• Ad Rates
  • Contact Us
  • Terms of Use
  • Privacy Policy

eBroadsheet

Local News Source for Lower Manhattan

  • Home
  • Featured
  • Today In History
  • Current Issue
  • Doorman’s Guide to Lower Manhattan
  • About Us
    • Contact Us
  • Riverwatch
You are here: Home / Today In History / The BroadsheetDAILY ~ News of Lower Manhattan ~ 2/19/20

The BroadsheetDAILY ~ News of Lower Manhattan ~ 2/19/20

February 19, 2020 By Robert Simko Leave a Comment

Lower Manhattan’s Local News
The Broadsheet Inc. | 212-912-1106 | editor@ebroadsheet.com | ebroadsheet.com
Render Unto de Blasio?

Municipal Think Tank Urges City to Weigh BPCA Takeover

The City’s Independent Budget Office (IBO), a publicly funded agency that provides nonpartisan information on critical issues confronting the City, is proposing that the administration of Mayor Bill de Blasio consider a municipal takeover of Battery Park City.

This recommendation hinges upon the unique, hybrid nature of the community, which was built on acreage newly created from landfill in the 1970s. This unusual situation arose because the freshly created site straddled complicated jurisdictional boundaries. The portion of the new land closest to West Street (the previously existing waterfront of Manhattan) would protrude roughly 500 feet to the bulkhead line, which traditionally fell within the jurisdiction of a local municipality — in this case, New York City. But Battery Park City’s 92 acres extended beyond this demarcation, a full 1,000 feet into the Hudson, to what is known as the pierhead line, a legal boundary beyond which artificial structures may not be built into navigable waters. That extra length customarily fell within the purview of the State.

This raised the question of which arm of government would own the new (and very valuable) land: the City or the State? Charles Urstadt, the founder of the community — who served as the first chairman and president of the Battery Park City Authority (BPCA) — cut this Gordian Knot by deeding the inner (landward) 500 feet the project to the City of New York, while the State of New York kept title to the outer half. He then re-split the difference by having the State (in the form of a newly created BPCA) cede its interest to the City, but lease the entire parcel back from the City for 99 years.

But in these negotiations, the City insisted upon an escape clause: The municipal government would have the option, at any time, to cancel the 99-year lease and take full possession of Battery Park City’s 92 acres, in exchange for one dollar, plus assumption of the BPCA’s outstanding debt, which currently totals more than $1 billion.

In the meantime, the BPCA acts on the City’s behalf by collecting property taxes (in the form of Payments in Lieu of Taxes, or PILOT) and ground rents. The latter form of payment results from the exotic nature of property ownership in Battery Park City, where homeowners, landlords, and developers do not own outright the land they occupy, but instead lease the space (through June, 2069), in exchange for yearly payments of ground rent.

For decades, this option has been a moot point, because the City reaps an annual windfall from the BPCA’s excess revenue (totaling roughly $200 million in 2019), for which it is required to do nothing in exchange, while the Authority looks after the operational details of running and maintaining the community. For this reason, City Hall has had little incentive to consider exercising its right to acquire Battery Park City. And while some local leaders and elected officials advocated for this option years ago, when relations between the community and the BPCA were at their most contentious, these calls have subsided as the rapport between the Authority and residents has improved.

But the IBO now calculates that dissolving the BPCA would yield the City an extra $70 million per year, over and above the current annual payout of $200 million, after a two-year transition period. “City revenue would increase by guaranteeing all surplus income would flow to the City without requiring the Authority’s approval,” predicts IBO analyst Elizabeth Brown. “Following the satisfaction of past agreements and based on recent budgets, this could total about $70 million annually, above what the city now receives as a transfer of PILOT revenue in as little as two years.”

Ms. Brown continues that, “proponents might argue that Battery Park City differs little from other City neighborhoods — it receives similar services, and its residents, in effect, pay the same taxes. Now that the neighborhood’s construction is complete, the BPCA is unnecessary and the City should have exclusive control over the revenue it produces. While the City already receives most of BPCA’s excess funds, the state-controlled BPCA board can and has at times allocated funds to fill State budget gaps to the detriment of the City. If the City realizes efficiencies by combining BPCA and City operations, revenue would increase. The City would also have the right to sell land now leased through ground leases to private developers.”

