NEW YORK | South Street Seaport Redevelopment

[Renton]

Originally Posted by Hypothalamus

As of March 20th, 2014...


©Severalseconds on Flickr

Back in the 90's when the Knicks were good I used to meet up with a friend who worked near Wall Street. Used to go to the bars at the South Street Mall to watch them play. Also caught some concerts they held on the pier. I liked the mall. But I here it wasn't making money. So i guess it was time for a change. The new one looks pretty ugly. Hopefully the renderings don't do it justice. Either way, I'll heading into lower Manhattan for the first time in ages this weekend. I'll try to take some pics of the Seaport and post them.

[NYguy]

http://www.downtownexpress.com/2014/...ising-support/

Seaport tower’s power: Surprising support





July 17, 2014
BY JOSH ROGERS

It’ll be another few months before the public gets to see how much the Howard Hughes Corp. has adjusted its proposed 600-foot tower at the South Street Seaport, but in the meanwhile, the tower has a lot more support than many observers thought.

Since the firm unveiled its proposal last fall, the tower to be built just outside the South Street Seaport Historic District has garnered near universal opposition at public meetings, but on Tuesday, the Seaport Working Group, which includes leading opponents of the project, released a survey showing 26 percent of the comments it received opposed Guideline 6, which calls for alternatives to the tower, and 3 percent offered neutral opinions.

Although 71 percent support for the guideline is high, it was dwarfed by support for the other principles, most of which received at least 95 percent.

“That [26] percent number bothered me last night,” said John Fratta, chairperson of Community Board 1’s Seaport Committee and a member of the working group. “Because it just seemed too high for me.”

The group received 1,946 “eligible comments” on the guidelines either from its online survey or written comments at the public unveiling of the principles June 2, although far fewer commented on any specific principle.

The nine guidelines are carefully-worded and general in nature, allowing opponents and supporters of the Hughes proposal to disagree on whether the firm has already met many of them.

“I think if you look at all the guidelines, I would say the project that we’re envisioning is consistent with those guidelines,” Chris Curry, senior executive vice president of development for Hughes, told Downtown Express last month.

The guidelines also include calls for more open space, historic preservation, and storm resiliency.

Curry, who got a private preview of the findings Monday night along with the rest of the Seaport Working Group, also attended Community Board 1’s Seaport Committee Tuesday, when the survey results were released.

He declined to comment on the results. He confirmed at the meeting that Hughes expects to have its application for Landmarks approval early in September and a new version of the mixed-use tower proposal later in the fall.

That timetable runs counter to the desires of Community Board 1 and many Seaport Working Group members who want to see the entire proposal together.

“It’s still my hope we see everything as a master plan, and we don’t see things in segments and bits and pieces,” said Michael Kramer, a member of Board 1 and the working group.

The tower site, on the New Market Building, would likely include residential apartments and possibly a hotel. It would not need landmarks approval, although officials with the city’s Economic Development Corp., which oversees the city-owned property at the Seaport, have indicated they want to see neighborhood consensus on a proposal before it offered support.

The landmark application will be reviewed by C.B. 1, which will offer an advisory opinion before it goes for approval to the Landmarks Preservation Commission.

The commission is likely to be most concerned about the plan to move the Tin Building and add a rooftop addition. The building, which is decaying, must be raised to meet new storm guidelines, requiring it to be moved because of its proximity to the elevated F.D.R. Drive.

Later in the fall, Hughes plans to submit its application for a Uniform Land Use Procedure, better known as ULURP, in order to build on the tower site. The City Council has the power to stop a ULURP.

By all accounts, Councilmember Margaret Chin and Borough President Gale Brewer, who has an advisory say under ULURP, have been two of the most active members of the working group, which also includes leaders of C.B. 1, neighborhood small business owners and residents, business groups like the Downtown Alliance, as well as the Hughes firm.

Like Brewer, Community Board 1 will have a chance to review the proposal before it goes to the Council.

[Submariner]

Lol - they have a hard time believing there is strong support for the tower. Priceless.

[Design-mind]

From my visit to NYC this week.

