Tribeca Trib Covering Lower Manhattan: June 2007

June 2007

It was only 10 a.m., but George Dourountoudakis’ troubled eyes told the story. It had been a morning of heartfelt hugs and kisses. It was one last Saturday morning for Socrates. After 24 years in Tribeca, the diner was closing, another victim of soaring rents.

Tower Developer Seeks CB1 Approval

One more towering glass building–this one 63 stories–may soon join the bumper crop planned for Lower Manhattan. But first the 725-foot tower at 50 West Street, near Rector Street, must survive an extensive city-mandated review.

Principals Plan for Fall Enrollment
		The P.S. 234 annex is opening in the nick of time. But with the possibility that enrollment could swell by as many as 150 new students next year, even another 10,000 square feet may be maxed out in a hurry.

Fireworks Still Inflame Residents
		It’s summer in the city, and that means fireworks. But for many Downtown residents, the explosives are hitting a little too close to home.

Officials Explain Demo Site Accident

A “change of routine” during the deconstruction of the former Deutsche Bank building was a factor in the accident last month that sent a pipe flying through the roof of a nearby firehouse, an LMCCC official said. Plus: Tales of Woe at 125 Cedar Street

Kids Turn Civil Rights History Lesson Into City Action
		If it weren’t for a group of persistent kids, the woman who desegregated New York City’s first mass transit—streetcars—might have faded, without acclaim, from city memory.

Learning the Ropes: Aboard the Schooner Pioneer
		On summer days, the sounds of another era echo from a schooner near Pier 16. Her crew hauls sails like old salts, but they are mostly landlubbers, learning to sail as volunteers.

Work Begins on New Tribeca Piers

As a third season begins without Piers 25 and 26, there are signs of renewal among the forest of worn pilings, left standing when the piers were torn down to make way for two new ones, part of the five-mile-long Hudson River Park.

Tower Drill
		The scenario was an ugly one. A bomb explodes on the 50th floor of 7 World Trade Center.That was the drill on a recent Sunday morning when firefighters and other emergency response teams converged at the tower for training.

Task Force to Protect Quality of Life from Downtown Construction Boom The volume of construction in Lower Manhattan has escalated to such a degree that a new task force, with representatives from the city’s transportation, buildings and police departments is being assembled solely to monitor Downtown projects.

BPC Residents Angry Over Stop Sign Removal The city took away three stop signs from Battery Park City, and some residents are signaling their distress.

Local Kids Help the Hungry World Food Programme representative Bettina Luescher thinks even kids can join the fight to feed the hungry. And last month P.S. 234 and P.S. 150 kids got a chance to do just that.

Agency Asks to Reconsider Its Ruling Against Tribeca Tenants The tenants who live above City Hall restaurant got their first good news last month in a marathon struggle to stay in their lofts.

CB1 Committees Support Rector Pl. Tenants The new owner of 333 Rector Pl. was quoted in February as saying tenants would have a chance to buy their units, and at a discount. But tenants say they're being forced out, with no opportunity to buy.

Study Shows Who is Moving Downtown Everyone knows that Lower Manhattan’s residential population is skyrocketing. But just who are these people filling up the new residential towers, former office buildings-turned-swanky condos, and multi-million dollar lofts?

One Building or Two, It Has Landmarks Blessing Last month the Landmarks Preservation Commission, as well as Community Board 1, praised and approved what will be, by all appearances, two residential buildings just south of the Brooklyn Bridge. Inside, it is in fact just one.

Predator Report in Park Leads to Promise of Security Officer The report of a suspected child predator in Tribeca’s Washington Market Park has led Parks Department officials to say they will assign a full-time, seasonal Parks Enforcement Patrol (PEP) officer to the park.

CB1 Wants Fresh Start on Pier 40 Plans Community Board 1’s Waterfront Committee voted overwhelmingly to reject the two competing proposals for the redevelopment of Pier 40, at Houston Street.

'Too Busy' Mom Praises 'Taste' Volunteers Like every parent at P.S. 234, I get e-mails with “Taste of Tribeca” in the subject line. “Do I want to volunteer this year, take a shift and help out?” Unlike most parents, I do not click reply. I click delete.

Progress in Park Bathroom Quest Tribeca’s Washington Market Park has most everything you’d want in a small urban park...except when you have to go. Last month, however, the park came closer to providing that convenience.

Ravaged Condos Set to Be Restored “The plan is to rehabilitate the building. It’s going to be a long process,” said Tom Currier, a co-developer of 148 Chambers Street, the 7-story building ravaged by fire on May 4.

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