Tunnel from WTC to Winter Garden progressing

January 16, 2012

The tunnel being constructed to go from the World Trade Center, under West Street, to the Brookfield Properties Winter Garden atrium is nearing completion. An inspector on the site said that the new glass structure overtop of the west end of the tunnel, to house new retail shops, will begin construction soon. The total renovation of Winter Garden, he said, will take 18 months, which is on schedule with Brookfield’s “Coming in 2013″ banners.

Of note, the inspector confirmed that construction of the Freedom Tower had slowed down considerably. Prior to the tenth anniversary 9/11 event, one new floor was being added per week. That is no longer the case. The inspector blamed “high winds”. However, other news reports have indicated that the 9/11 memorial construction has slowed down due to bureaucracies squabbling over the tab of the cost overruns.

(Double click on images to expand to HD full screen)

West side of tunnel from September 11 Memorial to Winter Garden

Winter Garden

Exclusive: BPCA Pier A renovation delayed a year with cost overruns

January 4, 2012 by Steven Greer, MD

Battery Park City Authority (BPCA) CEO Gayle Horwitz made a surprise appearance at the Community Board 1 (CB1) last night to deliver an update on the various BPCA construction projects underway. Recall, CB1 member George Calderaro had informed the community that Pier A renovations seemed to be going slowly and that no updates had been delivered from the BPCA.

In what was described as “overkill” by one CB1 member, the BPCA brought in a team of at least 12 people, comprised of architects and other officials involved in the Pier A project. What we learned was:

• The previous completion date estimates for Pier A were for “The season of 2012″. That has now been revised to “Late 2013″.
• The original $30 Million amount allotted to the project will be inadequate. The project is running over budget.
• The design team claimed that “natural drying” of the historic pier wooden architecture was the reason that the project was left windowless and to the elements.
• Despite the team of architects, no drawings of the proposed final project were presented. Recall, the project is supposed to have ample free access to the public and not be a space that requires fees or purchase of food to enjoy. In fact, John Fratta of the Seaport CB division wanted the location to entirely be an Italian heritage museum.
• CEO Horwitz claimed that not all of the architect and construction-experienced staff of the BPCA were fired when the 19 staff were abruptly fired late last year.
• The Poulakakos restaurant family and business partners claim that they now have an architect in place to design the proposed restaurant space of Pier A. However, as mentioned, no drawings were presented. There was a change in the design team.
• The stalled project of Harry’s Italian in the Conrad hotel/Goldman Sachs alley, another restaurant proposed by the Poulakakos group, was not discussed.

The Chairman of BPCA, Bill Thompson, was not present. Mr. Thompson is a 2013 New York City candidate for Mayor.

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Pier A

Sidewalk scaffolding properly handled by Milford Management

December 27, 2011

By Liz Conner

BatteryPark.TV previously reported on the scourge of the proliferation of unsightly sidewalk scaffolding popping up everywhere, and how long they stay in place. The building owners seem to have financial incentives for keeping the rental scaffolding in place longer than necessary (tax write-offs perhaps?).

A notable exception to this New York real estate blight was the handing by Milford Management (management company for Milstein Properties) of its mandatory “Local Law 11″ five-year inspection at 200 Rector Place. The scaffolding on West Thames was erected and dismantled within approximately a month.

This is in stark contrast to the nearby on-again-off-again stalled project of bankrupt, then un-bankrupt, 225 Rector Place, now owned by Related Companies. The management claims that the reason for those scaffolding is that new windows are being installed.

Recall, the 225 rector Place building was an eyesore with scaffolding up for years during the bankruptcy stages of the project. The scaffolds were briefly removed, then reinstalled this year.

If you live in a residential building or have a ground floor business being harmed by these scaffolding scams, we encourage you to speak up. Also, feel free to send us a letter.

The scaffolding scourge

(In full screen 1080iHD)

October 13, 2011

By Steven Greer, MD

In case you have not noticed because it is so common that you have become desensitized to it, there is an epidemic of unsightly sidewalk scaffoldings that have sprouted up in Battery Park City recently. Throughout New York City, since the real estate bust of 2007 that still lingers on, more and more buildings seem to have permanent scaffolding. Why?