[sparkling]

http://ny.curbed.com/archives/2014/0...eader_comments
No breaking news, just the same ol' same ol' but if some new member wants to catch up with that proposal here is the latest from Curbed
Monday, August 11, 2014, by Jessica Dailey

The Howard Hughes Corporation's plans for a 50-story, SHoP-designed tower next to Pier 17 in the South Street Seaport were put on hold after community backlash, but new documents spotted by the Downtown Post indicate that the developer has not given up on the tower. In a report recently filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission for the second quarter of 2014, HHC says that they expect the "formal approval process" for the project in the fourth quarter of this year:

"On November 20, 2013, we announced plans for further redevelopment of the South Street Seaport district which includes approximately 700,000 square feet of additional space, East River Esplanade improvements, a marina, restoration of the historic Tin Building, and the creation of a dynamic food market, replacement of wooden platform piers adjacent to Pier 17 and a newly constructed mixed-use building. The plans are subject to a Uniform Land Use Review Procedure ("ULURP") that requires approval by the New York City Council, the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission and other various government agencies. We expect to begin our formal approval process in the fourth quarter of 2014."
In June, the Seaport Working Group task force, which was formed in order to give HHC feedback on the proposal, outlined guidelines for what they'd like to see, and while the developer agreed with many of the ideas, a Howard Hughes rep voiced opposition to a shorter tower. Armed with the Working Group's recommendations, HHC planned to revise its proposal and present its updated plan to the community at a later date, which has yet to come. At the time of the June meeting, HHC said they hoped to file an official ULURP application in the fall, so the timeline indicated in the SEC filing is in keeping with that.

What remains unclear is what, if anything, has changed about HHC's plans. The SEC filing does not mention a tower or hotel or residential. It simply says there will be "a newly constructed mixed-use building." When the developer first announced these plans last November, they lined up with a previous proposal that called for a 95,000-square-foot hotel and 280,000 square feet of market-rate residential apartments. It's unclear if those numbers still stand, and it's also unclear if HHC still plans to demolish the New Market building.

We've reached out to Howard Hughes and the New York City Economic Development Corp., landlord for much of the Seaport, for comment, and we will update when we hear back.

[NYguy]

http://gothamist.com/2014/09/19/sout...port_fight.php

What's To Become Of The South Street Seaport? Some Locals Fear The Worst





Jessica Warriner
Sep 19, 2014

The Save Our Seaport preservationist group has been battling changes that could dramatically alter both the neighborhood and the Manhattan skyline, and earlier this week they updated locals and supporters at a town meeting. Their latest focus is on the Howard Hughes Corporation's expected tower proposal. While plans for a 50-story tower were put on ice after community backlash, Save Our Seaport is worried that it's about to be put back on the table in a very similar form. In July, the opposition wrote an op-ed in the NY Times:

"The South Street Seaport, home to Schermerhorn Row and “the street of ships,” the Lower Manhattan district that moved untold pounds of fish flesh and inspired Herman Melville to write the biggest fish story ever told, is on the verge of becoming a vast shopping complex, coupled with a Bloombergian luxury tower — all made possible by the city’s possible giveaway of our public property to a Texas-based real estate developer."

“I think it’s a terrible idea," said Brendan Sexton, a former board member of the South Street Seaport Museum. "I don’t oppose all high-rise buildings, there’s high-rise buildings just to the side of the historic district that serve a real function for companies that are in them. High rise buildings are not an evil. But this particular spot has value for you, and me, and the tourists we want to encourage. It is a piece of old New York.”

Some members and supporters of the Save Our Seaport group arrived at the meetings in new T-shirts condemning any potential tower development. Phrases like “Not on America’s Front Door," and "Remember Penn Station," were emblazoned on the shirts.

“The future of the Seaport is critically important. This is the port of New York, this is where New York was formed, down here in lower Manhattan. And it’s just a very special historic area,” argued Paul Goldstein, District Office Director for State Assemblyman Sheldon Silver.

Further elected official support for the seaport came from Jim Caras, a spokesperson for Borough President Gale Brewer, who said that Brewer was "committed to the work of the Seaport Working Group," a broader coalition of interested parties. Council Member Margaret Chin also released a statement:

“The Howard Hughes Corporation’s original plans for a 50-story tower at the South Street Seaport were unacceptable. That’s why I worked with my elected colleagues and Community Board 1 to create the Seaport Working Group, which has provided an unprecedented level of community input before the beginning of any [Uniform Land Use Review Procedure] at this site. I expect Howard Hughes to comply with the guidelines put forth by the Seaport Working Group, and our community continues to wait for them to present their revised plans for the site.”

Bridget Schuy, a Save Our Seaport supporter and area resident, has kept a wary eye on recent development. After the original tower announcement, she's doubtful any future plans from Howard Hughes will please locals. “They’re basically giving the whole community a giant F U. I mean, that’s what it really comes down to.”

