November 21st - November 25th, 2011

Squadron Calls for More Classrooms

November 21 --  DNAinfo reports, State Sen. Daniel Squadron said the Department of Education should give up its Tweed Courthouse headquarters and build a new school there to help fill the need for more Lower Manhattan classrooms. Squadron made the suggestion in a letter to Schools Chancellor Dennis Walcott, in which Squadron slammed the DOE for not planning enough new schools to serve Downtown's rising population. One suggestion for Sen. Squadron is for the DOE to move its offices to 4 World Trade Center, where the city has already agreed to lease more than half a million square feet when the tower opens in 2013.

21-23 Maiden Lane Sold for $14.5 Million

November 22 – The International Business Times reported, 21-23 Maiden Lane has been sold for $14.5 million, according to New York City records. The seller was 21-23 Maiden Lane Realty LLC. According to property records, 21-23 Maiden Lane Realty LLC is a subsidiary of Regal Real Estate, a family-owned business of developer Maurice Laboz. The eight story building has 37,500 square feet. The location's zoning allows for 15 stories and 63,465 square feet of air rights to be built, according to PropertyShark. YJL Holdings LLC, based at 202 Centre Street, was the buyer.

Planners suggest extending Manhattan into harbor

November 23 --  A group of researchers believes Lower Manhattan be extended to Governor’s Island, reported the Associated Press. The Center for Urban Real Estate at Columbia University says New York City could fill in part of its harbor and create a new peninsula. Researchers say the idea isn't so farfetched. The government plans to dredge 180 million cubic yards of dirt from the harbor over the next decades. The center says it would only take about 23 million cubic yards to connect Lower Manhattan and Governor's Island.