We first reported on  the new structures at 225 Rector Place. To explain why these expensive structures seem to be embraced by building owners, and indeed kept up long after any work to the building is accomplished, we interviewed real estate lawyer Luigi Rosabianca. In this video, he takes us on a walking tour of the more egregious scaffoldings and explains “Local Law 11″ that mandates scaffolding be erected every five years.

We also interview two local business owner who have been impacted by scaffoldings over their business for five years: Bobby Van’s steak house on Broad Street and Downtown Cellars on Liberty and Nassau.

Let there be light

The new buildings at the World Trade Center are sending blinding reflections southward down Washington Street lighting up shaded canyons that have not seen light in decades

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Below, the shadows are going the wrong way. They point south when the sun is low on the horizon in the south. The huge reflecting mirror is creating a false sunset.

Port authority and City Spar Over Escalating World Trade Center Expenses

The planned 2012 opening of the Sept. 11 museum at the World Trade Center is in jeopardy amid a dispute over hundreds of millions of dollars in unexpected costs related to redeveloping the site, people familiar with the matter said.

Construction on the sprawling museum has slowed considerably since September, when the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey stopped approving new contracts and extensions of existing contracts, people familiar with the matter said. Its planned September 2012 opening will likely be pushed back, the people said.

Rob Bennett for The Wall Street Journal

The $800-million-plus project is the latest pressure point in a series of funding disputes at the World Trade Center site, where the redevelopment tab has reached more than $11 billion.

The fight puts the Port Authority—controlled jointly by New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie—at odds with the administration of Mayor Michael Bloomberg, the chairman of the National September 11 Memorial & Museum foundation.

Fueling the battle is $156 million that the Port Authority—which is building the museum—says the foundation owes for construction costs. Port Authority officials have said privately they are concerned about the museum having enough money to finish the job, people familiar with the dispute said.

The foundation denies it is responsible for the cost overruns, and for its part believes it is owed more than $100 million on account of delays, a person familiar with the matter said.

The two sides are negotiating a set of conditions for arbitrating the dispute outside of court.

Representatives for all sides on Sunday said the issues would ultimately be resolved.

“The Port Authority, the city and the museum are working collaboratively to resolve these matters,” said Patrick Foye, the Port Authority’s executive director.

Julie Wood, a spokeswoman for Mr. Bloomberg, said in a statement that funding disputes have been overcome before. “We’re confident we will work them out again,” she said.

The World Trade Center redevelopment has been plagued by near-constant disputes among public agencies as well as with private developer Larry Silverstein, who has the rights to develop three towers.

Most of the billions in added costs over the years have been absorbed by the Port Authority, which owns the site and is in charge of the rebuilding.

The overruns at the museum have been in dispute for months, but those and other problems were left unresolved until now, in part because officials wanted to avoid a public fight before the 10th anniversary of the 2001 terrorist attacks, people familiar with the discussions said.

The city and the Port Authority also have recently been fighting over who will pay for up to $300 million in security costs related to the site, people familiar with the discussions said.

Mr. Cuomo has begun to take a more active approach with the Port Authority, a typically cash-rich agency that has been weighed down by the costs of rebuilding. He recently installed Mr. Foye, a former economic development aide, as its new executive director, and put four new appointees on the agency’s board.

The agency appears to have taken a more aggressive approach with funding issues lately, and it has added pressure on the memorial foundation by not approving the contracts for the museum.

The dispute is partially over whether the $156 million in overruns are the responsibility of the museum, or whether they are broader infrastructure that the Port Authority should pay for. Generally, the foundation is responsible for the museum’s cost. The Port Authority is paying for site-wide infrastructure.

The Port Authority claims the foundation is responsible for such unexpected costs. But the foundation denies it is responsible and is preparing a claim of more than $100 million against the Port Authority, for additional costs caused by construction delays and the operational complications of opening the memorial when the surrounding streets and sidewalks weren’t yet open, one person familiar with the situation said. Talks have been active. Mr. Foye met Friday with city officials including Deputy Mayor Robert Steel.

The Port Authority has raised broader concerns about the foundation’s ability to pay for the full cost of the museum. Mr. Foye told members of the agency’s board earlier this month that Joseph Daniels, the foundation president, said he expected a “cash squeeze” early next year, a person familiar with the board meeting said.

Michael Frazier, a foundation spokesman, said it “has reached its funding commitments and will continue to do so.”