The Howard Hughes Corporation is expected to reveal details on its plan for Pier 17's neighbor (50-story tower or otherwise) in the next couple of weeks.

[chris08876]

I've walked the area of South Street Seaport many times, and this area definitely needs revitalization. Fear the worst?

NIMBY alert. Code red! Although like Verre, this tower has been a long time coming.

I do miss the old design:



Hopefully the new one is just as exciting.

[Submariner]

Yeah, I do remember Penn Station. It was beautiful and was replaced with a giant turd. This is nothing like that.

I swear, the average NIMBY has an actual psychological disorder.

[chris08876]

They will get over it. It will be built. Fighting it is a lost cause, although all it does is present more headaches for developers. As if it isn't already super annoying to build anything in the city.

[Rail>Auto]

They need to go back to this design for the tower...

[NYguy]

Originally Posted by chris08876

I do miss the old design:



Hopefully the new one is just as exciting.

That's not the old design for this tower. That's 80 South St.

Originally Posted by Rail>Auto

They need to go back to this design for the tower...

That's the original design.

It's interesting though that the developer was reportedly interested in the 80 South St site as well.

[NYguy]

http://urbanland.uli.org/planning-de...wer-manhattan/

South Street Seaport Aims to Attract New Yorkers—along with Tourists—to Lower Manhattan




By Marcie Geffner
October 6, 2014

Lower Manhattan’s South Street Seaport redevelopment is planned to offer New Yorkers an attractive package of benefits they have said they want: a revitalized shopping complex, restoration of historic buildings, repairs to a storm-damaged pier and platform, an extended pedestrian path, and even a marina that could accommodate tall ships.

However, Dallas-based developer Howard Hughes Corp. is planning a component that remains a subject of debate among some New Yorkers: ­a new mixed-use waterfront tower that might contain a hotel and luxury residences.

The overall goal of the project is to revitalize properties in lower Manhattan that have not met the community’s needs for some time and which were damaged by Hurricane Sandy in October 2012. But to pay for many of those improvements, a significant revenue stream needs to be derived from the project. Chris Curry, senior executive vice president of development at Howard Hughes, says that needed revenue would be derived from the mixed-use building.

Without it, he says, the project just does not make sense for the company.

“We’re doing all we can to create a project that we feel is financially viable, that will do everything the community hopes to do, but also creates an economic return commensurate with the risk we take,” he says.

The massive Seaport project has a lot of parts, including the following:

-Pier 17, an unusually wide pier that extends from lower Manhattan over the East River;

-Retail portions of four mixed-use buildings located in the uplands, a section of lower Manhattan west of F.D.R. Drive, a major elevated highway along the riverfront;

-Several historic buildings on Pier 17;

-The East River Waterfront Esplanade, a roughly two-mile-long (3.2 km) pedestrian and bicycle path along the waterfront; and

-The New Market Building, a vacant one-story structure on the site of the proposed new mixed-use tower.


Pier 17

The Pier 17 portion of the project, approved in February 2013, features a new commercial building. Designed by locally based SHoP Architects, the building will offer 182,000 square feet (17,000 sq m) of leasable retail and restaurant space and approximately 45,000 square feet (4,200 sq m) of rooftop entertainment and public-access space.

“At the edge of the building closest to the water, you’ll be able to see the Empire State Building, Statue of Liberty, and Brooklyn Bridge,” Curry says. “We can put 4,000 people on that outdoor open space, which is going to be one of the most wonderful boutique entertainment venues in the world, and underneath that roof we’ll have a very exciting retail, dining, and entertainment offering.”

In its approval report, the New York City Planning Commission said the redevelopment would provide “improved waterfront open space, a contemporary urban retail environment, including modern architecture, and a varied and revitalized shopping ex­perience, including quality dining services.”

Construction began in September 2013 after the demolition of an enclosed shopping mall built in the 1980s, when fewer people lived in lower Manhattan, according to Michael Slattery, senior vice president at the Real Estate Board of New York, a realty brokers’ trade group.

That project, intended to make the Seaport a viable retail destination, “got off to a good start, but then was challenged to find the right retail mix to make it work,” Slattery says.

.....Curry insists that Howard Hughes is not building a shopping mall in the traditional sense. “We’re building an authentic New York experience that is bringing the street grid of lower Manhattan out onto the water. . . . The tourists are going to come because of the iconic location and the great view from the site, but we are building it for the New Yorker,” he says.

