January 3rd - January 7th, 2011

Project Rebirth Documentary to be Released This Month

January 3 – Project Rebirth has been filming the redevelopment of the World Trade Center site and recording the intimate stories of nine September 11th-survivors for the past nine years. Now, according to The Battery Park City Broadsheet Daily, the feature-length film, “Rebirth” will premier on January 21st at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival in Utah. It took $9.5 million in donations from the community to make "Rebirth." A four minute version of "Rebirth" is currently on view at the National September 11 Memorial and Museum Preview site on Vesey Street between Church Street and Broadway.

President Signs Zadroga 9-11 Health Bill

January 3 - The $4.3 billion bill covers the cost of medical care for rescue workers and others sickened by toxic fumes and dust after the 2001 terrorist attack on the World Trade Center. It became a major point of contention in the waning days of the Congressional session. Ultimately, the Senate approved the less expensive measure; the House quickly followed suit and sent the bill to the president, according to The New York Times.

FiDi Vacancy Rises

January 3 – The amount of empty office space in lower Manhattan grew dramatically in the fourth quarter, even as vacancy rates for bustling midtown and midtown south dropped well below 10% mark. Crain’s New York Business reports the vacancy rate for Class A buildings rose in the last three months of the year to 10.9% from 8.6% for the same period in 2009. Meantime, the rate for Class B buildings hit 16.3% in the fourth quarter, from 15.1% a year earlier, according to a report by Jones Lang LaSalle. The space glut was due in large part to Goldman Sachs vacating more than 1 million square feet at 85 Broad St.

OGS Unlikely Moving to 1WTC

January 4, 2011 – In The New York Post’s REALTY CHECK column, author Steve Cuozzo claims the likelihood of the state Office of General Services (OGS) going through with a long-discussed lease at 1 WTC is increasingly remote. Cuozzo writes, “A new governor committed to saving the state from fiscal collapse is not likely to look kindly on expensively relocating an agency whose tasks include providing state employees with parking spaces.” Previous published reports said OGS was looking to take 600,000 square feet at subsidized rents higher than public entities should be paying, but still far below market.

Bovis Reaches Settlement with NYC

January 6 - Bovis Lend Lease, who worked on the deconstruction of the Deutsche Bank Building in Lower Manhattan, allegedly overcharged the city at more than 100 projects between 1999 and 2009, according to the city’s Department of Investigation. Published reports say Bovis paid union foremen overtime and extra pay that was never worked and passed the check to the city.

Hudson River Park Trust President Stepping Down

January 6 – Connie Fishman is leaving the Hudson River Park Trust after 11 years to work for the YMCA of Greater New York, according to a report on DNAINFO.com. Fishman has led the Trust as president for the past seven years, overseeing the planning and construction of the instantly popular 5-mile park along the West Side.

First Section of East River Waterfront Park Opening Delayed

January 6 – The City announced the opening has been postponed until at least February because there are still finishing touches to be made. DNAINFO.com reports the park, between Maiden Lane and Wall Street was scheduled to open by the end of December. This section of the East River Waterfront is part of a larger $150 million park running from the Battery Maritime Building up to the Lower East Side, which will open in phases over the next several years.

9-11 First Responders Can Expect First Payment Soon

January 6 – The City will be sending out payments from the $712 million settlement by the end of January, according to The New York Post. The firefighters, cops, emergency workers and hardhats whose health was ruined while toiling in The Pit, approved the settlement in November. Checks will be based on the severity of their illnesses and are expected to provide much-needed help to responders who have waited years for relief.