Pro-Seaport Development Group Hosts Town Hall Meeting to Voice Support for Plan and Promised Benefits; Critics and Skeptics Insist that Proposed Waterfront Tower is a Non-Starter
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By Justin Remus
A new organization, Friends of the Seaport, which supports plans to redevelop the South Street Seaport, hosted a Town Hall meeting in the Financial District on December 1, drawing more than 100 people to the auditorium of the Pine Street School.
Both the group and the meeting appear to have arisen in response to Save Our Seaport (SOS), a preservation group vigorously opposed to plans formulated by the City’s Economic Development Corporation and its private-sector partner, the Howard Hughes Corporation (HHC), to remake the Seaport neighborhood. Among these is the renovation of Pier 17 into an upscale retail destination, which is currently under way.
But ground has not yet been broken on other aspects of the plan, such as the proposal to move and rehabilitate the landmarked Tin Building, while demolishing the nearby New Market Building (which local preservationists regard as having enormous historic value), and erecting a tall residential tower, which will contain 150 apartments, on the site of the latter. (This is the most controversial aspect of HHC’s proposal, and the one that critics appear to regard as a deal-breaker.) The plan also contains provisions to connect the East River Esplanade as far north as the Brooklyn Bridge, and link it with surrounding parks and waterfront public spaces.
The December 1 Town Hall was produced in cooperation with HHC, with executives from the company and its architect presenting a slideshow about their plan (recently revised to address reservations voiced by community leaders) and the benefits it could entail for Lower Manhattan. These include more than 60 units of affordable housing, a 71,000-square-foot public middle school in the base of the apartment tower, a community center (which could be housed either within the new school, or at a new building on John Street), a marina, and a permanent home for the South Street Seaport Museum—the size and location of which have yet to be determined. The height of the proposed tower has been reduced by approximately 150 feet, and the structure has been rotated by 90 degrees, so that its narrower sides face Manhattan and the East River, while its broader facades look north and south.
“Ms. Ho-Burge characterized South Street as a landscape of ‘blighted buildings’ and an ‘abject insult to residents and local merchants.’”
The Friends of the Seaport meeting was hosted by three of the organization’s principals: Maria Ho-Burge, Joy Martini, and Lisa Gorke, downtown residents who describe themselves as “respectable businesswomen and Peck Slip moms,” a reference to the school now under construction in the Seaport neighborhood. Ms. Martini predicted that HHC’s development will “breathe cultural life into the City” while creating a school and retail shops that benefit “all stakeholders,” rather than opponents who “confuse largesse with partnership.” Ms. Ho-Burge characterized South Street as a landscape of “blighted buildings” and an “abject insult to residents and local merchants.” Ms. Gorke added emphatically that she, Ms. Ho-Burge and Ms. Martini, “are not on the payroll of Howard Hughes. We are all here because we love this neighborhood. We decided to come here tonight to build a plan that takes into account not just preservation but also building and moving forward and what should it look like to keep what we want, as well as what they need,” to deliver the amenities promised by the HHC plan. She added that many of New York’s prized public spaces, such as Central Park and the High Line, are funded by private support, and suggested that a revitalized Seaport would require a similar model.
“Among the Seaport Working Group’s nine recommendations was that, ‘Alternatives to the 50-story tower should be sought and any building on the New Market site should be contextual with the buildings within the South Street Seaport Historic District.’”
Jonathan Boulware, president of the South Street Seaport Museum, which is widely regarded as the heart of the historic Seaport neighborhood, also spoke. While he declined to endorse or reject HHC’s current plan directly, Mr. Boulware said, “I followed with great interest the Seaport Working Group,” the panel of community leaders formed earlier this year in response to criticism from elected officials that Seaport redevelopment plans were being formulated behind closed doors and without public input. “That was a rational process and the results are laudable,” Mr. Boulware said. “If we can go with the thoughtful concepts of the Seaport Working Group, the Museum will stand behind those. They’re good; they’re sensible. And I think to the extent that those adequately codify the respect that we need to pay to this, the birthplace of modern New York, we are in support of those.” Among the Seaport Working Group’s nine recommendations was that, “Alternatives to the 50-story tower should be sought and any building on the New Market site should be contextual with the buildings within the South Street Seaport Historic District.” Supporters of the HHC plan argue that the reduced height of the tower, its changed orientation, and new plans to clad the structure in materials and motifs that evoke nautical themes, address this guideline. Critics argue that, despite modification, the size of the tower will irrevocably disrupt the community’s historic character.
Among the elected officials who attended the meeting was Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer, who pointed out she had a history of working with private developers. She added, however, that she still endorsed the Working Group’s recommendations. City Council member Margaret Chin, who was also present, seemed to soften her previous opposition, saying, “Discussion is still happening and it is not a done deal. Everyone will have a chance to voice their opinion, but we’re not there yet.” However, Sam Spokony, her spokesperson, added afterward, “Talks continue and plans continue to evolve, but the Council member still considers the tower inappropriate. Her position is the same as before: She will not vote yes on it yet, but there is lots of room to work with.”
Copyright The Broadsheet, 2014.