Hudson River Park

From the Wall Street Journal this morning, about the 142-year effort to build a bridge between Sicily and the Italian mainland:

The late marine explorer Jacques Cousteau helped with research. At one point, a study was commissioned to study the effect of the bridge's shadow on fish. None was found.  read more »

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The Friends of Hudson River Park sports deep-pocketed donors such as The Durst Organization and The Related Companies. It is usually the one that gives money and moral support to the Hudson River Park Trust, the quasi-governmental entity that is building and operating the four-mile long esplanade along the West Side. But, it turns out that once a year, the trust pays the friends group money for a table at the friends group's annual fundraiser.

This year, the expenditure garnered some discussion at the trust's May 24 board meeting, according to participants and observers.  read more »

Since attending the first officially sanctioned Barack Obama grassroots event in NYC, I've been wondering what other groups will pop up for him in Hillary's home state.

On Long Island, get ready for Pakistani Americans for Barack Obama. They're set to meet on March 11 in West Hempstead. On May 5, another group plans to raise money for their favorite senator with an Obamathon - a five mile walk along the Hudson River Park.

-- Azi Paybarah

• City developers ditching condo deals.
[Crain's]
• City failing to collect on millions in water bills.
[NY Times]
• Hotels offering amenities, art for sale.
[NY Times]
• Realtors predict home-sales decline in 2007.
[NY Times]
• Part of Hudson River Park opens in Chelsea.
[NY Post]
• Macklowe buys 1330 Sixth Avenue for $498 million.
[NY Post]
• Macklowe takes sole ownership of GM Building.
[NY Post]
• Finance commissioner: City property taxes need fix.
[NY Sun]
• Used-book store opens on Park Avenue.
[NY Sun]
• Controversial sushi chain opens first city spot.
[NY Sun]

Did we miss any New York City real estate news this morning? Please send along tips and links.

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An environmental nonprofit once heralded by Gov. George Pataki "has fallen by the wayside," according to Downtown Express, when it comes to its plans for a $5 million urban estuary museum in Hudson River Park.

Paul Goldstein, Community Board One's district manager, said, "With the governor's tenure drawing closer to an end, these people are going to have to prove they can get this done in the next couple months."

-Matthew Schuerman

The five-mile-long Hudson River Park was born from the rubble of Westway—the controversial plan to  read more »

The five-mile-long Hudson River Park was born from the rubble of Westway—the controversial pla  read more »

At 5:30 a.m. on Oct.  read more »

After first denying that the residents of the proposed luxury condos adjacent to Brooklyn Bridge Park would have their own security force, officials at today’s City Council meeting admitted that they would—sort of.

It turns out that some parks have revenue streams that pay for, among other things, a security force operated by the city Parks & Recreation Department, called a Parks Enforcement Patrol, or PEP, and that taxes and fees from the condo towers would pay for a patrol in Brooklyn Bridge Park.  read more »

“The PEP officers are provided in parks where funding is available, like Hudson River Park, Central Park, Riverside Park South,” said Josh Laird, chief of planning for Parks.

-Matthew Schuerman

Senator Hillary Clinton headed out to the meatpacking district today to announce she had "helped secure" $18 million in federal taxpayer money for the 6.7 acre High Line park. Not bad, considering that the transportation bill has just about $25 million for all the other greenways in New York put together, including the Hudson River Park, Red Hook, Greenpoint, Coney Island and Sunset Park.

But the feds will far from cover the $100 million needed to turn the abandoned west side elevated freight railway into a Diller Scofidio & Renfro playground. Another $50 million is coming from the city, and the remaining $30 million will be coming from .... YOU!  read more »

That's right. The Friends of the High Line will be raising the balance privately, its leaders said today. So get out your checkbooks—and add an extra zero, will you? This baby's going to cost $340 a square foot.

Careful, now, don't step on the grass. &mdash:Matthew Schuerman

Our Matthew Schuerman reports:

The six-foot five-inch George Pataki has been known to sink a three-pointer. But his height didn't help him when he came to town today to show off new soccer fields in Hudson River Park. (He also came to straighten out the mess at Ground Zero, but that was earlier in the day.)  read more »

He seemed surprised at first when the emcee said the Governor would take a shot--"I'm not too good at this. Maybe Eddie can give me some pointers." (Eddie being Eddie Johnson, a forward on the U.S. national team.) The Governor's first two shots got nabbed by the goalie. The third was far enough to the left and a foot or two off the ground that she could let him score gracefully.

Then Pataki got back to the truly important part of his job--answering questions from the press.

Park advocates are charging that the city's Sanitation Department is unlawfully squatting on a West  read more »

On the very day that Governor George Pataki quite properly celebrated another step in the rehabilita  read more »