Norman Oder (@AYReport) header
Norman Oder (@AYReport) profile picture

Norman Oder

@AYReport

Watchdog journalist, writes Atlantic Yards/Pacific Park Report (& more), about controversial #Brooklyn real estate project #BarclaysCenter #AtlanticYards

 Brooklyn, NY
normanoder.substack.com/
Joined April 2009
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Photo by Norman Oder (@AYReport)Photo by Norman Oder (@AYReport)Photo by Norman Oder (@AYReport)Photo by Norman Oder (@AYReport)Photo by Norman Oder (@AYReport)Photo by Norman Oder (@AYReport)Photo by Norman Oder (@AYReport)Photo by Norman Oder (@AYReport)Photo by Norman Oder (@AYReport)Photo by Norman Oder (@AYReport)
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.
Brooklyn’s vaunted, tainted Barclays Center

Brooklyn’s vaunted, tainted Barclays Center

The nine-year battle to build Atlantic Yards shows how the public interest can be clouded when government agencies welcome a new “hometown team” and an ambitious development tethered to a sports...

web.archive.org
Norman Oder (@AYReport) profile pictureNorman Oder@AYReport16 Jul 2024
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/
Image from Norman Oder (@AYReport)
Image from Norman Oder (@AYReport)
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Examining Hudson Yards plan, IBO estimates $2.2B in bonds, $1.3B in residential tax breaks normanoder.substack.com/p/ex… Bonds would pay for platform, MTA Lease, open space. @ReinventAlbany outraged. @ManhattanBoard4 Doesn’t Atlantic Yards financing deserve the same level of analysis?
Reinvent Albany (@ReinventAlbany) profile pictureReinvent Albany
@ReinventAlbanyNov 10
Read our full statement on NYC Independent Budget Office Analysis of $3.6 Billion in Proposed Taxpayer Subsidies for Western Rail Yard: buff.ly/4JZFoL8
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Examining Hudson Yards plan, IBO estimates $2.2B in bonds, $1.3B in residential tax breaks normanoder.substack.com/p/ex… Bonds would pay for platform, MTA Lease, open space. @ReinventAlbany outraged. Doesn’t Atlantic Yards financing deserve the same level of analysis?
NYC Independent Budget Office (@nycibo) profile pictureNYC Independent Budget Office@nyciboNov 9
NEW REPORT: Prospective City Involvement in Financing the Western Rail Yard Development IBO examines the proposed public support for the development of the Western Rail Yard via #BondFinancing and #TaxBreaks Read here: on.nyc.gov/4zdYLRx
Image from NYC Independent Budget Office (@nycibo)
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Barclays Center again reports modest profits (+ large paper loss), even as value skies normanoder.substack.com/p/ba… Capital contribution up to $27M. New art, clubs emerge in latest phase of arena renovation, in time for the Brooklyn Nets season.
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Barclays Center releases November 2026 event calendar: nine concerts and five Brooklyn Nets games, plus wrestling and e-sports One private event. Or maybe two. atlanticyardsreport.blogspot…
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.@BklynSpeaks: $2B in “public contributions” sought, though Atlantic Yards' overarching goals already achieved normanoder.substack.com/p/br… If that estimate deserves vetting, it’s more detailed than anything @EmpireStateDev has released Will it be discussed at a meeting tonight?
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Key member of @EmpireStateDev team moving Atlantic Yards Phase 2 plan through approvals. Can't begrudge public servants seeking (or being recruited for) new jobs, but Atlantic Yards has long lacked institutional memory
Anna Pycior (@pycior) profile pictureAnna Pycior@pyciorOct 27
I’m grateful and excited to be joining @NYC_DOT at this moment under the leadership of Commissioner Flynn and Mayor Mamdani!
Image from Anna Pycior (@pycior)
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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 City Reporter (@THECITYNY) profile pictureThe City Reporter@THECITYNYOct 26
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
The High Cost of Mamdani’s Sunnyside Yard Gambit With Trump

The High Cost of Mamdani’s Sunnyside Yard Gambit With Trump

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.

thecityreporter.nyc
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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.
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The New York Editorial Board (@nyeditboard) profile pictureThe New York Editorial Board@nyeditboardOct 21
We interviewed New York's incumbent attorney general nyeditorialboard.substack.co… and her challenger nyeditorialboard.substack.co…. Enjoy!
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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.
Image from Norman Oder (@AYReport)
Image from Norman Oder (@AYReport)
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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
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Weird that nearly all the $76 seats are sold out for Crooklyn at BAM's Playback, while many $46 seats remain. Who's spending $76 to see Crooklyn? Were they early-bird insiders? Might Wu Tsai be subsidizing those expensive seats, or tapping her favor bank to recruit buyers?
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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.
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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?
Sportico (@Sportico) profile pictureSportico
@SporticoOct 9
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…
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According to @GiniaNYT, Clara Wu Tsai does not contribute to political campaigns. Wrong share.google/U20z8Ii7CsAUBrX…
NetsDaily (@NetsDaily) profile pictureNetsDaily@NetsDailyOct 10
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…
The Billionaire Who Wants Brooklyn to Win

The Billionaire Who Wants Brooklyn to Win

Clara Wu Tsai, a co-owner of the Liberty and Nets, split from her husband of 30 years. Now she is turning her attention to leaving her mark on the borough.

nytimes.com
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She gave the max to Governor Kathy Hochul, $69,700 four years ago The governor is the key decision-maker on some important things regarding the arena
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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.
NetsDaily (@NetsDaily) profile pictureNetsDaily@NetsDailyOct 9
New valuation post-Lakers sale, etc. has Nets at #8 at $7.45B. Thats more than double what Tsais paid for it in 2019.
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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.
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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.
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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?
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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
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