Silver Pressures Ratner Over Downtown Tower [UPDATED]

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By Eliot Brown

March 7, 2008 | 2:13 p.m

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Curbed.com

Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver is troubled by the pace of a Frank Gehry-designed development by Bruce Ratner. And it’s not Atlantic Yards.

Downtown Express reported today that Mr. Silver sent a letter to Mr. Ratner expressing concern about the construction schedule of Forest City Ratner’s Beekman Tower at 8 Spruce Street downtown, a planned 75-story mostly residential tower that has a school in the base. Mr. Silver wrote that because the school is slated to open in 2009 and construction has been minimal, he wants an update on the anticipated completion.

A spokesman for Mr. Silver said his office hasn’t yet received a response to the letter, which is dated Feb. 25.

In the Downtown Express article, a Forest City spokesman said the firm understands Mr. Silver’s and the community’s concerns about the site. Forest City tells us they'll have a response shortly.

Update 2:55 p.m.

Forest City spokesman Loren Riegelhaupt e-mailed us this response:

We have received the Speaker's letter and understand his and the community's concerns relating to the opening of the school. We are very sensitive to the school overcrowding issues currently facing Lower Manhattan as it was the Speaker who originally raised the issue and it was at his insistence that we included the school in our project. We are continuing to work very closely with the Speaker and appreciate all of his efforts in helping to move the project forward as quickly as possible.

Mr. Silver’s letter below:

February 25, 2008

Mr. Bruce Ratner

Chairman and CEO

Forest City Ratner Companies
1 MetroTech Center North
Brooklyn, New York 11201

Dear Mr. Ratner:

I am concerned that construction has apparently slowed at your new Beekman Tower site since you generously agreed to incorporate a new K – 8^th grade public school into the base of that new building. As you know, the school is scheduled to open in September 2009 and I am enthused that we will be building this important new school for our community. A number of constituents and community leaders have contacted my office in recent weeks with inquiries regarding the progress of the Beekman Tower building. Many of those questions have been raised because the community is very supportive of the new school that will help to relieve overcrowded classrooms and provide seats to hundreds of additional children moving into Lower Manhattan.

Since I believe that we need to give the community accurate information regarding the opening of the new school, I am requesting that you provide me with your most up to date schedule for construction of the Beekman Tower and when you anticipate that the new school will be able to open.

I look forward to your response on this important matter.

Sincerely,

SHELDON SILVER

Member of Assembly