No tenants have been announced for the building, which is expected to open in the fourth quarter of 2016. In a December 2012 letter to the city planning commission, the company said it did not anticipate that any big-box retail would be included.

.....Too Tall?

That hotel and luxury housing tower has come under fire from the Seaport Working Group, an advisory committee made up local officials, small business owners and groups, Howard Hughes representatives, and residents of lower Manhattan.

In June, the group presented a four-page document that outlined nine guidelines and more than 30 principles that it wanted developers to honor within the historic district that overlaps part of the Seaport. The guidelines cover community and connectivity, open space, preservation, building heights and views, the pedestrian environment, and other topics. The document notes that “alternatives to the proposed 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.”

Curry says that the height of the building was “the only guideline that created any controversy,” and that the project needs a revenue source—especially since the community also wants the developer to offer a community center and participate in some sort of rescue plan for the undercapitalized South Street Seaport Museum and its fleet of historic ships.

“The only [way] to really generate economic benefits to pay for replacing the deteriorated platform, restoring the Tin Building, extending the Esplanade, and building all these other elements that will create better connectivity to lower Manhattan is to build a significant building on the New Market site,” he says.

[NYguy]

http://www.downtownexpress.com/2014/...rnative-sites/

De Blasio weighs in on Seaport tower & museum as opponents look for alternative sites


November 12, 2014

Mayor Bill de Blasio, in response to Downtown Express questions about the tower and museum on Wednesday,said he’s agnostic regarding the merits of the current proposal, which would put the skyscraper adjacent to the historic district, but noted the need to build affordable housing.

“I don’t have any philosophical prohibition in my mind about putting a tower next to a historical district— this is New York City,” he said. “Throughout this city we have some extraordinary modern buildings right next to historic buildings….

“By the way it’s all case by case. The attitude we’re going to take — I said before we need to have much more affordable housing. In some cases that’s going to take taller and denser buildings, but it’s always about the specific site.”

The mayor also confirmed rumors that he’s taken a personal interest in saving the museum.

“I think the Seaport Museum is really crucial to the city and I think it has to be protected because this is how New York City became New York City,” de Blasio said at a Nov. 12 press conference at Lower Manhattan’s Spruce Street School. “We’re here because of the water, because of the maritime industry and I think it’s really important future generations feel that — so protecting the museum in some form is something I care about a lot. “

[hunser]

Since I don't want to bump the other thread: any news on the 80 South Street supertall? Is SHoP the architect now?

[NYguy]

http://online.wsj.com/articles/howar...wer-1416440499

Howard Hughes Corp. Offers to Trim Height of Proposed Tower Near South Street Seaport
Local Councilwoman Says She Won’t Back the Project


By LAURA KUSISTO
Nov. 19, 2014

A tower once planned to be more than 50 stories just south of the Brooklyn Bridge, raising fears that it would overwhelm the historic South Street Seaport neighborhood, is being scaled back by about 25%, according to people familiar with the plans.

The size reduction to the Lower Manhattan tower emerged after a planning process that some elected officials have heralded as a new model for changing projects based on community concerns. The developer, Howard Hughes Corp. , planned to unveil its revised proposal Wednesday evening at a meeting of a community working group.

But some officials said they remained dissatisfied and wanted to see a more dramatic reimagining of the tower—even shifting it south where they said it would be surrounded by similarly tall buildings.

That opposition could pose challenges for Howard Hughes, which could struggle to begin the formal public-review process and ultimately win approval from the City Council unless it offers more compromises.

“Unfortunately, it’s clear that the Howard Hughes Corp. has not fully considered all of the guidelines put forth by the Seaport Working Group,” said Margaret Chin, the local city councilwoman. “I can’t support the proposed tower in its current form, and I can’t support the development proposal overall in its current form.”

In a statement Tuesday night, Manhattan Borough President Gale A. Brewer echoed Ms. Chin’s criticisms. “As I’ve said before, building a tower at the South Street Seaport is like building a tower at Colonial Williamsburg,” she said.

Howard Hughes said it would reduce the height of its proposed South Street Seaport residential development to 42 stories from 52 stories, or to 494 feet from 650 feet, the people familiar with the matter said.

In addition, 30% of the project’s apartments would be offered at below-market rents. Those units, however, wouldn’t be part of the tower but in historic buildings on nearby Schermerhorn Row that the developer would renovate, the people familiar with the proposal said.

