On Feb. 3, City Councilmember Margaret Chin issued a strong and unequivocal statement opposing The Howard Hughes Corporation's proposal to build a high-rise tower in the South Street Seaport.

Chin will play a pivotal role in determining whether The Howard Hughes Corporation's proposals for development of the South Street Seaport are approved. With any disposition of public property, as would happen in this case, the proposals must go through the ULURP process (Uniform Land Use Revue Procedure), where they are reviewed and commented upon by the local Community Board, the City Planning Commission and the Borough President before ending up in front of City Council, which has the ultimate authority to approve or disapprove the proposals.

Christopher Curry, senior executive vice president of The Howard Hughes Corporation, talking with City Councilmember Margaret Chin at the Downtown Alliance anniversary celebration on Jan. 28.

In a statement issued on Feb. 3, Chin referred to Mayor Bill de Blasio's remarks on contextual development, and how they relate to the Hughes proposal to build a 500-foot residential tower in the heart of the historic South Street Seaport.
 
Chin said, "Today in his State of the City address, Mayor Bill de Blasio made some powerful statements to lay out his continued vision for affordable housing in our city - and in so many ways, he was right on the money. As part of his remarks today related to housing in general, the Mayor also highlighted the importance of appropriately contextual development throughout the city, by stating: 'We are not embarking on a mission to build towering skyscrapers where they don't belong. We have a duty to protect and preserve the culture and character of our neighborhoods, and we will do so.'
 
"That is exactly the point I have made in my forceful opposition to the inappropriate 500-foot residential tower that The Howard Hughes Corporation has proposed to build in the heart of the South Street Seaport, one of the city's most uniquely historic treasures. While I am committed to helping to revitalize the Seaport, it's true that we have a duty to protect the historic fabric of the Seaport from this kind of irresponsible development proposal.

Kyle Kimball, president of the New York City Economic Development Corporation, talking with David Weinreb, CEO of The Howard Hughes Corporation, at the Downtown Alliance gala on Jan. 28.

"Since NYC EDC [Economic Development Corporation] has been a partner in this process, as well as being part of our Seaport Working Group, I'm extremely glad to hear that Mayor de Blasio very clearly recognizes the importance of protecting the character of neighborhoods from inappropriate tower development. I look forward to working with EDC and the Mayor's Office to identify alternative sites for any such tower, so it could be appropriately sited next to other high-rise buildings, rather than in the heart of the historic Seaport."
 

Under the painted, vaulted ceiling of the former Cunard Line ticketing hall at 25 Broadway, now a

Jessica Lappin, president of the Downtown Alliance.

Cipriani restaurant, Jessica Lappin, president of the Alliance for Downtown New York, smiled at the crowd that had come to celebrate the Alliance's 20th anniversary. The Alliance was founded in 1995 at a time when Lower Manhattan was on the ropes with a 20 percent office vacancy rate, a mere 14,000 residents, and with streets that were dark and empty after 5 p.m. when the office workers went home.

The Alliance is jubilant over the turnaround. More than 61,000 people now live in Lower Manhattan. More than 300,000 work here. Buildings by world-renowned architects are sprouting like dandelions. Around 250 shops are about to open. Soon, there will be 8,000 hotel rooms.

"The transformation that continues to take place here, it gives me goose bumps," Lappin said.

Robert Douglass, chairman of the Downtown Alliance, talking with New York State Sen. Daniel Squadron.

The anniversary gala acknowledged the fact that many people in the room were directly or indirectly responsible for the resurrection of blighted Lower Manhattan into one of the city's choicest residential and business districts. In particular, the evening paid homage to Robert Douglass, founding chairman of the Alliance, who received its David Rockefeller Downtown Leadership Award.

In 1995, the Downtown Alliance was spun off by the Downtown-Lower Manhattan Association, which Douglass also chaired. As a Business Improvement District, said Douglass, it "addressed one challenge after another, with security and sanitation services, streetscape and design efforts, crusades of information and advocacy, branding and marketing campaigns, special events programming, and even free transportation services."

Of course, there were also the challenges of 9/11 and of Superstorm Sandy but Lower Manhattan survived even these.

"All of this required an unprecedented collaborative effort and the support of our elected officials and partners in government," said Lappin, naming a number of the people who were in the room:  Former Council Member Kathryn Freed, Comptroller Scott Stringer, Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer, Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance, City Councilmember Margaret Chin, State Senator Daniel Squadron, EDC president Kyle Kimball, and the chairman of the City Planning Commission and the founding president of the Alliance, Carl Weisbrod.

