The Real Deal
Lightstone Group’s David Lichtenstein said Friday that Amazon’s about-face on its New York megacomplex was the “worst day for NYC since 9-11.”
“Except this time, the terrorists were elected,” the developer added in an email to The Real Deal, in a dig to the politicians who fiercely criticized the tech giant’s deal with the city for the nearly $3 billion in tax breaks and government incentives it came with. (Lichtenstein later emphasized that he was referring only to the financial implications the Amazon pullout will cause.)
On Thursday, Amazon cited pressure from the local politicians as its reason to abandon the deal for the Long Island City campus, which was to bring 25,000 new jobs to New York and would create, by some expectations, $27 billion in tax revenue over a decade.
Since November, Amazon had faced fierce backlash from elected officials, activists and union leaders, who criticized the secretive nature of the negotiations between the company and the city and state, and who argued that the world’s most valuable company did not need to be cajoled with tax breaks to come to New York.
Lightstone is a major developer with a $3 billion portfolio across New York, Miami and Los Angeles. In Long Island City, Lightstone owns a 428-unit rental building less than two miles from where Amazon’s campus was set to rise.
Never forget:
Lichenstein donated fifty grand to a democrat senator's campaign at the request of de Blasio's trusty and amoral solicitor aide Ross Offinger ,which was laundered through an LLC to circumvent contribution limits. Leading to the mayor rewarding him a seat on the Economic Development Corporation, which gave him the power to demolish an entire row of affordable housing apartment buildings his firm purchased in the East Village to make way for the high end hipster hotel franchise Moxy, which is owned by Marriot International.
Marriot International is a client/partner of the Lightstone Group.
Admin note:
Mr. Lichtenstein only directed his ire at the officials and not the citizens who protested against the "HQ2". The headline has been changed to reflect this and I regret and apologize for the error.
Lets see if David apologizes for his reprehensible remark.
17 comments:
He ain't wrong!
Selfish, deluded millenials, hipsters and pandering politicians killed this deal through ignorance and fear mongering.
How about comparing him to Hilter? Isn't that next in the activist playbook?
Oh give it up already - for every anti-Amazon rant there are 10 of these
https://www.forbes.com/sites/alyyale/2019/02/13/leaving-long-island-city-what-losing-amazon-hq2-would-mean-for-nycs-future/#5828d8e6127c
the fact of the matter is a half dozen people of little accomplishment whipped up a frenzy that was picked up by the media. You are still going to get the development (Plaxal said that 500 apartments are coming to one site if Amazon is not taking it) and you are still going to get the welfare state socialism of the Democrats. But not the jobs or the tax base.
How many buildings were torn down by the developer-donor buddies of the Queens politicians involved. Please cover that story too.
Mr. Lichtenstein is a very sick and amoral person. How can you equate the loss of MONEY with the loss of LIFE? I was a witness to 9/11; I and some of my colleagues watched the second tower burn and collapse, realizing we were watching thousands of people die. You don't die from not making your next million dollars, Mr. Lichtenstein. As a matter of fact, your secret dealings and palm greasings to enrich yourself are more like the machinations of the 9/11 terrorists than honest business dealings. Your ridiculous and disgusting comments reveal you to be shallow and unconnected to deep human feelings or to religious underpinnings. It is due to people like you that we have equally amoral corrupt people in place in the various political offices of NY and NYC, people who accepted under the table payoffs and bribes. The quality of life in NYC is greatly lessened by people like you assisting this low quality of people into political office for your personal gain. Thanks a lot, you greedy slob.
What a fool. Comparing a real estate deal to human beings jumping 110 stories to their deaths? Idiot!
Ah now we see who else was in bed with Amazon and where those 25 thousand imported Californians, Indians and Asians were gonna be housed.
This shitty, sneaky, underhanded, stealth Amazon deal is coming to light.
Bastard bulldozing/speculators likely stand to lose 100s of billions of dollars this year. Hey, nobody pointed a gun to their heads and said "build glass towers in Queens"
Let them and those $3800+ rents go to hell till they drop to 1980s rates, more housing for us !!
The economic impact on NYC is bad and will last for years, the Amazon fiasco was on the front page of the dozen or so foreign newspapers that I check almost daily, it was the top story in the influential Financial Times (of London) and was widely reported in U.S. media. Besides the damage to NYC's reputation as a global business center this has also damaged Gov. Cuomo politically, he could not control his own party, same goes for Mayor de Blasio, he will be seen as incompetent. All in all, quite a bit of damage. So this guy is not far wrong.
"Lets see if David apologizes for his reprehensible remark."
Why should he apologize....I'm surprised he didn't invoke the word "holocaust".
Seriously, we have to watch out for these shits.
Just because we've gotten rid of landlord's and developer's first choice -the NYS GOP, doesn't mean their dubious influence had been slayed as well.
Now, the money just shifts to the Dem's.
Rob In Manhattan
Everything in America is about money. EVERYTHING. Churches, charities, real estate, criminal justice etc..
If you play with peoples money in America they will vilify you with the most ridiculous analogies and or comparisons to no end.
He is a disgusting, narcissistic, self-centered pig.
GROSS OVERSTATEMENTS LIKE THIS ONE CAN ONLY GO SO FAR. WE NEED TO CALL OUT MORON'S WHO ABUSE THEIR FREEDOM OF SPEECH ON BOTH SIDES OF THE POLITICAL SPECTRUM.
And a lot of Queens politicians thought 9/11 was funny because they didn't know anyone there
In California Amazon had job openings listed for over 7,000 software engineers. Remaining 14,000 were for work at home sales focused on promoting services and people using their own cars (and gas and insurance) to deliver Whole Foods brand which they recently acquired. --all minimum wage, depend on tips no benefits with those.
I can see it now more maniacs speeding in cars and scooters around city streets to make volume and tips.
They were also planning on buying King Kullen on Long Island ---but who knows now.
The thought of a handful of corporations soon controlling our food and water supply like they do the banks and media is very scary, very bad precedent.
Amazon taking their ball and going home was a blessing.
Close call, People need to wake up and see whats going on with all these vultures and speculative slave makers looking to land in Queens
He was making the remark from the economic impact point of view, and he IS ABSOLUTELY CORRECT. These 2 clueless, egocentric local politicians plus the socialist loon arrogant Millennial from Westchester have hurt NYC's economy very deeply. Not only did we loose 25,000 well paying new jobs, but a anti-business perception of NYC has been created which will discourage new investment for years to come. HE IS CORRECT.
Thanks to all for your comments. Corporate owned local news media, print, tv and streaming, have been ignoring this but are still vilifying everyone that was against amazon.
One day, this HQ2 deal will be revealed as the hoax it was.
Really, 25,000 jobs paying 150 grand? Dubious
It's a veritable retail shop!!! Like there really was going to be 25,000 jobs paying $150k. The Great Amazon Hoax!!!!
"Dubious"
I think Queens residents use another word for that.
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