New York Economic Development Corporation spokesperson Janel Patterson tells GlobeSt.com the vote has been removed indefinitely from the city's Industrial Development Agency calendar. "It is not on the agenda at this point. The project is being reevaluated therefore we decided not to go before the board with that item at this time."

But sources close to the $1 billion plan to build a 10-story trading floor topped by a 50-story office tower across the street from the current stock exchange site claim that Grasso's comments Thursday to the Securities Industry Association in Boca Raton, FL knocked the legs out from the already wobbly project. In addition to referring to the current plan as "not a salable transaction," Grasso also indicated that he is open to the possibility of integrating a stock exchange into the design of a new World Trade Center, reportedly angering Mayor Rudy Giuliani and Mayor-elect Michael Bloomberg.

Bettina Damiani, project director of government and corporate accountability group Good Jobs New York, says that she is not surprised by the move to cancel the vote. "I'm more surprised by Grasso's comments publicly," she tells GlobeSt.com.

GJNY has staunchly opposed public funding for the stock exchange building and favors incorporating the NYSE into a new World Trade Center. "[The World Trade Center site] is really an area where public investment does work," Damiani says. "A 21st Century financial center will anchor the area and make it a viable place to do business again."

Continue Reading for Free

Register and gain access to:

  • Breaking commercial real estate news and analysis, on-site and via our newsletters and custom alerts
  • Educational webcasts, white papers, and ebooks from industry thought leaders
  • Critical coverage of the property casualty insurance and financial advisory markets on our other ALM sites, PropertyCasualty360 and ThinkAdvisor
NOT FOR REPRINT

© 2024 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.