"The result of this collaboration has been a great urban success story," said Lappin. "I'm looking forward to the next chapter, and I'm honored to lead this great organization."

In memoriam

JORDAN GRUZEN, ARCHITECT AND NEIGHBOR (1934-2015)

Lee Gruzen sat at her kitchen table, looking out over the Hudson River, the Statue of Liberty and the blue lights of Battery Park City's South Cove. With winter's short days, it was already dark, though not late.

"Jordan loved Battery Park City," she said. "He loved Lower Manhattan."

Her husband, architect Jordan Gruzen, had died just a few days before, on Jan. 27 at the age of 80. Though gone, he was everywhere - in the building where Lee lives, which he had designed; in four other apartment buildings in Battery Park City. In Stuyvesant High School, on Chambers Street. His firm, Gruzen Samton, had designed the NYPD headquarters at 1 Police Plaza, Southbridge Towers in the South Street Seaport, Chatham Green and Chatham Towers, Murry Bergtraum High School and hundreds of other buildings in New York City, New Jersey and in other parts of the world.

"There are very few areas of Manhattan and the boroughs - especially in Queens - where they didn't do a master plan or a building," said Lee.

In addition to this vast body of work, Jordan Gruzen left behind his family: Lee, who he married in July 1976; his first wife, Joan, mother of his son, Alex; Rachel and Georgia, his children with Lee; four grandchildren, and many friends. They flocked to the Gruzen apartment in the days following his death to visit with Lee and the children and to pay their respects to a man who they admired and loved.

Their diversity reflected the diversity of his interests. He was a fine athlete - skiing and playing tennis. He loved music. (His mother had been a professional opera singer with the Metropolitan Opera.) He and Lee helped to found Lower Manhattan's Knickerbocker Chamber Orchestra. He was an avid sailor. With Michael Fortenbaugh and Dennis Conner, his name was on the lease that Fortenbaugh had for a decade when he was the manager of North Cove Marina. Jordan happily explored Gardiner's Bay at the eastern end of Long Island on his Sunfish.

He was born in Jersey City on April 5, 1934 to Barney Sumner Gruzen and Ethel (Brof) Gruzen. Jordan's father, who was known professionally as B. Sumner Gruzen, founded the architectural firm Kelly & Gruzen with Colonel Hugh A. Kelly, in 1936. Jordan received his Bachelor of Architecture at Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Master of Architecture at the University of Pennsylvania and was awarded a Fulbright Fellowship to Italy. In the early 1960s Jordan and MIT classmate Peter Samton joined Kelly & Gruzen. Jordan and Peter became partners in 1967, and changed the firm name to Gruzen and Partners, then to The Gruzen Partnership, and in 1986 to Gruzen Samton, which merged, in 2009, with IBI Group and is now known as IBI Group-Gruzen Samton.

Over an 80-year period, the firm received five national AIA design awards and numerous city and state AIA awards. Jordan was a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects (FAIA), a former Chairman of the AIA NY Chapter Committee on Architecture for Justice, a former Chairman of the AIA NY Chapter Committee on Housing and an active member of the Urban Land Institute and Building Congress. He was also a member of many other urban planning and architectural organizations.

"Jordan was great at getting work," said Lee. "He delighted in the challenges. He knew how to get a building done. He enjoyed every step along the way."

At one time an enthusiastic traveler, Jordan did less of that in his last decade. He was beset with a series of illnesses - a mitral valve replacement, Grave's disease, five knee operations, prostate cancer, and finally, bladder cancer, which caused his death. "But he was always good humored," said Lee. "He never felt sorry for himself."

He remained active until the very end. On Jan. 9, he attended a party for people who had worked for the Gruzen Samton firm who they especially wanted to thank. The next weekend, he and Lee and some of the children went to visit the house in Amagansett that he had designed and that they were in the process of building. He was very proud of that house, Lee said.

On the day of his death, he was emailing and Skyping his son, Alex, and his grandchildren to say good-by to them and to tell them that he was dying.

"He wasn't afraid," said Lee. "He never had a moment of fear in his life."
Donations in Jordan's memory can be made to the Knickerbocker Chamber Orchestra. For more information, click here.

Bits & Bytes

The summer day camp at Asphalt Green Battery Park City uses the Battery Park City ball fields for outdoor play. Asphalt Green is holding a day camp open house on Feb. 5. (Photo: Asphalt Green)

Community Board 1 meetings take place at 49-51 Chambers St, Room 709, starting at 6 p.m. unless otherwise stated. All are welcome to attend. Bring photo ID to enter the building.

          Location: Battery Park City Library, 175 North End Ave.

