Governor Andrew M. Cuomo announced that the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation will fund 14 key projects through a $50 million legal settlement with Lend Lease Construction LMB Inc.
The 14 projects include cultural, recreational and education opportunities and include the Pier 42 park project and the new East River Esplanade
“This action will help strengthen these neighborhoods in lower Manhattan and create a better environment for people to live, work and visit,” said Governor Cuomo.
“The Lower Manhattan Development Corporation has been a major force in the rebuilding for this community, and with these projects, this progress will continue for years to come.”
The settlement, which was originally reached in the spring of 2015, marked the resolution of a lawsuit between LMDC and Lend Lease concerning the demolition of the Deutsche Bank Building.
Lend Lease agreed to pay LMDC $40 million and to forgive more than $10 million in outstanding payments. The funds recovered were initially provided to LMDC in Community Development Block Grants administered by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
To determine the uses for the funding, the LMDC formed a Working Group consisting of state and city officials as well as Catherine McVay Hughes, who also serves as Chair of Community Board 1 and as a member of LMDC’s Board of Directors.
The Working Group conducted reviews of the proposals, including site visits and interviews, and oversaw a public information session last September, during which dozens of community members presented and discussed various proposals. LMDC was created in the aftermath of September 11, 2001 to help plan and co-ordinate the rebuilding and revitalization of Lower Manhattan.
LMDC is a joint state-city corporation governed by an eight-member Board of Directors, half appointed by the Governor of New York and half by the Mayor of New York. Since its inception, LMDC has allocated more than $2 billion in federal funds toward redeveloping Lower Manhattan.
The following projects will receive assistance through the settlement funds:
The National 9/11 Memorial and Museum: Tribute in Light ($700,000), the installation of searchlights that project the shape and orientation of the Twin Towers in remembrance of the 9/11 attacks.
The illuminated memorial reaches four miles into the sky, and is the strongest shaft of light ever projected from earth into the night sky.
Manhattan Youth Recreation and Resources, Inc.: Afterschool and Senior Programs ($500,000) currentlyruns seven downtown after-school programs that are either free or affordable serving over 1,200 children daily.
Alliance for Downtown New York, Inc.: Lower Manhattan Headquarters ($300,000) is a new 14,000 s/f office space at 150 Broadway, to serve as a central meeting place for members of the creative, tech, non-profit, civic and marketing communities in Lower Manhattan.
Hudson River Park Trust: Hudson River Park Segment 3 ($10,000,000) runs from Chambers Street to West Houston Street and includes two public recreational piers (Piers 25 and 26), an ecological pier, and an adjacent upland park. This project will cost $30,000,000 and will complete the unfinished areas of Pier 26, the platform between Piers 25 and 26, and the upland park area adding a new deck, landscaping and a new estuarium.
NYC Economic Development Corporation: East River Esplanade North ($10,000,000) will redevelop two miles of the waterfront on the east side of Manhattan from Peter Minuit Plaza to East River Park on the Lower East Side.
NYC Economic Development Corporation: East River Esplanade South and Brooklyn Bridge Beach ($5,000,000). Funds will help EDC pave sidewalks and construct curbs, new railings and site furnishing.
NYC: Pier 42 ($7,000,000) landscaping, lighting and building a playground and comfort station area specified in the East River Waterfront master plan.
The Battery PlayScape ($6,000,000) will replace the furrent playground on the eastern side of Battery Park.
South Street Seaport Museum: Community and Educational Spaces ($4,800,000) is a new 11,000 s/f center to support the Museum’s programs and exhibitions.
The Flea Theater: Performing Arts Theater ($2,500,000) is a new three-theater complex at 20 Thomas Street. The funds will support the construction project, scheduled to be completed in 2016. The total project budget is $21,000,000.
University Settlement Society of New York, Inc. Houston Street Center and Headquarters Offices will get $1,126,850.
Jackie Robinson Foundation will get $1,000,000 for the Jackie Robinson Museum construction. The 18,500 s/f museum, planned for 75 Varick Street, will chronicle Robinson’s achievements placed within the context of United States history.
God’s Love We Deliver: is getting $500,000 for its new office space in the Michael Kors Building in SoHo. LMDC funding will be designated for various capital improvements, including new technology infrastructure, kitchen equipment, and furniture.
Manhattan Youth Recreation and Resources, Inc. Downtown Boathouse is getting $15,000.
The Downtown Boathouse is an all-volunteer, non-profit organization founded more than 20 years ago that is dedicated to providing free public access to the harbor in New York City through public kayaking programs. The Downtown Boathouse currently runs free kayaking programs on Pier 26 in Tribeca. The programs serve more than 20,000 people each year, including visitors from more than 130 countries.
With funding from the LMDC, the Downtown Boathouse will purchase 25 new kayaks.