The developer also would pay to lengthen the East River Waterfront Esplanade, with a path at least 30 feet wide that would extend from under the Brooklyn Bridge to John Street. That would make it possible to walk, run or bike from the West Side continuously around the southern tip of Manhattan, the people familiar with the matter said.

In February, Howard Hughes agreed to wait for months before beginning the formal public-review process to allow the Seaport Working Group, made up of local officials, community board members, residents and businesses, to make recommendations.

Ms. Chin and others are urging the developer to consider moving the tower to the site of the former Pier 14, south of the current spot next to Pier 17. There, they say the tower would rise amid other tall buildings.

A city official said that the permitting and costs of such a project would make it virtually impossible. Pier 14 would need to be rebuilt to allow the tower’s construction.

The working group’s recommendations weren’t binding, but they carry weight because Ms. Chin could cast the deciding vote on the project.

Mayor Bill de Blasio ’s administration has been experimenting with ways to involve communities and smooth the path for projects that could help deliver more units of affordable housing. Local politicians framed the Seaport Working Group as a template for how more of the discussion with communities could take place before the city’s formal review process begins.

That has proved challenging because the project has been debated since Howard Hughes officials first presented their plan to the community about a year ago. Some residents have complained that the project would block views of the Brooklyn Bridge.

But the developer has also made an effort to create goodwill within the local community. Since its original proposal, it has added a middle school to the base of tower.

Joy Martini, a 43-year-old consultant who lives nearby in the Financial District and has a 6-year-old son who goes to P.S. 343 The Peck Slip School, said she supported the project.

“A lot of people talk about the money they’re making—Howard Hughes,” she said. “If we wanted to live on a kibbutz, choosing the island of Manhattan was not so prudent.”

[sparkling]

https://twitter.com/CurbedNY/media

[sparkling]

Here are some more

Last night, developer Howard Hughes Corporation presented 300 slides worth of information to community members, all about the revised version of the neighbor-hated residential tower they want to build along the waterfront at the base of Pier 17 at the South Street Seaport. In short, their concessions—mainly, to shorten the building by 10 stories, but also to build a middle school and a waterfront esplanade—were simply not sufficient to satisfy community members or elected officials. This morning, at their offices in the Woolworth Building, SHoP architects held an unveiling of the new design, showcasing the now-42-story structure, which is striated and narrows slightly as it rises. Take a look, and we'll update with more details on the design as they come through.

http://ny.curbed.com/archives/2014/1...r_revealed.php

[photoLith]

That looks pretty good, wish it were taller though.

[sparkling]

Last night, developer Howard Hughes Corporation presented 300 slides worth of information to community members, all about the revised version of the neighbor-hated residential tower they want to build along the waterfront beside Pier 17 at the South Street Seaport. In short, their concessions—mainly, to shorten the building by 10 stories, but also to build a middle school and a waterfront esplanade—were simply not sufficient to satisfy community members or elected officials. This morning, at SHoP Architects' offices in the Woolworth Building, Howard Hughes and the design team unveiled renderings and a model of the new proposed design, showcasing the now-42-story structure, which striated and narrows slightly as it rises.

Plan of the site, showing all of the possible parts, except the tower.

The presentation expanded on what was revealed to the Seaport Working Group last night, and, obviously, gave Howard Hughes executives and SHoP an opportunity to defend the new design after local officials strongly criticized it. The new proposal still needs to go through the Landmarks Preservation Commission (at least parts of it will), and a full Uniform Land Use Review Procedure, so what is shown here could still change.

↑ There are a lot of moving parts in the plan, so let's start with the Tin Building. As the plan stands, the historic structure will be moved 30 feet to be able to raise it out of the flood plain; if the structure was raised in its current footprint, it would hit the FDR Drive. It will be completely reconstructed, with an additional floor, and it will be home to a "phenomenal food hall," according to SHoP Partner Gregg Pasquarelli. Moving the building back also allows for a larger plaza in front of the building that will connect with the East River Esplanade.

Pasquarelli said that because of a fire in 1995, very few historic elements actually remain in the building, but when they catalogued the building, they found paint samples, so the colors match what was original when the building went up in 1906. The cost of work on the Tin Building is about $54 million, which is part of the $171 million in private funding that Howard Hughes will put into the site.

Under the FDR (on the left of the above rendering, there will be retail pavilions, and SHoP wants to hang a lighting system off of the overpass to illuminate the space at night and make it a place that people would actually consider spending time.