* Brookfield Place - Update about retail plans and construction by David Cheikin, Senior Vice President, Leasing, New York Region, Brookfield Office Properties

* Water-related uses at Pier A - Discussion with Brian McCabe, Chief Operating Officer and Matthew Washington, Director of Communications and Government Relations, New York Water Taxi

* Review of map of public pay telephones in CB1

* Overview of the 2015 capital plan by Gwen Dawson, Senior Vice President of Asset Management and Robin Forst, Vice President of External Relations, Battery Park City Authority

* 250 Vesey St., ground level #107b and second floor #202, application for restaurant liquor license for L'Atelier NYC LLC - Resolution
* 21 South End Ave. (Store 3), application for restaurant liquor license for Malaysian Kitchen USA Inc. - Resolution
* NYPD First Precinct - Update
* 250 Vesey St., application for liquor license for Parm Battery Park LLC - Resolution

* Announcement of change of location of future Battery Park City Committee meetings

The following notices have been received for BPCA permit requests:

* MS Society/NYC LeadDog Marketing Group, Inc. Sunday, April 19, 2015

* National 9/11 Memorial/NYC LeadDog Marketing Group, Inc. Sunday, April 26, 2015

Other permit requests received from BPCA:
* Lupus Foundation of America, Saturday, May 2, 2015
* American Friends of Rabin Medical Center, Sunday, June 21, 2015
* Macy's Inc., Saturday, June 27, 2015 (Wagner)

* Maiden Lane Pavilion and signage designs - Update by Abraham Merchant, President and CEO of Merchants Hospitality - Possible resolution

* Battery Maritime Building, PDC Sidewalk proposal - Possible resolution

* Pace University Community Needs Assessment Student Study - Presentation by Michael Levine, CB1 Land Use Consultant

* 4 World Financial Center, Store #102, application for a restaurant liquor license for entity to be formed by Jose Garces - Resolution

* 11 Park Place, application for a wine and beer liquor license for AAA Pizza Corp. d/b/a Little Italy Pizza - Resolution

* 1 World Trade Center, 34th and 35th floor, application for a wine and beer liquor license for Restaurant Associates, LLC - Resolution

* Street activity permit for Bowling Green Association on Monday, Oct. 12, 2015 from 12 p.m.- 10 p.m., Whitehall Street between Stone Street and Water Street, Broadway between Morris Street and Stone Street, and Broadway between Liberty Street and Morris Street - Resolution

* Street activity permit for Veteran's Day Festival - IND Plaza Tenants Association co-sponsored event on Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2015 from 12 p.m.-7 p.m., Broadway between Liberty Street and Battery Place - Resolution

* Street activity permit for Sons of Italy Freedom Block Party on Sunday, Oct. 4, 2015 from 12 p.m.-7 p.m., Liberty Street between Broadway and Trinity Place - Resolution

* Street activity permit for First Police Precinct Explorers Block Party on Sunday, Aug. 9, 2015 from 12 p.m.-7 p.m., Liberty Street between Broadway and Trinity Place - Resolution

* Street activity permit for ZIUA USA - Romanian Day Festival on Sunday, May 10, 2015 from 12 p.m.-7 p.m, Broadway between Liberty Street and Battery Place and Whitehall Street between Stone Street and Water Street - Resolution

12) Street activity permit for Chabad of Wall Street Community Fair on Monday, May 25, 2015 from 12 p.m.-7 p.m, Liberty Street. between Broadway and Trinity Place - Resolution

13) Street activity permit for Seaport Community Coalition on Sunday, Aug. 1, 2015 from 12 p.m.-7 p.m, Water Street between Fulton Street and Broad Street - Resolution

14) Review of Map of Public Pay Telephones in CB1

The following notices have been received for renewal, upgrade, or transfer of wine and beer or liquor licenses or sidewalk cafe permits:

*27 Park Place aka 24 Murray Street, renewal liquor license application for MXK Restaurant Corp.

* 27 Park Place, renewal beer and wine license application for 27 Shinjuku Sushi Inc.

* 52 William Street, renewal liquor license application for Club Quarters/The Bailey

* 88 Greenwich Street, renewal liquor license application for MRM88LLC d/b/a/ Medici 21 Ristorante

* 164 Pearl Street, Store 9, renewal wine and beer license application for Shinju Sushi Inc.

* 80 Beaver Street, renewal liquor license application for 80 Enterprise Inc., d/b/a Killarney Rose Restaurant

* 11 Trinity Place, renewal liquor license application for Blarney Stone

           Location: PS/IS 89, 201 Warren St.
(This meeting had been postponed because of the snowstorm.)