The West Thames grass field is closed for the season

November 7, 2011

After numerous stories in the local press observing that the expensive newly sodded West Thames Tire Swing Park grass field was becoming trampled to death once again, the Parks Conservancy headed by Tess Huxley finally closed the field for the season. Why 50% of the field was not alternated and closed for root regrowth earlier in the season, allowing for usage of the field and preventing the grass damage we see now, is a mystery. Hopefully, the field will regenerate this time and not require re-sodding.

West Thames Park lawn looking mangy

October 19, 2011

(An excerpt from Downtown Express By Terese Loeb Kreuzer)

After months of negotiations between the Battery Park City Authority, the Hudson River Park Trust and the New York State Department of Transportation over who should pay to resod the West Thames Park lawn and who should police and maintain it, the lawn already is looking mangy.

“Kids come there from high schools on the other side of the West Side highway and play pick-up sports after school,” said Mark Costello, a Community Board 1 member who is also on the board of the Downtown Little League. “There’s no rule against it. The problem is that that’s not what that lawn is built for. Last year, we also had adults coming over from Wall Street after work, and they would play and were very aggressive. I think the emphasis [for that lawn] should be on passive use and family play.”

The guidelines for the park say, “No cleats, no using more than half the field per group and no aggressive play that may result in harm,” said Anne Fenton, a B.P.C.A. spokesperson. But, she added, “There’s only so much you can control in nature.”

The B.P.C. Conservancy has been entrusted with caring for the lawn, and as of a few weeks ago, the H.R.P.T. and Battery Park City Parks Enforcement Patrols (P.E.P.) assumed joint jurisdiction for policing it.

For full BatteryPark.TV coverage, click here

Also, please note how BatteryPark.TV is the only local New York news source with the journalism ethics to cite other sources, even if they could be viewed as competition

BPCA CEO Gayle Horwitz responsible for the field control and feud with HRPT and DOT

Another “Authority” bungles a construction project in Battery Park City

September 24, 2011

By Steven Greer, MD

The much anticipated opening of the new artificial turf ball fields north of Goldman Sachs on Murray Street finally happened, more than two weeks behind schedule. Heavy rain was cited by the BPCA as the reason, even though “Hurricane” Irene was only a tropical storm when it hit Manhattan leaving only sprinkles.

The Downtown Soccer League (DSL) will be the first group to use the new field. On September 15, the delay was announced in a blast email by DSL President Bill Bialosky, “concerns over the quality of the installation and the weather sensitive process involved in adhering the turf to the foam underlayment triggered the BPCA decision given today’s rain…it is the BPCA’s desire to provide a lasting, state of the art turf field for the community that led to delaying our activities at the ball field until next week.” A parent of a DSL child told BatteryPark.TV that the scheduled games for the league will be pushed into December now.

Upon closer inspection of the fields, The installation clearly seems “out of spec”. Obvious open seams and creases protrude in the field creating tripping hazards and sources for the field to be torn up over time.

The fields are owned and operated by The Battery Park City Authority and the project was overseen by the CEO of the BPCA, Gayle Horwitz. The BPCA refused to reply to our emails and calls. It is unknown how much was paid to the construction company, how the contract was won, etc.

Other recent construction projects in or adjacent to Battery Park City that were bungled with major cost overruns include the Port Authority’s 9/11 Memorial that triggered near-100% increases in bridge and tunnel tolls, the West Thames Park and the re-sodding of the grass field, and the dog park by North Cove Marina.

(Click images to enlarge)

Diagonal folds and creases from improper installation

Wide creases between rolls of turf

BPCA CEO Gayle Horwitz

Grass field well on its way to becoming a mud field again

September 6, 2011

The CB1 Battery Park City committee met last night to discuss the protection and upkeep of the luxurious expensive West Thames “Tire Swing” Park grass field. Recall, the BPCA refused to care for the field in 2010 when it was opened, not using the BPC Park Enforcement Patrol (PEPs) to enforce rules. As a result, overuse by adults in soccer cleats turned the field into a mud wrestling pit. This time around, after spending hundreds of thousands more of taxpayer dollars to re-sod the field, the BPCA claimed that it had resolved the dispute with the DOT and would be tending to this field as it does with the other grass spots within Battery Park City. However, that is clearly not happening.

