Bruce C. Ratner is renowned for taking the path of most resistance. Over 28 years of development gambits in the New York City area, the reluctant real estate mogul has created 16.7 million sq ft in 42 buildings by chasing deals with physical, financial and political potholes.

For the 68-year-old Ratner—cut from a different cloth than most developers—complexity has become the mother of many inventions. The latest gamble of the founder of Forest City Ratner Cos. (FCRC) is born out of a need to provide 2,250 units of affordable housing for Brooklyn's $4.9-billion Atlantic Yards sports village.