Ratner wants stimulus money for Yards

Developer Bruce Ratner is reportedly lobbying for a portion of the federal stimulus package to go toward his $4 billion Atlantic Yards project. Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz said Atlantic Yards, which includes an arena, apartment buildings and office towers, is exactly the kind of project the government has been talking about funding. But critics of the project said funding Atlantic Yards construction won’t create long-term jobs. Meanwhile, Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner today announced stricter measures for tracking the use of federal stimulus funds.