Since opening on August 15, the West Thames field has not been patrolled by the local and numerous BPCA PEPs, of which there are more in number than any other region of the city. This has been intentional as the BPCA claims the land is owned by an obscure entity called the Hudson River Park Trust (HRPT). More than a mile away at Pier 40, the HRPT has a smaller PEP force responsible for a larger area. The BPCA claims that these PEPs, rarely ever seen down in Battery Park, will be the ones responsible for patrolling the field and making sure that gangs of soccer players, etc. do not ruin the field again.

Astonishingly, at the CB1 meeting, BPCA spokesperson Leticia Remauro, and BPCA executive Anne Fenton sitting behind her, displayed very little concern for the rapid abuse and vandalism that the West Thames Park has already endured. When asked where the HRPT PEPs were physically based, Remauro replied, “I couldn’t tell you.”

In the short time since the grass field was re-opened, the field now has numerous dead spots caused by dogs urinating and defecating on the field, and the grass is 40% killed in areas due to overuse. The BPC Parks Conservancy, run by Tess Huxley, has failed to fence off areas periodically, as they effectively do the other grass spots. In short, the grass field, costing well more than $100,000 for the sod alone, is well on its way to becoming a mud field yet again.

To express your opinions on this, contact BPCA CEO Gayle Horwitz at gayle.horwitz@batteryparkcity.org or (212) 417-2000, and Parks Conservancy Director Tess Huxley at thuxley@bpcparks.org (212) 267-9700.

No sex in the Champagne room: Pussycat Lounge and sex shops by Ground Zero closed

September 3, 2011

Very quietly and without fanfare or much press coverage, the controversial “strip club” within site of Ground Zero was shut down months ago. The Pussycat Lounge and neighboring sex shop, establishments in the area for more than 40 years (opened in 1969), were both seemingly forced out by the city.

We spoke with the Community Board offices and they had no information on the matter. It was not related to any liquor license problem a spokesman said. Employees at the neighboring deli Cordato’s had no knowledge of the reason for the closure saying, “We do not know (why they closed). One day they were just not there.”

Recall, these strip clubs and sex shops near Ground Zero were used by the supporters of the proposed Park 51 Muslim mosque and community center to be built near ground Zero. Comedy Central’s Jon Stewart pointed to the hypocrisy of allowing a sex shop next to the sacred ground yet prohibiting a mosque. We argued that that was an illogical point in this Op-Ed.

We have no evidence to support that the Pussycat Lounge or next door sex shop were pushed out for reasons relating to the Muslim center controversies. However, for commercial tenants, the landlords can raise rents to any level they choose and can essentially force out a tenant if they desire. We have seen numerous restaurants essentially evicted from the World Financial Center by Brookfield Properties, for examples.

A local blog reported that the City’s Building Department claimed the Pussycat Lounge was performing construction without a permit, and was a stalled construction site (which it seems to be from outward appearances) and used that violation as the tool to shut them down. The owner of the building had also wanted to tear down the building to construct a hotel, according to the blog.

There will be no more sex in the Champagne room at The Pussycat Lounge.

More unsightly scaffolding eyesores from 225 Rector

August 11, 2011

Residents of Battery Park have had to endure the unsightly scaffolding around the bankrupt 225 Rector Park apartment building for years as the owners went bankrupt and ownership transferred to the Related Companies. Now, the new owners are setting up, once again, scaffolding around three sides of the building, creating a blight to the community.

Related Companies told BatteryPark.TV that the purpose of the scaffolding was for protection related to “window replacements” to begin once the scaffolding is built. The work is expected to last for “four to five months”.

(Click images to enlarge)

West Thames Park grass field not opened, committee decides usage rules

Update: August 2, 2011

In what exemplifies the disconnect between the bureaucrats governing lower Manhattan and the what best serves the citizens, the still-squabbling DOT and BPCA delayed the opening of the coveted grass field for a full week to allow for small areas to regrow after crabgrass was removed. The new opening date is set for August 8th.

August 1, 2011

Despite signs promising an August 1 opening of the West Thames Park grass field, the BPCA, managed by Gayle Horwitz and Tess Huxley, failed to take down the chain link fence. No explanation was given or any new dates set for the opening.

