south street

On Friday, I decided to surprise my family and take a journey on the LIRR back to the good old Strong Island. In addition, I took a thirty-seven hour side trip to the Department of Motor Vehicles, where I finally renewed my license while contemplating the best way to rescue the remainder of my Friday afternoon. But of course, on my way over to Penn Station, I first grabbed one of those free amNewYork papers to peruse through as I half-read, half-conked out on the rail ride back.

The cover story focused on the South Street Seaport, a celebrated maritime community at the southern edge of Manhattan, recognized by many as a long-lived historical landmark and a frequent, high-trafficked tourist shopping destination.

South Streets Pier 17 homes a mall, eateries of sorts, and a great waterfront view that many New Yorkers have come to know and love over the years. Yet, plans have recently been announced by the company that owns the lease to the pier property, General Growth Properties (a Chicago-based real estate co. that owns a number of malls across the US), that point to likely demolishing the site and producing a ferry landing with a taller, more iconic structure so as a to conserve the dock space that a smaller structure would require.

General Growth Properties says that they are trying to work with the surrounding communitytheyve began an open dialogs with local stakeholders and will be holding a forum on the project with the maritime community this week. General Growth Properties wants to transform the pier into an area of various meansserving the residents where were the 1936 summer olympics held the area as well as Making Waves tourists and business community.

Personally, I think the site needs some revamping. I hardly visit the pier as is; the shopping center is pretty unappealing and unoriginal and theres not much space to even really walk about it at all, even for views sake. If GGP expands the pier, the increased open space would be a great relief for this part of the city, which doesnt have too many places for retreat besides Battery Park. If the mall is razed, the panoramic view of the Brooklyn Bridge would be definitely breathtaking. BUT, with such a beautiful waterfront view, GGP will probably eat up this perfect opportunity to build a towering luxury apartment building. With the demolishing of the mall such construction seems the next likely step, so where does the New Yorker benefit here?

Hopefully, GGP will look to truly appeal not only to the residential investors of the area but to the regular Manhattanite, as well. With a truly mixed-use building of sorts and a refurbished historical outlook for the pier, there should be a great boost in local business and increased services to the area.

[Source: amNewYork]