She continues that, “opponents might argue that Battery Park City is one of the City’s best-maintained neighborhoods thanks to its dedicated funding. Residents and business moved to the area, often paying higher rents due to the ground-lease structure, in exchange for its amenities. If funds were distributed City-wide, local maintenance would suffer — particularly hurting the neighborhood’s many parks. They also might argue an ownership change is unnecessary: BPCA is already required to transfer most of its surpluses to the City and the remaining funds cannot be spent without the City’s approval.”

Largely absent from this analysis is the impact that such a move would have on the financial outlook of the people who live in Battery Park City. The prospect of maintaining affordability (both for renters and condominium owners) is largely contingent on the possibility that the BPCA will agree to renegotiate the leases for these buildings, and agree to forgo a series of ruinous increases in ground rent enshrined in the original contracts, dating (in most cases) from decades ago. This appeal is rooted in politics and policy: the perceived value of maintaining middle-class affordability, rather than allowing the community to devolve into an enclave of unalloyed wealth.

Such a possibility would likely become more remote if the City took direct control and ownership over the community. Given the relentless budget pressure faced by City Hall, precisely the opposite imperative would almost certainly come to the fore: the need to cut expenses, while collecting the maximum possible revenue.

In the alternate scenario outlined by Ms. Brown, “to sell land now leased through ground leases to private developers,” the prospect of financial relief would shift from improbable to impossible. If private investors took ownership of the land beneath the residential buildings in Battery Park City, there would be no realistic basis whatsoever for residents to ask for (or expect) concessions on the terms of ground leases. Such investors would have every incentive (and legal right) to extract the utmost profit from their property.

But while ongoing BPCA stewardship over the community may represent the best of all possible options for residents on several levels, there are also limits on how much accommodation residents can expect from that agency. At the February 5 meeting of the Battery Park City Committee of Community Board 1, Authority president B.J. Jones was asked about the appropriate balance between maximizing BPCA revenue, and preserving affordability. He replied, “it we cut back too much on what we collect, there’s always the chance that the City will exercise their one-dollar option,” he answered.
Matthew Fenton
‘Blinded by Greed’
Tenants at Another Financial District Building Seek Class-Action Status in Suit Against Landlords
A map, compiled by New York University’s Furman Center (which advances research and debate on housing, neighborhoods, and urban policy) illustrating the dozens of Lower Manhattan buildings — erstwhile office towers, converted to residential use — that have benefited from the 421-g program.
90 West Street

The wave of Financial District tenants going to court to demand restitution from years of illegally high rent gathered further momentum last week, when tenants at 90 West Street filed court papers arguing that they are entitled to rent stabilized leases for as long as they live in the building, because the landlord did not provide this benefit (as legally required) in the past. In a story first reported by the Real Deal, the same suit also asks the court to appoint an independent monitor with the power to audit and amended leases (without the landlord’s consent) to conform the legally allowed rents.

To read more…

Matthew Fenton
Fee Simple

Ban on Broker’s Fee Will Impact Lower Manhattan More Than Other Communities

A new analysis from PropertyClub.com, an online real estate marketplace that eliminates middle-men for landlords, brokers and managers, indicates that Lower Manhattan renters will gain more than those of most communities from the recently announced ban on tenants paying broker’s fees.
To read more…
Matthew Fenton
Eyes to the Sky
February 18 – March 1, 2020
Crescent moon, planets to bedazzle the dawn, dusk
 
