A quote from Steve Roth

 Back in March Steve Roth gave speech at Columbia's Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation.  The Observer quoted the following:


Mr. Roth, who bought Alexander's in large part for its real estate holdings, offered his take on his reticence to build, and why he let the site sit empty for so long:
The New York newspapers, he complained, said "I couldn't make a decision; I didn't know what I wanted to do.
"Bullshit. I knew exactly what I wanted to do. I wanted the price to go up. A lot. And I was willing to wait because I had almost no basis in the land."
There was another plus to waiting, he noted, offering a refreshingly candid developer's take on one way to pursue government subsidies:
"My mother called me and said [of the site], 'It's dirty. There are bums sleeping in the sidewalks of this now closed, decrepit building. They're urinating in the corners. It's terrible. You have to fix it.'
"And what did I do? Nothing.
"Why did I do nothing? Because I was thinking in my own awkward way, that the more the building was a blight, the more the governments would want this to be redeveloped; the more help they would give us when the time came.
"And they did."


The city is obviously being played for a fool, and yet they still play into his hands.

Pennsylvania Station 100th Anniversary Lighting Facebook

Please join our Facebook group supporting the Empire State Building's potential lighting of Pennsylvania Station for it's 100th Anniversary.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Light-the-Empire-State-Building-for-NYCs-Penn-Stations-100th-Anniversary/121121067930931?ref=ts

L Magazine Article

In an article posted on L magazines website Henry Stewart quotes Colum McCann as saying "It was a city uninterested in history. Strange things occurred precisely because there was no necessary regard for the past. The city lived in a sort of everyday present. It had no need to believe in itself as London, or an Athens, or even a signifier of the New World, like a Sydney, or a Los Angeles. No, the city couldn't care less about where it stood. He had seen a T-shirt once that said: NEW YORK FUCKIN' CITY. As if it were the only place that ever existed and the only one that ever would.
New York kept going forward precisely because it didn't give a good goddamn about what it had left behind. It was like the city that Lot left, and it would dissolve if it ever began looking backward over its own shoulder...He had said to his wife many times that the past disappeared in the city. It was why there weren't many monuments around."

To Mr Stewart I say "Thank you!"  You have said what we have been trying to tell people for years! 

Manhattan Borough President Scott M. Stringer Announces Conditional Approval For Proposed Redevelopment Of 15 Penn Plaza

The full approval document of President Stringers office can be found here:


http://archive.citylaw.org/bpm/2010/May/15pennFINALpdf.pdf

City Council Meeting Final

We had our meeting with the City Council Member Jessica Lapin's Chief of Staff, Jane Swanson.  The meeting was informative.  We learned that Ms Lapin, no longer with the subcommittee on landmark but is still on the Land use committee  They seemed surprisingly unaware of the current plight of the Hotel, (but we fixed that.) 

We didn't take away much from this except that the only public hearing there will be on this will be held by the subcommittee on land use and zoning.  After that no more public hearings will be held.

Special thanks to those of you that showed up to join us.

City Planning Commission Review

The City Planning Commission final review has been pushed to July 19th 2010.  Apparently the commissioner has recused the proposal.


http://bit.ly/aGYxu1

Jessica Lapin meeting update

Our meeting with Jessica Lapin's Chief of Staff Jane Swanson @ 1pm on Monday has been moved to 250 Broadway, 17th Floor.  If you plan on attending please be sure to bring valid photo ID.

NYC Council pt 2

We have a meeting with Jessica Lapin's chief of staff Jane Swanson @ 1pm on Monday @
330 E 63rd st.  Suite 1K

Meeting with NYC Council Pt 2

We successfully made contact with NYC Council member Lappin's office, we have a meeting set for Mid July.

Meeting with NYC Council

We have requested a meeting with NYC Council member Jessica Lappin.  She currently heads up the Landmark Committee as well as being a council member of Manhattan Borough.  

Protest!!

We are planning to protest the city council 6/30/2010 @ 1:30 PM in front of city hall!

We hope to get as much media as possible, spread the word.   Lets show the city council we mean business and refuse to let them tear down this Hotel!

CPC hearing on 15 Penn Plaza

The final review hearing on the 15 Penn Plaza Project is set for July 14th at 1PM.  See the link below for more information:

http://www.nyc.gov/html/dcp/pdf/env_review/15_penn/notice_completion_feis.pdf

CPC deadline looms closer

Reminder that you only have until Monday June 7th to cast your vote against the building of the !5 Penn Plaza Tower, with the CPC office.

Contact the CPC @
CITY PLANNING COMMISSION Calendar Information Office -
Room 2E 22 Reade Street, New York, N.Y. 10007
Or fax to: (212)720-3219
Please include the following pieces of information:
• Your name
• Your address
• The organization which you represent, and your position, if any
• Subject and ULURP or CEQR Application #
• Borough. Comments will be reviewed until June 7th, 2010 Full details on the EIS is available from:
 http://www.nyc.gov/html/dcp/html/env_review/15_penn_plaza.shtml

15 Penn Plaza Tower

Bad news on the hotel front, looks like the tide is turning in favor of Vornado.  According to the recent study the occupancy rate of offices has risen dramatically.    Reuters reports, "Manhattan office tenants leased 2.6 million square feet in May, the largest since 2006."  This gives Vornado the leverage they need to build the tower at the site of the Hotel Penn.  The article can be found below.

http://www.reuters.com

Twitter

Apparently 2600 Magazine has started their own twitter account, for saving the Hotel Pennsylvania, we tried to reach them to inform them, that the official one already exists at http://twitter.com/savethehotel but we got no responce from them.

A few weeks ago they were contacted to have a representative sit down with us to speak with Christine Quinn's office, but pulled a no show instead.  

We will continue our efforts to save the hotel, and keep everyone informed.