On the same day, the Battery Park City division of Community Board 1 convened the “West Thames Park Task Force”, led by Jeff Galloway and Anthony Notaro, to decide what activities to recommend to the BPC CB1 meeting in September. The Task Force decided:

• No more than 50% of the field should be used by any organized team
• No cleated shows allowed
• Activities should be as safe as possible

These guidelines are somewhat consistent with the opinions of the local residents expressed in our online survey.

No doubt about it. That’s a farmer’s market.

August 4, 2011

By Steven Greer, MD

In what could be the freshest vegetables and fruits in all of Manhattan, and the most verifiably organic farmer’s market in the city, the Urban Farm of the Battery Conservancy is now yielding fruits and vegetables. They have set up a small market at the entrance. Much of the harvest comes from plots grown by local school children.

(In 1080iHD)

The new super star living in Tribeca: Dominique Strauss-Kahn

July 2, 2011

Media frenzy in front of Dominique Strauss-Kahn’s (DSK) Tribeca pad

A new view: the Deutsche Bank eyesore is gone

May 18, 2011

If you walk by the W hotel, you might notice something: you can see the new WTC looking northward. The dilapidated scandalous death trap of the old condemned Deutsche Bank building has finally been removed. Some have speculated that the building cost far more to demolish than it did to build, adjusting for inflation, not to mention the lives lost.

(Click photos to enlarge)

The new unobstructed view

The old building

Firefighters Robert Beddia, 53, of Engine Company 24, left, and Joseph Graffagnino, 33, of Ladder Company 5 are shown. The two firefighters were fatally injured Saturday, Aug. 18, 2007 while battling a seven-alarm high-rise fire at the former Deutsche Bank building (Firefighter Nation)

Save the Stairs

Update: June 17, 2011

The Winter Garden marble stairs are reportedly getting a pardon and will now be saved from demolition. Per our interview in March with grass roots leader Justine Cuccia, Brookfield Properties had wanted to demolish the awe-inspiring stairs in order to make room for what many called a “strip mall” that would connect to the new West Street tunnel and the 9/11 Memorial. The BPCA, which actually owns the property, had the final say on the matter, and seems to be backing the local BPC residents who strongly oppose the demolition.

Brookfield was basing the justification for the demolition all on a mystery “engineering report” that allegedly concluded the new pedestrian traffic from the tunnel would be so great as to create a “safety hazard”. Battery Park.TV openly challenged the validity of this report and requested that it be made public. The report was commissioned by Brookfield, and the unknown “engineering firm” was paid by Brookfield, creating a conflict of interest in the outcome.

Community Board 1 Chair Julie Menin confirmed that stairs seem to have been pulled from the jaws of death. She wrote to us,  “Yes the stairs are saved. Saving the Winter Garden staircase was tremendously important to the community both from a symbolic and functional standpoint. I am pleased that Brookfield responded to our advocacy on this and preserved the stairs.”

We are awaiting statements from the BPCA. The BPCA has been hostile to BatteryPark.TV and is now refusing to reply to any of our questions.

March 19, 2011

Justine Cuccia, Roberta Kahan, and Marilyn Masaryk have launched a grass roots effort to save the marble stairs inside the Winter Garden of the WFC. To join the petition, email

For more information, visit the Facebook page here.

Trump failures?

October 29, 2010

Not all of Donald Trump’s real estate ventures are successful. His “Trump Towers” in Sunny Isles, Florida are mostly vacant and have hundreds of vultures nesting at the top causing a menace.

The Trump SoHo dissappoints

August 27, 2010

The real estate speculators who started large condo projects at the height of the bubble continue to struggle. The Wall Street Journal is reporting that the Trump SOHO is discounting prices by 25% to boost slumping sales. Previously, it was reported that the prices of housing sales in the Battery Park City region saw one of the biggest decreases in the entire city.

BatteryPark.TV recently got an exclusive look at the yet to be opened outdoor pool area of the Trump SoHo and we were disappointed. The pool is very small and more of a large hot tub. The “pool” of the new Standard Hotel is also extremely small. It is not clear what zoning or building laws prohibit proper sized pools atop New York skyscrapers.

The “pool” at the Trump SoHo

CB1 opposition to Pier A becoming restaurants and bars

March 23

CB1 Chairperson Julie Menin explains the opposition to Pier A in Battery Park becoming a strip of restaurants and bars managed by The Downtown Alliance and the Poulakakos family of restaurants.