 
The most alluring two weeks in the Moon’s cycle are about to begin. Each morning this week, one crescent moon after another – one more delicate than the one before – drops down a slanted ladder sketched by three planets in the southeast. The celestial drama of the waning moon and planets unfolds at dawn within twenty degrees of the southeast horizon.
On Wednesday, red Mars, not very bright at 1.19 magnitude, will be in view above brightest Jupiter at -1.93m, a crescent to its right. Next morning, the 20th, a fingernail crescent appears just below modest Saturn at 0.64m.
To observe Mars and Saturn, be positioned by 5:45am at a location with a clear view to the southeast horizon. The moon and Jupiter may be visible until about 6:15am.
An intermission between acts is expected at great performances. The New Moon, when the moon is dark, occurs on the 23
rd. Act II, the celestial drama of the waxing moon with the goddess planet, unfolds at the opposite time of day above the opposite horizon. The new cycle begins close above the western horizon following sunset on Monday, the 24
th when sunset is around 5:30pm. Gaze into the sunset glow soon after 6pm to find a fine crescent of light. The brilliant Evening Star, Planet Venus at -4.17m, shines 40 degrees above the horizon. Venus is increasing in brilliance and climbing higher in the sky every evening. Coincidentally, our moon appears more robust and higher in the sky each day. They meet on the 27
th.
Opportunities to Participate
Teens and educators conduct citizen science
https://www.globeatnight.org/
 and
https://youtu.be/_kJLfOwzV-4
February 17 – 23, March 14 – 24 ongoing
 https://www.globeatnight.org/5-steps.php
April 4 & 5, 2020 Northeast Astronomy Forum http://www.rocklandastronomy.com/neaf.html
April 2 & 3 Northeast Astro-Imaging Conference http://www.rocklandastronomy.com/neaic.html
Judy Isacoff
A Plan to Warm Up the Frozen Zone

Alliance Readies First Steps in Master Plan to Balance Beauty with Security Around Stock Exchange

A rendering of the proposed street furniture the Downtown Alliance wants to install on Broad Street.
The Downtown Alliance is preparing to implement the first phase of a master plan unveiled in May, 2018, which aims to transform the “frozen zone” — a 3,000-feet security perimeter surrounding the New York Stock Exchange, which has enclosed (and limited access to) 19 acres of the Financial District since shortly after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. To read more…
Matthew Fenton
Higher, Wider, Handsomer

City Council Announces Design Competition to Improve Pedestrian Access to Brooklyn Bridge

Some 15,000 pedestrians and 3,600 cyclists compete with each other and souvenir vendors for as little as ten feet of width on the deck of the Brooklyn Bridge
The City Council has partnered with the Van Alen Institute (a New York nonprofit architectural organization, dedicated to improving design in the public realm) in sponsoring a contest to incubate fresh ideas for better pedestrian access to the Brooklyn Bridge.  To read more…
Matthew Fenton
Unconventional Wharf-fare
City Plans to Raise Esplanade in the Battery to 11 Feet Above Waterline
The project aims to provide resiliency against flooding, which as become a regular occurrence at the Battery.
Among the myriad of resiliency projects that are now in the planning stages for various parts of Lower Manhattan, the City is planning to raise the level of the waterfront Esplanade in the Battery to an elevation 11 feet above the current waterline. To read more…
Matthew Fenton
Retrofit and Restoration

Centuries-Old Aesthetics to Converge with Cutting-Edge Technology at Historic Seaport Warehouse

245 Water Street

Trinity Church has purchased a historic warehouse in the South Street Seaport district, which it intends to convert into a four-family residence, while also adhering to the environmentally rigorous “passive house” standard. The building, at 245 Water Street (between Peck Slip and Beekman Street), was originally built in 1836, after a fire destroyed the previous structure on that lot. The building was put up by the firm of Hendricks & Brothers, who operated cooper mines in Newark, but had their offices in Lower Manhattan. The family, who had anglicized their names from the Henriques of their native Spain, had been in the cooper business for generations, selling to customers like Paul Revere and Robert Fulton.

The building bade farewell to its commercial and industrial legacy in 2008, when it was initially converted into a two-family residence. But Joshua Levine, the owner for several years, put the property on the market in early 2019, asking $12.82 million. Last August, Trinity Church negotiated a price of $12.3 million and took possession.  To read more…

Matthew Fenton
Today’s Calendar
February 19
1PM
Adult Chorus

6 River Terrace
Directed by Church Street School for Music and Art, the BPC Chorus is open to all adults who love to sing. Learn a mix of contemporary and classic songs, and perform at community events throughout the year. Battery Park City Authority  https://bpca.ny.gov/event/adult-chorus-3/all/

4PM
Crafternoon: Mardi Gras Masks
New York Public Library
All materials will be provided. First come, first served. For children ages 3 and older. New York City Public Library, Battery Park City branch, 175 North End Avenue.

https://www.nypl.org/events/programs/2020/02/19/crafternoon-mardi-gras

6PM

Community Board 1 Personnel Committee
Community Board 1 – Conference Room  1 Centre Street, Room 2202A-North
AGENDA
1) Public Member Interview (Postponed until March)
2) Discretionary Approvals Consultant Interviews – Discussion & resolution

6PM
Screening and Discussion. Voices from the Frontline: Can China Eliminate Poverty?

