Ratner rival ripped over W. Side project

BY TANYANYIKA SAMUELS and DAVE GOLDINER
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITERS

Neighborhood activists rallied last night against an upper West Side skyscraper plan from Extell Development - the company that won praise for countering Bruce Ratner's Nets arena mega-project in Brooklyn.

Dozens of people held signs and chanted opposition to the 31- and 36-story towers that Extell wants to build at Broadway and W. 99th St.

"We believe in development, but there needs to be responsible development," said community activist Miki Fiegel.

Clutching a sign reading "Expel Extell," Annie Barry said she is dreading the estimated two years of noisy construction, plus the flood of wealthy new residents who will follow.

"We want to preserve our neighborhood," said Barry, who lives next-door to one of the planned towers. "It's a nice middle-class neighborhood and we want to keep it that way."

Extell, owned by real-estate mogul Gary Barnett, does not need city or community board approval for the towers, in part because it has bought air rights from a neighboring church.

An Extell spokesman said it would "continue to consult with the community" about the project.

"These buildings will bring additional families into one of Manhattan's premier neighborhoods," said the spokesman.

The demonstrations mark a dramatic turn in fortunes for Extell, which has been hailed by activists in Prospect Heights, Brooklyn, for putting forward a lower-rise alternative to the Nets stadium plan.

Ratner's massive $8 billion arena project also calls for buildings to rise 60 stories above and around an MTA railyard. Extell hopes to build a much smaller project with several apartment buildings between four and 28 stories tall.