New York City, NY – February 28, 2011 – (RealEstateRama) — The Tribeca Community Association, the Community Sanitation Steering Committee, downtown residents, business and commercial property owners have filed a motion in New York State Supreme Court seeking to halt imminent construction activity at 353 Spring Street to build a “Mega” Three District Sanitation Garage and Salt Shed at Spring Street next to the Holland Tunnel in Hudson Square at a cost of nearly $500 MILLION dollars.
The Appellants, and iconic neighbors like James Gandolfini, John Slattery, Talia Balsam, Jennifer Connelly, Paul Bettany, Casey Affleck, Kirsten Dunst, Michael Stipe, Lou Reed and Laurie Anderson, have strongly opposed the City plan to increase the number of sanitation trucks by tenfold while tripling the number of district garages and constructing a Salt Shed opposite two parks. Legal Standing was sought to pursue claims that the Hudson River Park Trust was required to hold a Pubic Hearing, that “Reasonable Alternatives” and numerous quality of life issues were ignored.
Michael Kramer, representing a nearby property owner (340 West LLC), asked why the Department of Sanitation was acting as the Master Planner for Hudson Square. “By moving a midtown sanitation garage to Spring Street, the City is losing an opportunity to build affordable middle-income housing downtown and creating street traffic which will support local retail activities. Instead we hear rumors that Wal-Mart is engaged in talks at Hudson River Park Pier 40 to add even more car and truck traffic across the street from a Three District Spring Street Sanitation Garage.”
Carole DeSaram, President of the Tribeca Community Association stated, “Plain and simply, we have offered a greener and better Fair Share solution”. She added, “The Hudson Rise Plan (an AIA 2009 Honor Design award-winner by Z-H Architects), “was validated by the City as meeting their operational requirements. For the Mayor to ignore the savings of $37 MILLION dollars in today’s budget is irresponsible, and ignores the greater interest of the City to keep its midtown DSNY garage in midtownand to build badly needed new garages in Brooklyn and Staten Island to plow snow”.
Phillip Mouquinho, Chair of the Community Sanitation Steering Committee, stated that “the City has designed a building that is five feet longer than that which was authorized by the City Planning Commission; before they over-paid the United Parcel Service for Air Rights that no else wanted, and that may not all have been available to UPS to have the right to sell to the City in the first place.”
Attorney Kenneth F. McCallion, a Principal at the law firm of McCALLION and ASSOCIATES, LLP filed the Motion for Plaintiff-Petitioners-Appellants.
http://www.realizehudsonrise.blogspot.com
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Background:
Over the past four years, the Tribeca Community Association and the Community Sanitation Steering Committee, a group of local residents, business and property owners have advocated for the Hudson Rise Plan; which relocates DSNY operations out of the Hudson River Park in a manner where a total of five districts will receive more efficient delivery of services, mitigate against significant local impacts by creating rooftop public park space, and save $37 MILLION dollars which can be used to build desperately needed new Sanitation garages in Brooklyn & Staten Island to handle operations more efficiently.
It is now incumbent upon citizens to insist that we must do more with less and do it better. Friends of the Hudson River Park have announced their public support for the Hudson Rise Plan and their willingness to extend Settlement deadlines for this alternative. The future development of the entire far West Side corridor of Manhattan (from the World Trade Center to Riverside South) is placed in jeopardy by the current DSNY plan. Delivery of sanitation services (i.e. midtown MN5 remains in midtown) avoids excess truck mileage and achieves a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. The Hudson Rise Plan will create acres of open park space, reduce the harmful immediate consequences of road salt, and create middle-income housing; which enhance local property values and activate retail.
Contact:
Hank Sheinkopf 1-212-725-2378
Carole DeSaram 1-845-430-9330
Michael Kramer 1-917-622-5154
Phillip Mouquinho 1-212-924-0290
