CLEVELAND, Dec. 23 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Forest City Enterprises, Inc. (NYSE:FCEANYSE:andNYSE:FCEB) today announced that various New York subsidiaries, together with the Empire State Development Corporation, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, the City of New York and other parties, have executed the necessary agreements for the official closing of the Atlantic Yards project in Brooklyn. The closing clears the way for additional work to proceed on the project, beginning with construction of the Barclays Center arena, the planned future home of the NBA Nets. (Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20080515/FRSTCTYLOGO ) "Today's closing is a vital step forward in making a vision for the future of Brooklyn become a reality," said Charles A. Ratner, Forest City president and chief executive officer. "The jobs, economic activity and affordable housing this project will help create over the long term are more important than ever before, given the continuing economic challenges faced by the City and the nation. We deeply appreciate the support of all of our public and private partners, as well as the vast majority of Brooklyn residents, in making this day possible." About Forest City Forest City Enterprises, Inc., is an $11.9 billion NYSE-listed national real estate company. The Company is principally engaged in the ownership, development, management and acquisition of commercial and residential real estate and land throughout the United States. For more information, visit http://www.forestcity.net/. Safe Harbor Language Statements made in this news release that state the Company's or management's intentions, hopes, beliefs, expectations or predictions of the future are forward-looking statements. The Company's actual results could differ materially from those expressed or implied in such forward-looking statements due to various risks, uncertainties and other factors. Risks and factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, the impact of current market conditions on our liquidity, ability to finance or refinance projects and repay our debt, the impact of the current economic environment on our ownership, development and management of our commercial real estate portfolio, general real estate investment and development risks, liquidity risks we could face if we do not close the transaction with Onexim Group to create a strategic partnership for our Brooklyn Atlantic Yards project, vacancies in our properties, further downturns in the housing market, competition, illiquidity of real estate investments, bankruptcy or defaults of tenants, anchor store consolidations or closings, international activities, the impact of terrorist acts, risks associated with an investment in a professional sports team, our substantial debt leverage and the ability to obtain and service debt, the impact of restrictions imposed by our credit facility and senior debt, exposure to hedging agreements, the level and volatility of interest rates, the continued availability of tax-exempt government financing, the impact of credit rating downgrades, effects of uninsured or underinsured losses, environmental liabilities, conflicts of interest, risks associated with developing and managing properties in partnership with others, the ability to maintain effective internal controls, compliance with governmental regulations, increased legislative and regulatory scrutiny of the financial services sector, volatility in the market price of our publicly traded securities, litigation risks, as well as other risks listed from time to time in the Company's SEC filings, including but not limited to, the Company's annual and quarterly reports. http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20080515/FRSTCTYLOGODATASOURCE: Forest City Enterprises, Inc. CONTACT: Robert O'Brien, Executive Vice President - Chief Financial Officer, or Jeff Linton, Vice President - Corporate Communication, +1-216-621-6060, both of Forest City Web Site: http://www.forestcity.net/

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