Urgent Effort to Block Mayor's Plan to Sell Three City Buildings
PHOTOS BY CARL GLASSMAN / TRIBECA TRIB
22 Reade Street Former Emigrant Savings building, 49-51 Chambers St. Clock Tower Building, 346 Broadway.
CARL GLASSMAN / TRIBECA TRIB
Borough President Scott Stringer at a press conference outside 49-51 Chambers on Friday.
Three major Downtown buildings owned by the city could be turned into as many as 1,100 hotel rooms or 650 residential units, according to a plan announced by Mayor Michael Bloomberg on Thursday. Local officials and Downtown school advocates are already fighting the idea.
By cashing in on the sale of the three buildings—49-51 Chambers Street, 346 Broadway and 22 Reade Street—Bloomberg said the city could add $100 million to its coffers, plus another $100 million in tax revenue and energy savings over the next 20 years. The mayor announced the plan in his State of the City speech on Thursday.
Community leaders responded by saying that the buildings should be used for affordable housing or new schools.
“We don’t want to see the sell-off of these properties for a one-shot to close a budget deficit,” Borough President Scott Stringer said in a press conference on Friday. Stringer and other leaders held the conference outside of 49-51 Chambers Street, the former Emigrant Savings Bank building. “If you are going to sell the properties, we need to have a broader discussion about the priorities of Lower Manhattan.”
Both 49-51 Chambers Street and 346 Broadway—better known as the Clock Tower Building—are individual landmarks; 22 Reade Street, an assemblage of three buildings housing the Department of City Planning, is not a landmark but is within the African Burial Ground and the Commons Historic District.
The buildings, which have a total of about 670,000 square feet, are occupied by more than a dozen city agencies and organizations. According to the city’s plan, the offices would move to vacant spaces in other city buildings as well as leased space in Manhattan and Brooklyn.
The Community Board 1 offices, which are located at 49-51 Chambers St., would be moved to the Municipal Building at 1 Centre St., a proposal that has been well-received by CB1 staff.
"There is general agreement that consolidating the city offices in a more efficient space in one building is an excellent idea," said Michael Levine, director of Land Use and Planning for CB1.
City Councilwoman Margaret Chin and Downtown school advocates want to see at least some of the vacated space turned into schools.
“Before the city decides to sell off buildings for development purposes, it has to think about how those buildings can be used to ensure that we have enough school seats,” said P.S. 234 parent Eric Greenleaf, whose demographic projections are often cited by those fighting for more Downtown schools. “It's not easy to find a place to put those seats.” According to Greenleaf, Lower Manhattan is heading for a shortage of 1,000 elementary school seats.
Chin said she wants to see 22 Reade Street converted to a public school as a concession for the sale of the other two buildings.
“All open space in lower Manhattan must be automatically considered for use as a school because our need is so great,” Chin said in a statement.
Chin believes converting the poorly maintained buildings into housing would be too costly, said her spokeswoman, Kelly Magee.
According to a city report, the three buildings need more than $250 million worth of work that is not now funded in the city’s budget.
There has been scaffolding around 346 Broadway for at least 20 years, said David Weinstein, program director of the Clock Tower Gallery, a nonprofit art center located in the building’s top floor space since 1972. The gallery is currently three years into a 10-year lease.
“There is a lot of water damage and seeping,” Weinstein said.
Although repairs have been performed over the years, Weinstein said the activity has increased in recent months, with engineers making frequent inspections.
“It seems kind of ominous now,” said Weinstein, after learning of the mayor’s recent announcement.
Stringer said he has the power to block the sale, pointing to a section of the City Charter that gives the Borough Board the right of approval because the buildings would be sold through the city’s Economic Development Corp. As the chair of the Borough Board, Stringer said, that gives him some leverage.
The mayor’s office had no comment about Stringer’s threat to block the sale.
