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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.@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 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…
Image from Sportico (@Sportico)
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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?
Image from Norman Oder (@AYReport)
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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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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.
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Norman Oder retweeted
J.C. Bradbury (@jc_bradbury) profile picture
J.C. Bradbury@jc_bradburySep 29
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.
Democrat & Chronicle (@DandC) profile pictureDemocrat & Chronicle@DandCSep 28
Buffalo Bills owner makes Forbes richest list as fortune soars democratandchronicle.com/sto…
Buffalo Bills owner makes Forbes richest list as fortune soars

Buffalo Bills owner makes Forbes richest list as fortune soars

Terry Pegula is now worth $11.8 billion, up from $5.1 billion six years ago.

democratandchronicle.com
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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)
NetsDaily (@NetsDaily) profile pictureNetsDaily@NetsDailySep 29
When a jersey patch deal isn’t just a jersey patch deal netsdaily.com/nets-news/1142…
When a jersey patch deal isn’t just a jersey patch deal

When a jersey patch deal isn’t just a jersey patch deal

Nope, it’s a technology deal.

netsdaily.com
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New state-assisted venue, UBS Arena, sure helps with valuation
Jim Baumbach (@jimbaumbach) profile pictureJim Baumbach@jimbaumbachSep 28
Charles Wang bought the Islanders for about $160 million in 2000, and a decade later couldn't find anyone to pay that much. He eventually sold them for $485 million in 2014, and some said the Malkin/Ledecky team overpaid. Now here we are, with the Isles valued at $3 billion.
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