In the News: Crosswalk Not Reopening

May 24, 2011 Arts & Culture, Community News, Real Estate, Restaurant/Bar News

••• First, a public-service announcement: If you’re attending tonight’s CB1 meeting at BMCC and planning on speaking about why the NYPD stables shouldn’t be moved and/or the two firehouses shouldn’t be closed, get there before 6 p.m.—the public comment part is at the beginning, and you have to sign up first.

by Julie Shapiro (courtesy DNAinfo)

••• “The city will not open the crosswalk at Vesey and West streets near the World Trade Center.” (DNAinfo)

••• “Industry enthusiasm over higher retail asking rents in the Wall Street area does not address the reality of a dismal retail environment, which is the largest impediment to the district’s full regeneration.” The Post‘s Steve Cuozzo goes on to call it a “poor cousin to Midtown.” But Lois Weiss, also of the Post, says retail rents are up.

••• Town Residential will be the marketing and leasing agent for 1 West, 90 Washington, and 95 Wall. (Crain’s)

••• More crosswalk figures have been added to the mural at 99 Church. (DNAinfo)

••• Grub Street interviews Corton’s Paul Liebrandt.

 
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2 Comments

  1. David G. Imber
    May 24, 2011 • 5:14 pm

    The article by Steve Cuozzo assesses the situation very accurately, but offers no viable conclusions. Allow prevailing economic forces to determine the future of the area and the fuzzy picture he paints won’t become clearer. There are, as we all know, two Tribeca’s and two Fidi’s. There are the “pioneers” (like me, I confess) who populated these neighborhoods when they were “no-man’s lands” and did so with energy, creativity, but not a whole lot of capital. Then there are the others, who are long on the capital side, but not as interested in creating a neighborhood as buying into one (not saying that to be critical, it’s just the way of the world). The only thing that would remedy this in the short term is some sort way of traversing the economic gulf between these groups. I’m afraid that may be a utopian goal.

  2. Kerry F.
    May 25, 2011 • 7:55 am

    There is no reason for that crosswalk to be closed. There are so many pedestrian safety officers on the corner being paid to help pedestrians, not to move traffic quickly through the neighborhood, it should be the safest crosswalk in the city. I will say that they do a great job of keeping the cabs moving out of the Goldman Sachs driveway. The argument about fast-moving traffic is ridiculous because the speed limit is supposed to be the same at that crosswalk as every other crosswalk along West Street which should be enforced by the overabundance of traffic agents. Even worse, if you are handicapped or have a stroller and the elevators and/or escalators are out of service at Vesey (which is the case very often), you have to walk two blocks back to Murray Street in order to cross West Street. Bad news is that you do not find out that there is no handicap access until you get to the base of the bridge.