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New York is or rather was known as a developer’s dream for expedited approval for projects. Every city planner took Robert Moses’ name like he was god for having successfully turned New York into the city it is today by building breathtaking bridges and approving skyscrapers. New York once known for ambitious development plans has fallen victim to political games. This time, it is the hotly contested Jets Stadium on the West Side and this new development has put paid to NYC 2012 Olympics bid too. Already trailing behind Paris and London, lack of political and popular support will not go down well with the IOC nomination committee. After the fiscal crisis in the 70s, the city lost most control over its finances to the state which has increasingly flexed its muscles in decisions of city’s development plans. In the West side stadium wrangling, the city tried to go around the legislature.
“…the city’s tactics came apart when the city and state decided to get the stadium paid for partly by the Empire State Development Corporation, which then had to answer to the Public Authorities Control Board, a tiny board set up in the 1970’s to keep a check on state borrowing of money for capital projects. As it turned out, the leaders of the State Assembly and Senate controlled that board.”
However it is not entirely bad that the stadium plans were not approved but just the way it happened seems to suggest that popular opinion wasn’t the cause. The legislature simply got back at the city council for keeping them out of the loop and the poor stadium was the victim. Unfortunately, there seems to be a trend in which recent development projects are handled; there is much more skepticism and disapproval of grand plans that almost reminds me of near-impasse that Bombay has been suffering for the past couple of decades.
by Patrix | on Tuesday, June 7th, 2005 at 11:05 pm | 
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June 8th, 2005 at 8:28 am reply
Well, it was popular opinion too. It wasn’t something that went down well with everybody. I’m sure there are a lot of relieved people in NYC , who are glad that the stadium plan didn’t go through
June 8th, 2005 at 10:10 am reply
D - It may coincidentally be a popular decision too but let me assure you that the legislature certainly didn’t vote against it to reflect popular opinion.