China Institute
Perhaps China’s greatest success in the past 40 years is lifting 800 million people out of poverty-after 30 years of devastating political upheaval. Beijing made an audacious pledge to totally eradicate poverty in China by 2020. What is China’s strategy, and how is the government dealing with a gaping new rich-poor divide? Come see a fascinating and poignant new documentary highlighting five poverty relief stories. The screening will be followed by a discussion with CGTN host Robert Lawrence Kuhn, director Peter Getzels, and Wenyan Yang, United Nations development expert. 40 Rector Street. $5
https://www.chinainstitute.org/event/screening-discussionvoices-frontline-can-china-eliminate-poverty/

7PM
Community Board 1 Executive Committee

Community Board 1 – Conference Room 1 Centre Street, Room 2202A-North
AGENDA
1) Preparation for Leadership Training in March 2020 – Report
2) Organic Resolutions Versus Pre-drafted resolutions – Discussion
3) Committee reports
4) 5 WTC – Update by Holly Leicht, Lower Manhattan Development Corp. (Postponed until March)

7PM
“Write Me” Storytelling Workshop

Museum of Jewish Heritage
Write Me (2019), a short film by Pearl Gluck, follows an older woman who joins other survivors in reclaiming the histories tattooed on their bodies.

The film Write Me focuses on tattoos – an aesthetic choice for some, but a permanent reminder of harrowing past events for survivors of trafficking and the Holocaust. This series hopes to effect positive change by engaging diverse communities in conversations on art, social justice, history, and current events. 36 Battery Place. Free https://mjhnyc.org/events/write-me-storytelling-workshop/
Affordability Elsewhere

Longtime Residents, Neither Rich Nor Poor, Face an Uncertain Future Downtown

The approximate number of new apartments created between 2010 and 2018.
The administration of Mayor Bill de Blasio has released an updated version of its Where We Live NYC affordable housing plan, which contains some striking insights about Lower Manhattan.
The report finds that between 25 and 30 percent of all local rental units are rent stabilized, while market-rate apartments comprise between 35 and 42 percent of all units. To read more…
Matthew Fenton
Evening Rush
Today in History
 Wednesday February 19
1674 – England and the Netherlands sign the Treaty of Westminster, ending the Third Anglo-Dutch War. A provision of the agreement transferred the Dutch colony of New Amsterdam to England, and it is renamed New York.    credit: Ratzer map
356 – Emperor Constantius II issues a decree closing all pagan temples in the Roman Empire.
1674 – England and the Netherlands sign the Treaty of Westminster,ending the Third Anglo-Dutch War. A provision of the agreement transfers the Dutch colony of New Amsterdam to England, and it is renamed New York.
1807 – Former Vice President of the United States Aaron Burr is arrested for treason in Wakefield, Alabama and confined to Fort Stoddert.
1859 – Daniel E. Sickles, a New York Congressman, is acquitted of murder on grounds of temporary insanity.
1878 – Thomas Edison patents the phonograph.
1884 – More than sixty tornadoes strike the southern United States, one of the largest tornado outbreaks in U.S. history.
Mr. Edison

