Nets score key votes in railyards bid battle

BY PETE DONOHUE and MICHAEL SAUL
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITERS

The Nets have at least four points on the board.

Mayor Bloomberg's four representatives on the MTA's board will vote to hold further negotiations with Forest City Ratner to build atop the Atlantic Ave. railyards in Brooklyn, a mayoral spokesman said yesterday.

The 8-acre site is a key piece of Ratner's grand plan for a total of 21 acres that would include an arena at Flatbush and Atlantic Aves. for the Nets and 6,000 units of housing.

A tossup between Ratner and Extell Development, the only other bidder, could come at tomorrow's board meeting, though the vote could be postponed.

Two other board members told the Daily News they are leaning toward Ratner, and three others said they were undecided.

The MTA board has 17 voting members, but four have only a quarter-vote each, so there are 14 actual votes.

MTA chairman Peter Kalikow can vote a second time to break a 7-7 tie.

Board members told The News the panel wouldn't award a contract, but would pick a developer for negotiations.

"I think the mayor's position on the project is pretty well known," Bloomberg spokesman Jordan Barowitz said.

He cited jobs, housing and the new arena as reasons why the mayoral reps will support Ratner's Atlantic Yards Project over Extell's proposal, which would develop just the 8 acres with a mixed-use plan that includes 1,940 housing units.

Gov. Pataki, who has six appointees on the board, supports the Ratner project.

MTA staffers briefed board members on the proposals for the first time yesterday.

"I have a lot of questions about the offers," board member Barry Feinstein said.

A source said at least two board members told MTA staffers they want more time to study the offers.

Extell offered $150 million for the site. Ratner offered $50 million, but the company proposed improvements on Long Island Rail Road operations in the yards that would swell the value of its bid.