Hudson River Park Trust

We may be seeing the limits to public-private partnerships in park development.

The plan to use funds from the development of the West Side waterfront to finance new park construction and maintenance seems to be collapsing. While this doesn’t mean an end to these partnerships, it is a signal that public amenities still require public investment. There really is no such thing as a free lunch.

The latest episode in the Pier 40 saga took place on March 28, when Hudson River Park officials rejected a plan by Related Companies to build a $625 million performing arts complex on Pier 40, located at West Houston Street.  read more »

The Related Companies’ plans for a $600 million entertainment center along the Hudson River at Pier 40 is no longer being considered by the Hudson River Park Trust, the city-state agency that governs the park.

The news comes as Madison Square Garden announced it was moving forward with renovations of its existing facility, compromising a $14 billion plan to remake Penn Station and create a new office hub nearby, a plan in which Related, chaired by Stephen Ross, is a 50-50 partner with Vornado Realty Trust.  read more »

According to today's Villager--nope, it's not online yet--the Hudson River Park Trust has issued a request for proposals for Pier 40, at Houston Street on the Hudson River.

According to The Villager, the 14-acre pier is to be developed with 50 percent park and 50 percent commercial space, with the caveat that big-box stores are considered "incompatible with park uses." The article goes on to note that the timing of this R.F.P. is rather odd; with Eliot Spitzer likely becoming New York's next Governor, the HRPT's board of directors--who were appointed by Republican Governor Pataki--are likely to change when, and if, the Democrat takes office.  read more »

-Matthew Grace

Federico Pignatelli, C.E.O. of Pier 59 Studios, which is part of the Chelsea Piers complex, showed up at Community Board 4's meeting last night to appeal for help from the board to prevent what he says is a dire situation at the popular sports and entertainment complex.

According to Mr. Pignatelli, the foundation of Chelsea Piers, which is a concrete platform affixed to wooden pylons in the bed of the Hudson River, is degrading at an alarming rate. Mr. Pignatelli, who said the foundation is in "dire need of care" and "rotting form the inside out," told the board that he had approached the management of Chelsea Piers, which leases out the property from the Hudson River Park Trust, with his concerns, only to be told that maintenance of the foundation was the responsibility of the HRPT. Likewise, when he approached the HRPT, he was told it was Chelsea Piers' responsibility.

The community board referred the matter to its waterfront committee. It'll most likely be taken up at the next committee meeting , and, depending on the outcome of that meeting, the board will take some action next month.

Calls made to Chelsea Piers and the Hudson River Park Trust were not immediately returned. Spokespeople for both organizations are on holiday.  read more »

Pictured is Chelsea Piers co-founder Roland Betts, with college buddy George W. Bush. If he's quicker to the mark than his fellow alumnus was with Hurricane Katrina, he just might sort out the bureaucratic labyrinth before the piers sink beneath the water.

Update: Chelse Piers e-mailed us the following statement after the original post was published: "The Chelsea Piers are in excellent structural condition. Since Chelsea Piers Management leased the Piers in 1994, regular substructural engineering surveys have been conducted by Chelsea Piers, the NYS Department of Transportation and the Hudson River Park Trust. Routine repairs, as directed by the structural engineers, are performed as required to keep the Piers in structurally sound condition." - Matthew Grace

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