Monday, January 08, 2007

The Battle For Ground Zero, Part 204

According to Steve Cuozzo, Gov. Spitzer doesn't have much time to get a handle on Ground Zero and ensure that the Freedom Tower rises above street level in short order. Steve Cuozzo gives him about one year before people take their ire out on the Governor. I'm not sure I totally agree with Cuozzo's timeframe, but I doubt that businesses will wait for the buildings to rise if they continue to see bureaucratic infighting and a replay of the same problems that delayed the Freedom Tower for more than two years resurface.

With Gov. Spitzer now running the show, some hope that things will progress more smoothly at Ground Zero. I'm not sure that will happen, not when Spitzer has already promised to review the Freedom Tower plans and other elements of the rebuilding. Of course, Spitzer also pledged no delays in the construction, so something will have to give.

All this comes at a time when the real estate market in Lower Manhattan shows significant strength as condo-conversions of office space have been put on hold or reversed because of the strength in the office market.

Meanwhile, the Fulton Street Terminal project is back on in its near full splendor after the MTA found additional money to make the central architectural features happen. The project will link up with the Ground Zero transit hub and link together the major subway lines running through Lower Manhattan and improve access to the various rail lines. There's also a neat interactive graphic showing what the terminal will look like when completed and the kind of changes that will be implemented.

Remains continue to be discovered at the site, as the search for remains progresses along the access road and in the vicinity of the Freedom Tower excavations.


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