May 3rd - May 7th, 2010

Menin Wants NYU to Expand Downtown

May 3 –  CB1 chair Julie Menin is proposing that the Deutsche Bank site become home to NYU. She told The Battery Park City Broadsheet Daily, NYU could build a vertical campus above the Performing Arts Center. Menin said, “The idea of marrying a cultural use with an educational use at Ground Zero makes so much sense.” NYU is scheduled to appear before CB1 Thursday evening, May 6^th.

Water Street Study to be Released Soon

May 3- Water Street may have to make way for more pedestrians and cyclists. The New York Times is reporting the Downtown Alliance is looking into a drastic makeover for the street, which would include narrowing two lanes of traffic to one and installing bike lanes. A spokesman said Water Street is an unappealing mix of retail and services, but it’s not welcoming. The results of the study will be released in a few weeks.

CB1 Endorses Mosque Near World Trade Center Site

May 6 – In a unanimous vote, the Financial District Committee of Community Board 1 endorsed the building of a 100,000 square foot mosque at Park Place and Broadway, just blocks from the WTC site. The $100 million dollar project will turn the old Burlington Coat Factory building into the Cordoba House, which is intended to foster better relations between Americans and Muslims, according to a spokesman. A full CB1 vote is expected later this month. The Daily News reports construction could begin before the 10^th anniversary of 9-11.

Firms Pledge Funds to 9-11 Memorial

May 6 –  Deloitte, Ernst & Young, KPMG and PricewaterhouseCoopers, the big four accounting firms, told Crain’s Insider, they will each be donating $1 million to the National September 11 Memorial & Museum. The announcement brings the total amount of donations to $366 million. 

CB1 Opposes City Takeover of Battery Park City

May 6 – The Mayor is looking into buying BPC, but the Battery Park City Committee of CB1 is ‘adamantly opposed’ to the idea, according to The Tribeca Trib. Chairwoman Linda Belfer said the Authority’s work of ongoing maintenance is just beginning; she fears under City control,  BPC would not be a priority.

PA Deputy Executive Director Speaks out about WTC site

May 6 –  Former Senator Bill Baroni, appoint by Governor Christie in March told business leaders, 1 WTC will be completed in 2013 and the PATH station will be finished in 2014. The Star Ledger also reported Baroni said it would be up to market forces and not the PA to determine when Towers 2 and 3 get built.

Con Ed Needs Funds for Continued Downtown Work

May 6 – David Gmach, Con Ed’s spokesman, told CB1 it should not support the idea of transferring $150 from the LMDC to the PAC. He said the utility money is needed to continue the rebuilding effort downtown and Con Ed customers would be hit with a one-time $50 surcharge to make up for the lost money.