it ever?
normanoder.substack.com/p/gi…
Nope, it’s the public, no matter how you slice it. Still, it’s worth looking at new developer Cirrus’s claims.
Glaring risk: Atlantic Yards sequencing plan would deliver bulk bonus first, but delay 61% of future "park"
normanoder.substack.com/p/gl…
Subsidy is front-loaded, enabling 71% of Phase 2 apartments. Is the second block, promising “signature” open space, an albatross or an asset?
Tsai’s Alibaba sponsors Tsai’s Nets with patch, tech; couple touts teams in new book of interviews
normanoder.substack.com/p/ts…
Also, Barclays Center releases October 2026 event calendar; Liberty forge ahead; Islanders’ value booms
At low-turnout Atlantic Yards hearing, state urged to broaden study area, increase affordability, consider alternatives, ensure open space
normanoder.substack.com/p/at…
No project supporters spoke, but only one elected official attended.
Online format had some bumps.
Norman Oder retweeted
New York and Erie County representatives devoted $850 million of taxpayer money to build a state-of-the-art football stadium for a man whose fortune has doubled in the past six years to nearly $12 BILLION. Simply indefensible public policy.
Buffalo Bills owner makes Forbes richest list as fortune soars democratandchronicle.com/sto…
From All-In-One, a local medical billing company, to Alibaba, an international ecommerce/cloud/AI behemoth
Brooklyn Nets/ArenaCo main owner Joe Tsai got a better deal... from the company he chairs
(All-In-One wasn't going to supply cloud technology)
When a jersey patch deal isn’t just a jersey patch deal netsdaily.com/nets-news/1142…
New state-assisted venue, UBS Arena, sure helps with valuation
New York Liberty vs. Minnesota Lynx Game 2 Round 1 playoff game is tomorrow at the Barclays Center.
Doors 7 PM, game 8:30-11 PM.
There will be amplified sound on the plaza from 6-9PM, per Brooklyn Sports & Entertainment.
Norman Oder retweeted
The new plan for Atlantic Yards will have more total affordable units than its predecessor, but the increased density permitted is mostly for new market rate. The percentage of affordable units will drop from 35 to 30%, @AYReport astutely points out.
citylimits.org/in-atlantic-y…