↑ Moving the Tin Building back also allows for the East River Esplanade to seamlessly connect from the north and south. Currently, the Tin Building essentially cuts off the pedestrian and bike paths. This rendering also shows the plans for expanded public space around Pier 17. James Corner Field Operations is designing the open space, which includes a 20-foot wide waterfront pathway around the perimeter of the site, so Pasquarelli says it will be of "High Line-level" quality.

The plan also calls for extending Fulton and Beekman Streets to connect Pier 17 and the Tin Building with the street grid. "Real New York City blocks have cars and taxis and everyone all jostling together," said Pasquarelli.

↑ Now for the tower. The height has been chopped by 156 feet, from 650 feet to 494 feet, and from 52 to 42 stories. Pasquarelli said they thought hard "about what kind of building should go on a pier," noting out that stone and masonry would not work since more lightweight materials are needed—think glass, zinc, and possibly some wood. The design team drew inspiration from the historic ships, and the angles in the tower—"elegant cuts that slot back and forth to break up the building"—are meant to be shaped like sails.

The tower is the main point of contention for the local opposition. Pasquarelli was quick to note, "We know it's a tall building," but then pointed out the ways in which they've tried to mitigate its largeness. They turned the building so the slender side faces Manhattan, and overall, they built taller and thinner rather than shorter and wider, which is what the site's zoning allows for as of right. Howard Hughes' CEO David Weinreb chimed in to say that the tower is "half the height of most new buildings going up in Lower Manhattan."

But the tower wasn't only opposed because of its height; it will also replace the New Market Building, which many opponents feel is a historic structure that should be preserved. However, preservation attempts have failed in the past—the building, where the Fulton Fish Market used to operate, sits outside of the historic district—and the team today highlight that the structure is in really terrible shape. It also sits on a century-old pier that is sinking into the East River and is beyond repair. Howard Hughes will invest $64 million to rebuild the pier to support the new building.

Pasquarelli and Weinreb stressed that this is the only place within the entire Seaport site where they can create a "revenue-generating element." When asked about the possibility of taking the FAR and building elsewhere, Weinreb and co. said there is "no viable alternative site," but at this point, they are not ruling out anything.

As the tower would be literally right on the water, the building's ground floor is raised above the 100-year flood plain and the mechanicals are all on higher floors. Pasquarelli said that if a 500 year floor came through, it would still be fine. The smaller building at the base of the tower will be a new 71,000-square-foot middle school. The proposal's community space could potentially be located here, or at a new building on John Street and Schermerhorn Row.

The number of units has not yet been determined, but it will be anywhere from 150 to 180, with about 30 percent of those being affordable. The affordable units will be offsite on Schermerhorn Row, in a new building, as well as a few restored buildings.
During last night's meeting, the community was downright outraged when it was revealed that the affordable housing would not be in the tower. But Pasquarelli was adamant that this "is no poor door," but rather an "exquisite 18th century door." He said it will be "some of the nicest affordable housing" in the city, and compared them to the COOKFOX condos that sit on the same block. Renderings in the presentation (which were not sent out with the tower/Tin Building renderings) showed the infill building, which will rise on the corner of John Street, as a contextual brick building that fit well with the historic rowhouses.

Weinreb said the affordable units will have their own amenity package, separate from the tower. The tower model shows an outdoor amenity deck with a pool, which would be exclusive to the tower.
The proposal still includes a marina, and it includes several possible routes for saving the Seaport Museum and the historic ships. The museum could find space on Schermerhorn Row, or a new building could be constructed on Pier 16, so the museum and ships were right beside each other. Howard Hughes and the museum have not entered any kind of official agreement, but Weinreb said he believes the museum is committed.

↑ For comparison's sake, here is the old design. Everything that was presented today still has a long road to reality. Everything but the tower needs to earn the approval of the Landmarks Preservation Commission since its all within the historic district, and the whole shebang needs to go through a full Uniform Land Use Review Procedure. Howard Hughes expects to go before the local community board's preservation committee on December 10 and the LPC in January 2015. The plan should be certified for the seven-month public review period by spring, which puts a possible construction start date sometime in 2016, the same year that the new Pier 17 will open.

http://ny.curbed.com/archives/2014/1...r_revealed.php

[chris08876]

Pretty good design. Like many, I do wish it was taller given a good site and opportunity, but, its better than nada.