Ratner was visiting the former Stapleton International Airport, where his company is in the early stage of a $4 billion, 20-year redevelopment of the former airport, the largest infill redevelopment in the country. In New York, Forest City Ratner Cos., an affiliate of Forest City Enterprises, is developing the 1.3 million-square-foot building the New York Times will anchor. ''A lot of people don't realize that Times Square is named after the New York Times,'' Ratner told GlobeSt.com.

''It's a joint venture between the New York Times and Forest City,'' he says. ''The New York Times will take about 800,000 sf and we will own the rest.'' The building will soar 650 feet high. Asked by GlobeSt.com to estimate the completed value of the project, Ratner replied: ''$700 million to $800 million.'' A spokeswoman from the New York Times said the company is not disclosing dollar estimates on the project.

Ratner says he thinks the current New York Times building should be developed into a hotel or into housing. ''It could also be redeveloped into offices, but it would just be a run-of-the-mill office building,'' he says. ''It could be a spectacular hotel or co-op project. It's truly a grand building.''