“We look forward to working with our partners in government and all stakeholders, including those who have an advisory role,” Bloomberg spokeswoman Lauren Passalacqua wrote to the Trib in a statement.
The Department of Citywide Administrative Services, which manages the three buildings, iis expected to make a presentation to Community Board 1 in February, according to Julie Menin, the board’s chair, who joined Stringer on Friday in calling for community input into the future uses of the buildings.
By cashing in on the sale of the three buildings—49-51 Chambers Street, 346 Broadway and 22 Reade Street—Bloomberg said the city could add $100 million to its coffers, plus another $100 million in tax revenue and energy savings over the next 20 years. The mayor announced the plan in his State of the City speech on Thursday.
Community leaders responded by saying that the buildings should be used for affordable housing or new schools.
“We don’t want to see the sell-off of these properties for a one-shot to close a budget deficit,” Borough President Scott Stringer said in a press conference on Friday. Stringer and other leaders held the conference outside of 49-51 Chambers Street, the former Emigrant Savings Bank building. “If you are going to sell the properties, we need to have a broader discussion about the priorities of Lower Manhattan.”
Both 49-51 Chambers Street and 346 Broadway—better known as the Clock Tower Building—are individual landmarks; 22 Reade Street, an assemblage of three buildings housing the Department of City Planning, is not a landmark but is within the African Burial Ground and the Commons Historic District.
The buildings, which have a total of about 670,000 square feet, are occupied by more than a dozen city agencies and organizations. According to the city’s plan, the offices would move to vacant spaces in other city buildings as well as leased space in Manhattan and Brooklyn.
The Community Board 1 offices, which are located at 49-51 Chambers St., would be moved to the Municipal Building at 1 Centre St., a proposal that has been well-received by CB1 staff.
"There is general agreement that consolidating the city offices in a more efficient space in one building is an excellent idea," said Michael Levine, director of Land Use and Planning for CB1.
City Councilwoman Margaret Chin and Downtown school advocates want to see at least some of the vacated space turned into schools.
“Before the city decides to sell off buildings for development purposes, it has to think about how those buildings can be used to ensure that we have enough school seats,” said P.S. 234 parent Eric Greenleaf, whose demographic projections are often cited by those fighting for more Downtown schools. “It's not easy to find a place to put those seats.” According to Greenleaf, Lower Manhattan is heading for a shortage of 1,000 elementary school seats.
Department of Citywide Administrative Services
This map shows the proposed relocation of city offices located in the three buildings.
“All open space in lower Manhattan must be automatically considered for use as a school because our need is so great,” Chin said in a statement.
Chin believes converting the poorly maintained buildings into housing would be too costly, said her spokeswoman, Kelly Magee.
According to a city report, the three buildings need more than $250 million worth of work that is not now funded in the city’s budget.
There has been scaffolding around 346 Broadway for at least 20 years, said David Weinstein, program director of the Clock Tower Gallery, a nonprofit art center located in the building’s top floor space since 1972. The gallery is currently three years into a 10-year lease.
“There is a lot of water damage and seeping,” Weinstein said.
Although repairs have been performed over the years, Weinstein said the activity has increased in recent months, with engineers making frequent inspections.
“It seems kind of ominous now,” said Weinstein, after learning of the mayor’s recent announcement.
Stringer said he has the power to block the sale, pointing to a section of the City Charter that gives the Borough Board the right of approval because the buildings would be sold through the city’s Economic Development Corp. As the chair of the Borough Board, Stringer said, that gives him some leverage.
The mayor’s office had no comment about Stringer’s threat to block the sale.
“We look forward to working with our partners in government and all stakeholders, including those who have an advisory role,” Bloomberg spokeswoman Lauren Passalacqua wrote to the Trib in a statement.
The Department of Citywide Administrative Services, which manages the three buildings, iis expected to make a presentation to Community Board 1 in February, according to Julie Menin, the board’s chair, who joined Stringer on Friday in calling for community input into the future uses of the buildings.
By Jessica Terrell