Peck Slip Plaza plan proceeds despite opposition Continued from page 1
Slip in January. The corporation, which operates now with a skeletal staff, was formed to manage Lower Manhattan’s recovery after Sept. 11 and is federally funded. The city plans to proceed even if it means paying for elements the community board no longer wants. “The decision coming out of that meeting was that the funding was truly in jeopardy if we did not move,” explained Mauro. “That we would bid the project, see how the bids came in and if the bids were over then we would discuss editing elements of the project out, but only then.” This did not site well with some community board members. Jason Friedman, a committee member and an architect, said that 2007 design had an “air of it not suiting the community.” He and other neighbors felt there was a need for more open space, and that cluttering the area up with modern elements did not fit the historic district. Friedman had presented to the committee back in October when they had voted to approve a scaled back plan.
The plaza’s east end.
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July 30-August 12, 2015
Downtown Express photos by Mia Rupani
The west end of Peck Slip Plaza.
“This was heavily influenced by the funder — L.M.D.C.,” said Mauro. David Emil, president of the L.M.D.C., said in a phone interview this week that he hopes a “modified version will meet everyone’s concerns.” “L.M.D.C. is in its final phases and is anxious to proceed,” said Emil, who no longer collects a salary from the corporation. Friedman said, “The biggest takeaway I think I remember was we kind of like [Peck Slip] just the way it is. The priorities of the community might be to lose money on the park and have them just not spend all the money they’ve allocated and just give it up ‘cause it’s a better solution.” Hughes and Marco Pasanella, the committee’s chairperson, were also at the meeting with the L.M.D.C. “I think everyone is conscious of what had gone on here and what the community’s wishes were,” said Pasanella. Friedman said he was “shocked” that things were proceeding even though “we expressed a community a desire that we didn’t like that park.” “The shock now is the delay and particularly when [13] and a half years after 9/11 to be still be spending L.M.D.C. money,” said Pasanella. Paul Hovitz, another C.B. 1 member, asked Mauro what would happen if the city lost the funding for the project. Peck Slip would remain as it is now, he said. “Which is what exactly what we said we wanted,” said Hovitz. Pasanella said editing the plan is still on the table. Hughes concurred, saying, “For example, one feature that this community was vehement against was the whalebones in the park — an example of something that could be edited out.” DowntownExpress.com
2 W.T.C. to be gets raves from Community Board 1 BY DUSI CA SUE M ALESEVI C The new design for 2 World Trade Center has been splashed everywhere in the press, but Community Board 1 was the first to get a public presentation. Members of the board’s Planning Committee applauded at the end of the presentation Mon., July 13. “Wow” and “that’s exciting” were heard as Dara McQuillan, spokesperson for Silverstein Properties, explained that the design was about to be presented. “Two World Trade Center really is the last piece of the puzzle for our organization. We’ve been at this as long as many of you have — for 14 years,” said McQuillan. “It was always a bit of a question mark because we didn’t have the financing…Two World Trade Center couldn’t get building unless we had a Image by BIG tenant. And we needed a big tenant.” That “phenomenal tenant,” as McQuillan put it, is Rendering of the view from Tribeca of 2 World Trade Rupert Murdoch’s 21st Century Fox and News Corp., Center, right, and 1 W.T.C. which has inked a letter of intent with Silverstein, the developer of 2, 3, 4 & 7 W.T.C. In addition to specific requirements, time was a James Murdoch, who is likely to take over for factor as Fox was looking to move by 2020 when their his father, had approached Bjarke Ingels, a 40-year- lease runs out. BIG looked all over Manhattan and had old Danish architect, and his eponymous group, 11 sites to analyze, she said. last September about a new headquarters, said Ute “At the end, somehow there was a site available Rinnebach, project manager for the Bjarke Ingels and the foundations [were] already in place,” said Group, also known as BIG. Rinnebach, referring to 2 W.T.C. Fox was looking for floors that were large enough There was already a design for Two, created by for newsrooms and studios and also wanted to increase Norman Foster, which had four diamond shapes at the connectivity between departments and employees, said tower’s top. Rinnebach. Fox did not want is a tower, which is 12:51 In January, BIG1 started thinking about the design Downtown What Exp May A 2015:Layout 1 5/20/15 PM Page what it has right now at 6th Ave. in Midtown, she said. and Rinnebach said that they had to figure out how to
build on top of the existing foundations. Other things BIG also took into consideration were how the design would fit in with the other towers and Daniel Libeskind’s master plan, which had included the “wedge of light.” In 2003, Libeskind unveiled the idea of a “Wedge of Light” plaza, which would create a lighting effect on Sept. 11 to coincide with when the first plane hit. Rinnebach said the new design was presented to both Libeskind and David Childs, who designed 1 and 7 W.T. C., and they both loved it. The keystone idea of the design was how to bring together the modern, contemporary towers of the Financial District and the smaller historic buildings of Tribeca, she said, to create something that incorporates the best of both worlds. The design is seven stacked boxes that get smaller the higher the tower climbs. Rinnebach said that the silhouette of the building changes — large at the bottom, slender at the top. Fox will occupy about half of the tower on its lower levels and the upper portion will be filled with other tenants. There will be four levels of retail and Fox will have a studio on the ground floor, she said. Gorgeous terraces populated with plant life as well as amenities such as a basketball courts and gyms will not be open to the public, she said. While the Fox move is not yet set in stone, all signs point to the deal happening. “We’re optimistic that this is the beginning of the end of the World Trade Center project,” said McQuillan.
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