The Battle For Ground Zero, Part 56

Larry Silverstein and Mayor Bloomberg's office are at odds over WTC reconstruction. Go figure.

Silverstein, who holds a 99-year lease from the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, is in charge of rebuilding millions of square feet of office space destroyed on 9/11.

Bloomberg took a similar shot at the developer last week, saying, "We can't rely on the market alone." Yesterday, Skyler added fuel to the fire.

"We all respect Larry Silverstein's rights," he said. "But as a developer, he needs to make a profit, and for the city, there are more important considerations."

Bloomberg has said he envisions lower Manhattan as "a true 24-hour downtown community," with more around-the-clock service businesses.

Silverstein is developing mostly office space — as he is allowed under his deal with the quasi-independent Port Authority.

Let's look at this shall we?

Before 9/11, the WTC was a 10 million+ sq. ft. office complex that was nearly fully occupied. Downtown was a vibrant and growing neighborhood. 9/11 destroyed that in the blink of an eye. Now, social engineers and urban planners want to totally redevelop downtown. These ambitious urban planners sought to include cultural and other components in the rebuilding of Ground Zero.

Silverstein has sought to rebuild as much of the office space as possible, which is his right. He thinks that the space is needed and will be rented. Why undermine that with some amorphous notion of what should be built.

UPDATE:
1010WINS reports more quotes from Mayor Bloomberg, and it's not flattering. To Bloomberg, that is:

Michael Bloomberg blasted World Trade Center developer Larry Silverstein in comments to the New York Daily News editorial board, saying "it would be in the city's interest to get Silverstein out," and suggested that schools and residential buildings would make better use of the space at ground zero than office towers.

Bloomberg said it would be a good idea to remove Silverstein, who holds a 99-year lease on the twin towers site, but "nobody can figure out how to do it," the Daily News reported Sunday.

"And can you imagine the stink if you gave him half a billion dollars or a billion dollars in profit to get him out?" he said in a meeting with the newspaper's editorial board Friday.

Silverstein said through a spokesman that Bloomberg's remarks were confusing.

"Together with the governor, the mayor has frequently urged us to proceed as quickly as possible," he said. "I believe that New Yorkers want to see rapid rebuilding and not yet another exercise in planning and re-planning. I am confident in downtown's future as a great business center, and I remain committed to getting it done."

Meanwhile, Oliver Stone is busy shooting his 9/11 film in nearby Glen Rock, New Jersey.


Technorati: World Trade Center, WTC, Pataki, LMDC, urban policy, Freedom Tower, IFC, International Freedom Center.