1942 – World War II: President Franklin D. Roosevelt signs executive order 9066, allowing the United States military to relocate Japanese Americans to internment camps.
1963 – The publication of Betty Friedan’s The Feminine Mystique reawakens the feminist movement in the United States as women’s organizations and consciousness raising groups spread.
1985 – William J. Schroeder becomes the first recipient of an artificial heart to leave the hospital.
2002 – NASA’s Mars Odyssey space probe begins to map the surface of Mars using its thermal emission imaging system.
Births
1473 – Nicolaus Copernicus, Polish mathematician and astronomer (d. 1543)
1876 – Constantin Brâncuși, Romanian-French sculptor, painter, and photographer (d. 1957)
1896 – André Breton, French poet and author (d. 1966)
1917 – Carson McCullers, novelist, writer, playwright, and essayist (d. 1967)
Deaths
1414 – Thomas Arundel, Archbishop of Canterbury (b. 1353)
1709 – Tokugawa Tsunayoshi, Japanese shōgun (b. 1646)
1997 – Deng Xiaoping, 1st Vice Premier of the People’s Republic of China (b. 1904)
2016 – Umberto Eco, Italian novelist, literary critic, and philosopher (b. 1932)
2016 – Harper Lee, American author (b. 1926)
2019 – Karl Lagerfeld, German fashion designer (b. 1933)[14]

Photos and information culled from Wikipedia and other internet sources
RiverWatch
Cruise Ships in New York Harbor
Click to watch the Norwegian Gem outbound for sea
Arrivals & Departures
———————————————————————
Sunday, February 23
Anthem of the Seas
Inbound 5:30 am (Bayonne); outbound 3:00 pm
 Port Canaveral, FL/Bahamas
Norwegian Bliss
Inbound 6:15 am; outbound 3:30 pm
 Port Canaveral, FL/Bahamas
Norwegian Gem
Inbound 9:15 am; outbound 4:30 pm

 Eastern Caribbean

Sunday, March 1
Anthem of the Seas
Inbound 5:30 am (Bayonne); outbound 3:00 pm
 Port Canaveral, FL/Bahamas
Norwegian Bliss
Inbound 6:15 am; outbound 3:30 pm

 Port Canaveral, FL/Bahamas

Many ships pass Lower Manhattan on their way to and from the Midtown Passenger Ship Terminal.  Others may be seen on their way to or from piers in Brooklyn and Bayonne.  Stated times, when appropriate, are for passing the Colgate clock in Jersey City, New Jersey, and are based on sighting histories, published schedules and intuition. They are also subject to passenger and propulsion problems, tides, fog, winds, freak waves, hurricanes and the whims of upper management.
Ars Gratia Communitas
Battery Park City’s Annual Art Exhibit
‘Untitled’ by Lorry Wall
 
Battery Park City’s annual art exhibition opened on Sunday, January 26.
  To read more…
The art will be on view at 
75 Battery Place, weekdays,
January 27 to March 27, 
2PM to 4PM (no viewing on 2/17).
People visiting should check in with our security desk on the ground floor, where they will be directed to the elevators to the 4th floor. The receptionist will direct them to the show.
CLASSIFIEDS & PERSONALS
Swaps & Trades  ~  Respectable Employment ~ Lost & Found

212-912-1106   editor@ebroadsheet.com

NEED A PERSONAL ASSISTANT?

ORGANIZED, RELIABLE, KNOWLEDGEABLE.
FLEXIBLE SCHEDULE.
 bestassistantnyc@gmail.com 917.410.1750
LOCAL HIGH SCHOOL SENIOR AVAILABLE
FOR BABYSITTING OR TUTORING
17 year old young man, lifetime resident of Tribeca and BPC.
Went to PS 234, Lab Middle School and currently attending Millennium HS. This summer was a Councilor at Pierce Country Day Camp. Excellent references.Very experienced with kids under 10.
Available for weeknight and weekend baby-sitting and tutoring middle-schoolers in Math or Science. Please contact Emmett at 917.733.3572

IT AND SECURITY SUPPORT

Experienced IT technician.  Expertise in 1-on-1 tutoring for all ages.Computer upgrading & troubleshooting.  Knowledgeable in all software programs.
James Keirstead  james.f.kierstead@gmail.com
347-933-1362  References available
CERTIFIED HOME HEALTH AIDE SEEKING
Full-Time Live-In Elder Care
I am loving, caring and hardworking with 12 years experience. References available.  Marcia 347-737-5037  marmar196960@gmail.com
NOTARY PUBLIC IN BPC
$2 per notarized signature  Text Paula at 917-836-8802

ELDER CARE NURSE AIDE

with 17 years experience seeks PT/FT work. Refs available Call or text 718 496 6232  Dian
HOUSEKEEPING/NANNY/BABYSITTER
Available starting September for PT/FT.

