Chin, Brewer Call for Landmarks Commission Delay in Seaport Plans

Councilwoman Margaret Chin, left, and Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer (shown speaking in December at a forum on Seaport development) say it is premature for Howard Hughes Corp.'s proposal for the Seaport Historic District to be evaluated by the Landmarks Preservation Commission. Photos: Carl Glassman/Tribeca Trib

Two elected officials are urging the city’s Landmarks Preservation Commission to hold off on considering most of the South Street Seaport redevelopment proposals.

In a letter on Thursday to the commission's chair, Meenakshi Srinivasan, Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer and Councilwoman Margaret Chin said that all but two of the 11 parts of the Howard Hughes Corp.'s proposal for changes to the South Street Seaport Historic District can’t be judged until a city review process for the entire plan—including a controversial 500-foot-high tower—begins.

As part of that Uniform Land Use Review Procedure (ULURP), Brewer—a staunch opponent of the tower—must review the developer's application and issue a written recommendation before it goes to the City Planning Commission. And in the final stage of the process, when the application goes before the City Council, Chin, also a critic of the plan, will have a significant role.

Among other proposals, the developer plans a new structure on Schermerhorn Row that houses some below-market apartments. There would also be pavilions and lighting under the FDR Drive and the historic Tin Building would be dismantled, reconstructed and moved 30 feet back from its current site near the FDR Drive.

Chin and Brewer asked the LPC not to consider the proposal until it is clear what parts of it will be subject to the land use review. They also said it should be deemed officially ready for review, or “certified,” by the Department of City Planning.

“The community is being asked to evaluate elements that have not yet been decided upon with any degree of certainty or finality,” the officials wrote. “Negotiations throughout ULURP will presumably result in significant changes to the project that will have real implications for anything reviewed by LPC.”

Damaris Olivo, a spokeswoman for the LPC, told the Trib that the letter is “currently under review” by the commission.

Howard Hughes Corp. has yet to respond to a request for comment.

The letter was issued on the day that Community Board 1 passed a resolution, drafted in committee last month, that gives its approval to some parts of the proposal and rejects others.

Before the board’s discussion of the resolution, about 50 people publicly weighed in on the developer’s plans—more for than against though few directed their comments to the landmarks implications of those plans.

Ryan Benz, co-owner of Lee Lee’s Forest, a boutique at 14 Fulton Street and a supporter of the plans, lauded the tower––not part of the landmarks proposal––which he believes would help enliven the Seaport.

“After 7 o’clock, nobody’s [at the Seaport],” he said. “What the tower brings is a community. What the tower brings is additional jobs, additional businesses, it’s culture, you know, it’s people.”

But like many opponents, Linda Roche, a 38-year Southbridge Towers resident and former CB1 member, said she thinks the developer’s proposals will hurt the character of the area.

“I remember living down there many years ago in 1978 and it was truly a historic district,” Roche said. “I want to see it stay a historic district. I do not want to see it be a mall.”

Seaport resident Caroline Miller was most concerned about the developer’s “piecemeal” approach––presenting the historic district portion as separate from the overall plan, including the controversial tower.

“It makes it impossible to evaluate really effectively the community benefits and the benefits to the developer and the long-term effects on the real estate and the whole area,” Miller said.  “I think we need to look at the whole thing in a really effective way before we review it.”

Though Southbridge resident Charles Collins said he supported “the rebuilding of Pier 17, the ideas for the Tin Building [and] the beautification and rebuilding of the area west of South Street and in the Front Street area,” he emphasized the need for a compromise.

“We would strongly encourage Community Board 1 and Howard Hughes to work together in good faith to find the right balance between building a Seaport that will encourage the community to go to the Seaport,” he said, “but also in order to preserve the historic culture of the buildings downtown.”

The Landmarks Commission’s hearing on the plan is yet to be scheduled.