NEW YORK CITY—Under fire for several elements of its planned residential tower at the South Street Seaport, the Howard Hughes Corp. has introduced a new plan for its redevelopment of the South Street Seaport.
The residential tower now will top out at 42 stories instead of 52, according to Crain's New York Business, and Hughes also will construct about 60 affordable apartments in a separate, renovated building close by.
The updated plan also includes about $300 million of community benefits, including a new middle school and money to fund the Seaport Museum and historic tall ships moored along the pier, according to Howard Hughes.
"Our plan preserves the historic district, repairs crumbling infrastructure and delivers the benefits the community has called for," says Howard Hughes CEO David Weinreb.
But the downsizing of the tower didn't impress many elected officials who take issue with the project, Crain's notes.
"Building a tower at the South Street Seaport is like building a tower at Colonial Williamsburg," asserts Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer.
City Councilwoman Margaret Chin (D-Manhattan) says that she does not support the project in its current form. Plans for the retail and event destination on Pier 17 have already been approved but the residential tower must go through the city's land use process, making Chin's opinion quite significant as she represents the area on the Council.
"The only way to truly save the South Street Seaport is to invest in its future," Weinreb says. "We are confident that as more residents learn about our plan, they will embrace it."
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Rayna Katz
Rayna Katz is a seasoned business journalist whose extensive experience includes coverage of the lodging sector, travel and the culinary space. She was most recently content director for a business-to-business publisher, overseeing four publications. While at Meeting News, a travel trade publication, she received a Best Reporting award for a story on meeting cancellations in New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina.