Wonderful person, who is a great worker. Reference Available
Working in BPC. Call Tenzin  347-803-9523

ELDERCARE
Available for PT/FT elder care.  Experienced. References Angella
 347-423-5169 angella.haye1@gmail.com
EXPERIENCED ELDER CARE
Able to prepare nutritious meals and light housekeeping

Excellent references 12yrs experienced   347-898-5804

Call Hope   anasirp@gmail.com

If you would like to place a listing, please contact editor@ebroadsheet.com
The Greek Calends
After Two-Year Hiatus, Work to Resume at St. Nicholas Church
Work is slated to resume soon on the construction of the St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church within the World Trade Center site. The striking design (shown here in a rendering) by architect Santiago Calatrava, who also created the nearby Oculus, has made the structure one of Lower Manhattan’s most eagerly anticipated new buildings.
Governor Andrew M. Cuomo announced on January 2 that a newly formed non-profit organization will raise funds and underwrite the completion of the St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church, within the World Trade Center Complex.
The building, designed by renowned architect Santiago Calatrava (who additionally created the nearby Oculus, also in the World Trade Center) is slated to replace the histo precious parish church that fell among the victims of September 11. To read more…
 
Matthew Fenton
Church and Murray
They Didn’t Get the Memo…

Much-Touted Crackdown on Placard Parking Not All It Was Cracked Up to Be

In spite of a putative crackdown on placard parking abuse that was slated to begin Monday, dozens of illegally parked cars bearing law enforcement placards remained on River Terrace this week.

Amid much fanfare, multiple City agencies recently announced that they would take part in a crackdown on illegal parking by government employees, whose personal vehicles bear placards that allow them to leave their cars blocking bus stops, crosswalks, fire hydrants, bike lanes, and lanes needed for use by fire trucks and ambulances.

By Tuesday, it appeared that dozens of law enforcement personnel who work in Battery Park City hadn’t heard, or perhaps knew better.

To read more…
 
Matthew Fenton
Recalling Five Points

Epicenter of a Notorious Slum Proposed for Commemoration

The Five Points gang, a criminal organization that drew its members from the ethnic immigrant populations that inhabited the neighborhood.

In 1831, the City government considered a petition that warned, “that the place known as “Five points” has long been notorious… as being the nursery where every species of vice is conceived and matured; that it is infested by a class of the most abandoned and desperate character.”

A decade later, Charles Dickens, visiting New York, wrote of the same Lower Manhattan neighborhood that had inspired the petition, “what place is this, to which the squalid street conducts us? A kind of square of leprous houses, some of which are attainable only by crazy wooden stairs without. What lies behind this tottering flight of steps? Let us go on again, and plunge into the Five Points…. To read more…
Matthew Fenton
Death Came Calling at the Corner of Wall and Broad Streets, in Lower Manhattan’s First Major Terrorist Attack
In an instant, both wagon and horse were vaporized, and the closest automobile was tossed twenty feet in the air. Incredibly, the iconic bronze of George Washington surveys the devastation from the steps of the Sub-Treasury without so much as a scratch.
As the noon hour approached on a fall Thursday morning in 1920, a horse-drawn wagon slowly made its way west down Wall Street toward “the Corner,” the high-powered intersection of Wall and Broad. Its driver came to a gentle stop in front of the Assay Office, where stockpiles of gold and silver were stored and tested for purity. But theft was not his motive.
To read more…
John Simko
Cass Gilbert and the Evolution of the New York Skyscraper
by John Simko
To read more…
The Broadsheet Inc. | 212-912-1106 | editor@ebroadsheet.com| ebroadsheet.com
No part of this document may be reproduced without the written permission of the publisher
 © 2020
(Visited 413 times, 1 visits today)

Share this:

  • Share
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Print
  • Email

Filed Under: Today In History 9:12 am

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Search

  • Current Issue
  • About The Broadsheet
  • Archive
  • Ad Rates
  • Contact Us
March 2021
MTWTFSS
1234567
891011121314
15161718192021
22232425262728
293031 
« Feb    

Under Construction

  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.org

Archive

Subscribe!

To receive daily news letters.

Thank you for joining our newsletter!

Copyright © 2021 · News Pro Theme On Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in

loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.