[NYguy]

Meh...




http://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/21/ny...ty-review.html

Plan to Save Decaying Pier 40 Faces City Review


By CHARLES V BAGLI
MAY 20, 2014

A proposal to save a former cargo pier on the Lower West Side of Manhattan by selling air rights to the owner of a huge industrial building must go through the city’s land use review, a top official in Mayor Bill de Blasio’s administration said on Tuesday.

The city’s position on a plan for Pier 40 puts the mayor’s office at odds with a plan developed by Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo’s administration, which had sought a speedy state review that would bypass input from the local community. But on Tuesday, Alicia Glen, the deputy mayor for economic development, told the board of the Hudson River Park Trust that the proposal, which could add new towers to the city’s skyline and generate tens of millions of dollars to rehabilitate the pier, would need to be examined by the local community board, the city’s planning department and the City Council.

United States Representative Jerrold Nadler and State Senator Brad Hoylman, both Democrats, said on Tuesday that the city’s position was good news. The city’s land use review, Mr. Hoylman said, was the only way to “ensure robust community input, which is necessary for the success of this project.”

Last December, state officials signed a secret but tentative agreement in which the owner of the four-story St. John’s Terminal Building agreed to pay about $100 million for unused development rights for Pier 40, a 14 1/2-acre property at the foot of West Houston Street.

The proceeds from the sale would be used exclusively to rehabilitate the doughnut-shaped pier, which is deteriorating more rapidly than originally thought. Today, the two-story pier, which has a soccer field in the middle, is used for public parking.

The developer would use the air rights, as well as a variety of zoning changes, to redevelop the St. John’s Building, which extends more than three blocks between West Houston and Spring Streets. The proposal would demolish at least portions of the building to create a luxury residential tower with retail space.

The agreement would require approval by City Hall, but would be subject to state review, which is not as rigorous and does not require community input.

The de Blasio administration and local officials were surprised last week when the agreement first surfaced publicly.

Nearly three weeks ago, Assemblywoman Deborah J. Glick; Assemblyman Richard N. Gottfried; Mr. Hoylman; the Manhattan borough president, Gale Brewer; and other elected officials sent a letter to the city and state warning that any attempt to bypass city review “would demonstrate a blatant disregard for our community, and deny the local community board and local elected officials a real voice on what will no doubt be a controversial proposal.”

The de Blasio administration agreed. A municipal review would also enable the city officials to bargain for what has become a hallmark of the administration — more affordable housing.

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/16/ny...pgtype=article

Possible Deal May Bring Money to Repair Pier 40 in Manhattan



LARGE

A deal to develop the St. John’s Terminal Building, left, could fund the repairs


By CHARLES V. BAGLI
MAY 15, 2014

Now, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo’s administration and park officials have struck a tentative agreement with a developer to transfer unused development rights from the 14 1/2-acre pier to a site across the West Side Highway occupied by a sprawling building, in return for more than $100 million that would be used to rehabilitate Pier 40, which is crumbling more rapidly than originally feared.

If a final deal is put in place, government officials and real estate executives say the owners of the four-story St. John’s Terminal Building, which stretches more than three blocks between West Houston and Spring Streets, would demolish the structure in phases over 10 years and build several residential buildings and retail shops.

The proposal, however, would require approval by both the city and elected officials and entail a state-mandated approval process, zoning changes and other concessions. Officials are loath to alienate the community, which has scuttled earlier proposals.

A spokesman for Atlas Group, an owner of St. John’s Terminal, confirmed the agreement, saying discussions are “focused on solving a longstanding, well-documented problem at Pier 40 through the development of a mixed-use project at the St. John’s site.”