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RECENT NEW YORK CITY PLANNING NEWS
Starrett City Owners Agree With Housing Officials, Reject Two Bidders
October 03, 2008 | Crain's New York Business
Although state and federal housing officials ruled that the NHP Foundation and the Greater Allen Development Corp. did not have the financial resources or managerial capacity to run Starrett City, both submitted bids to purchase the development. Starrett City Associates, the owners, has stated that they agree and have also rejected the two bidders. Still in the running is a group comprised of The Cogsville Group, the Christian Cultural Center, the Housing Partnership Development Corp. and The Clarett Group, and a group comprised of Citigroup Inc., Westbrook Partners, the Central Labor Council and the Metropolitan Council on Jewish Poverty. The owners of Starrett City say they will make their final decision in cooperation with U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the state Division of Housing and Community Renewal.
WTC PATH Station Closed On Summer Weekends Through 2011
October 03, 2008 | The Jersey Journal
Due to construction, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey announced that the World Trade Center PATH station will be closed on weekends during the summer from 2009 to 2011. This is in addition to the closing of the No. 1 subway line for part of 2010.
Port Authority Releases New WTC Timeline and Cost Projections
October 03, 2008 | New York Post
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey released its report with new timelines and cost estimates for the World Trade Center site redevelopment project. The project will take two years longer than last projected, with most major construction not complete until 2013, and it will cost $1.5 billion more than previously thought. The Freedom Tower is projected to be completed six to eight months later than projected before, in late 2013, and the transit hub will not be completed until 2014 at a cost of $3.4 billion.
Developer Promises South Street Seaport School
October 03, 2008 | Downtown Express
Developer General Growth Properties (G.G.P.) has promised that it will build a school in the South Street Seaport as one of the community amenities it will build along with low-rise retail and a boutique hotel on Pier 17. G.G.P. would put the school in the three-story Fulton Market building, in which G.G.P. previously suggested building a second floor community center. Their new plan is that the school and community center could share the building. However, before the city approves the school, the plan must be approved by government groups such as the Landmarks Preservation Committee (LPC) and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The LPC will review G.G.P.’s plan at the end of October. Moving the Tin Building and increased density in this historic district is likely to be a cause for concern at the Landmarks Commission.
Report May Provide Grounds For LES Rezoning Lawsuit
October 03, 2008 | Downtown Express
Hunter College’s Center for Community Planning and Development has released a report that finds problems with the City Planning Commission’s (CPC) draft environmental impact statement (D.E.I.S.) for the rezoning of the East Village and Lower East Side. Hunter’s study says that the secondary study area did not produce correct conclusions about effects on neighbors and support arguments that the rezoning is “racist” and that 45% of area households are too poor to meet affordable housing rents. Opponents of the rezoning will likely use the report as grounds for a lawsuit against the rezoning plan. Once the CPC review is complete the rezoning plan will start the public review process.
Willets Point Business Owners Unwilling To Relocate
October 02, 2008 | Queens Chronicle
The City Planning Commission (CPC) has passed the Willets Point redevelopment plan, and on November 12th the City Council is expected to vote on the plan. A letter sent to council members by the Flushing Willets Point/Corona LDC states that Willets Point is currently polluted and under used, but area business owners disagree and some see it as a ploy to use eminent domain. Bono Sawdust Supply Co. owners Jack and Jake Bono think that the city did not make an effort to keep up the area or enforce building codes. The Bonos also believe that a portion of Willets Point will be used as parking for the new Mets stadium, but the city has not suggested this. Many of Willet’s Point’s 250 business owners are unwilling to be relocated and some council members say they will not vote for the plan if eminent domain is not addressed.
Schedule for Construction of Silverstein’s Towers at WTC Site Unclear
October 02, 2008 | New York Observer
Developer Larry Silverstein, who has a contract with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey to build three towers and 6.2 million square feet of office space at the World Trade Center (WTC) site, has a long-term lease to finish construction by 2013. If the towers are not complete by then, the Port Authority has the right to claim the buildings. However, no announcement was made about Silverstein’s plans when the timeline for the rest of the WTC redevelopment was released on Thursday. Silverstein and the Port Authority have been in preliminary discussions to renegotiate the lease, and Port Authority Executive Director Chris Ward stated that the market will decide the schedule for Silverstein’s construction.
Costs Continue to Grow Despite Lack of Construction at WTC Transit Hub
October 02, 2008 | The Wall Street Journal
Despite the fact that no actual construction has been completed on the new Transit Hub at the World Trade Center site, $174 million has already been paid to architects and engineers for the design process. This information and more is expected to be released as part of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey’s report on the progress of the redevelopment of the World Trade Center site. The report is also expected to say that the project is about $1.7 billion over budget and that the 911 Memorial will be completed for the most part by 2011.
Port Authority May Suspend No. 1 Train Service Downtown
October 02, 2008 | Staten Island Advance
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, in its report on the World Trade Center redevelopment, is expected to recommend suspending train service south of Chambers Street on the No. 1 Line. The train line runs under the World Trade Center site and could be shut down as early as the summer of 2009. This could have significant impact on travelers from the Whitehall Ferry Station trying to get to and from the West Side.
Willets Point Workers Protest Job Retraining Program
October 01, 2008 | New York Daily News
Twenty-five workers protested the job retraining program at LaGuardia College that is part of Mayor Bloomberg’s Willets Point redevelopment plan. Willets Point is currently mostly industrial, and the employees mostly work in the automotive industry. The city wants to retrain workers in the hotel industry, as the rezoning will change the area’s businesses. The protesting workers would prefer to move with the 260 businesses that are being forced out of the area rather than be trained in a new field.