Park City

Spencer Morgan has arrived in Park City, Utah. Look out, hot tubs of Sundance!

Our trusty Transom reporter took the glam low-rent flight, of course, with a lay-over in Las Vegas. Some seriously lame situation at JFK caused him to miss his connecting flight. Naturally, he made the most of his six hours in Vegas, taking in 400 bucks or so at the blackjack table, playing alongside a friendly choreographer for Mary J. Blige. (It's always so much like Showgirls!) We here back at corporate pray his lucky streak continues on the crowded, gloppy streets of Park City.

• The overeager minds at the Battery Park City Authority have decided to fill in fifty acres of the Hudson River, making way for affordable housing. After all, why should only the upper classes get real estate on the water? (Crain's premium)
• Spitzer and Faso have graciously lended their support to plans for a Second Avenue subway, and a LIRR/Grand Central tunnel, and a city-funded No. 7 train expansion to the Javits Center. And a new Tappan Zee Bridge--but that's only because they like the name. (The New York Times)
• Louis Sullivan invented the skyscraper (plus ornamental terra cotta!) and all he got was this lousy symposium at Cooper Union. And a beer-bash at the Woolworth Building. (Interior Design)
• Why is Chinatown cool again? Because magical old women do really magical things every weekend in Seward Park. Then the condos follow. (Vice Magazine)
• Haute LivingNY has been born into our increasingly wonderful world. The first $7 issue delves into "New York's Real Estate Dynasties' Global Domination." Amazing. (Curbed)
- Max Abelson  read more »
• 0 comments

On the crowded streets of Park City, Utah, it’s difficult to leave the screening of a small mo  read more »

On the crowded streets of Park City, Utah, it’s difficult to leave the screening of a small movie  read more »

At the Salt Lake City airport Thursday, before the Sundance Film Festival officially begins, cordial  read more »

Battery Park City is nice, but Williamsburg is ... Schaefer! Michael Calderone takes a look at Schaefer Landing, 55 Berry Street, and all the other new developments that are transforming the Brooklyn waterfront into Battery Park City. Second item: He reveals the identity of the man who spent $32 million to buy Gianni Versace's Upper East Side palazzo. Meanwhile, Matthew Schuerman inspects the status of the new World Trade Center site and the Nets arena planned for downtown Brooklyn. Result? They could both end up being Superblocks, just like the old Trade Center. How'd this happen?  read more »

Reuters is reporting that a vote to give a massive package of Liberty Bond incentives to Goldman Sachs to build a tower next to Ground Zero will be postponed until at least early September, but public officials pooh-poohed the notion that the negotiations for the bonds were in any jeopardy.

The low-interest bonds are meant to encourage building downtown; there will be some criticism of Goldman Sachs' deal to get these incentives, according to Bettina Damiani of the watchdog group Good Jobs, New York. City Comptroller William C. Thompson Jr. gave his imprimatur to the Goldman Sachs deal yesterday. But his statement suggests there may be additional goodies beyond the ones already mentioned in press reports. To wit:

"While I have concerns regarding a provision granting Goldman Sachs an opportunity to obtain even better benefits down the road, I support the proposed agreement and Goldman Sachs' commitment to retain 8,100 jobs in lower Manhattan."

We're waiting for more details. And for a vote by the Battery Park City Authority to approve the lease, which is the last piece needed before a really big and happy press conference.  read more »

As we reported yesterday, one element of the hold-up in finalizing the deal with Goldman is the negotiation over penalty fees to be paid to Goldman by the city and state if a satisfactory, comprehensive program for ensuring security at the new World Trade Center site isn't put into place.

- Matthew Schuerman and Tom McGeveran

The deal for Goldman Sachs to remain in Lower Manhattan is imminent, according to sources close to the negotiations.

While it's been treated as a done deal, the terms of that deal are still a matter of negotiation, and we're waiting to see what comes out of it. Plus, done deals have gone south before. Anyone remember the obscure state agency that killed the stadium?

That's unlikely here, but still ...

The Liberty Development Corporation, an arm of the Empire State Development Coporation, deliberated this morning on the Liberty Bonds that will be used to finance the $1.8 billion tower at West Street and Vesey streets. The Battery Park City Authority, the state agency that owns the land, is discussing the terms of the lease this afternoon and may vote to approve by the end of the day.  read more »

UPDATE: The Battery Park City Authority didn't finish with the lease this evening. They're meeting again at 11:30 tomorrow morning.

- Matthew Schuerman

When Sundance Film Festival programming director GeoffGilmore stood before a sold-out crowd at the 1  read more »