October 5th - October 9th, 2009
Downtown’s anti-terrorist system is being expanded to Midtown
October 5 – An electronic network of private and public surveillance cameras, license plate readers and weapons sensors is being deployed in Midtown, expanding a program already in place in FiDi. Mayor Bloomberg announced $34 million in Homeland Security grants will pay for the increased surveillance from 30th to 60th streets from river to river. The system in Midtown is expected to come online in 2011.
FDNY to deploy new building mapping system
October 5 – CBIDAS, the Coordinated Building Inspection and Data Analysis System, will be in use starting in December. According to Scientific America, it’s a data warehouse that will give firefighters the layout of a burning building before they arrived at the scene of a fire. The system came about after two firefighters died in August 2007 in the Deutsche bank. CBIDAS will also help fire companies prioritize building inspections.
FiDi commercial leasing faring higher than midtown
October 7 – The latest Cushman Wakefield quarterly report shows leasing in Lower Manhattan reached 2.4 million square feet, compared to 2.9 million last year. Crains New York Business reports the average asking rent for Class A space downtown is about $45 a square foot. Rents in Midtown are averaging about $63 a square foot. Office leasing for Midtown totaled 11.3 million square feet, down 27.8% from last year. The vacancy rate for all of Manhattan, according to the report, is about 11.1%, the highest level in five years. However, the study predicts a strong upsurge in leasing activity during the fourth quarter of as much as 45%.
Green building costs fall
October 7 – The US Green Building Council says the cost premium on building green has all but disappeared. It found that LEED certified high rises cost an average of $440 per square foot compared with $436 a square foot for non-LEED projects, adding up to a differential of less than 1%. The report also said ‘green’ has become an added selling point in residential and commercial building.
Silverstein loses a round in court
October 8 – A federal judge ruled that developer Larry Silverstein cannot collect damages from several airlines and security companies in connection with the 9-11 attacks. According to Crain’s, Silverstein claimed the airlines and security companies filed to prevent the attacks; he had been seeking $2.8 billion in damages. The U.S. District Court ruled the insurance money Silverstein received, approximately $4.1 billion, could offset his claims against the airlines and the security companies.
Frank Tree at WTC may be susceptible
October 8 – The SoHo based, Anne Frank Center, told The New York Post, tests are being performed on 10 young trees, grown from the Anne Frank tree, because the trees might be infected with fungi and moths. The trees are slated to be planted at Ground Zero; there’s no word on when a determination would be made. The horse chestnut tree in Amsterdam was mentioned several times by Frank in her famous diary as it helped her keep track of the passing of the seasons.
Traffic change at Rector and West Streets
October 9 – For the next six weeks, Rector Street will dead-end at West Street and be changed into a two way street. The NYS Department of Transportation says the change is necessary to create a work zone to install a ConEd manhole. Motorists are urged to use Albany Street instead; pedestrian access to Rector Street will be maintained.
One Chase Plaza no longer for sale
October 9 – Citing the lack of sufficient bids, JP Morgan Chase took its iconic One Chase Manhattan Plaza off the block, according to GlobeSt.com. The report says the bank was unwilling to finance the deal and that may be why there was not much interest. The story did not mention the price tag for the 60 story building.
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