The Harbor District includes nine sites in Upper New York Harbor

Investment in Lower Manhattan's waterfront continues to grow with the January 22^nd announcement that the Battery Park City Authority (BPCA) will redevelop Pier A. Governor Eliot Spitzer and Mayor Michael Bloomberg tapped the agency for the three-story pier's restoration, noting that the property was originally part of BPCA's jurisdiction.

"Given the Battery Park City Authority's record of success developing and maintaining the public property to the north of the pier, I am confident the restoration of this historic, 120-year-old pier will serve as an important part of the renaissance underway today in Lower Manhattan," said Bloomberg.

Built in 1886, Pier A is a 30,000-square-foot facility that was included in the original 1969 Battery Park City footprint. It was later removed from BPCA's domain and eventually leased to Wings Point Development in 1997. However, the developer returned control of the pier to the city Economic Development Corporation (EDC) when development plans could not be completed.

Now, the EDC will retain ownership of the pier, located on the west end of Battery Park, and BPCA will carry out its redevelopment. No specific plans have yet been announced.

With the Pier A announcement came the introduction of Paula Berry as director of the Harbor District, a new EDC position. Berry will serve as a single guiding force in the effort to unify the multiple waterfront projects active now around the harbor. She also is charged with improving water transportation and linking the west and east side bikeways. Berry was appointed after having served on the National 9/11 Memorial and Museum board and devoting herself to the downtown rebuilding effort over the past six years.

Berry's Harbor District consists of nine existing and planned sites in Upper New York Harbor, including Atlantic Basin (planned), Battery Park City, Brooklyn Bridge Park (planned), East River Esplanade (planned), Governors Island (planned), Hudson River Park, the Statue of Liberty and National Monument, Ellis Island, and Liberty State Park.

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