City waits for Freedom Tower redesign

Manhattan redevelopment moves ahead as city waits for Freedom Tower redesign

New York City is awaiting the outcome of the Freedom Tower redesign for the World Trade Center site which Mayor Michael Bloomberg and State Governor George Pataki have promised will be complete and unveiled by the end of June.

David Childs of Skidmore Owings and Merrill, the architect appointed by the developer Larry Silverstein, is said to be working closely with the New York Police Department in an effort to meet the department's security concerns while retaining essential elements of the original design and master site plan produced by Studio Daniel Libeskind.

This delay was agreed by the major players in the drama of the Ground Zero rebuild, such as the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation charged with overseeing the reconstruction program, the Empire State Development Corporation and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey which owns the land upon which the tall tower and its associated developments are due to rise.

Suspension of work on the Freedom Tower caused by the police department's intervention on grounds of security has tended to deepen the scepticism felt by many New Yorkers about the way this major project is being managed by the city authorities.

Some say that more time has passed since Governor Pataki first unveiled the 'final design' of the Freedom Tower than it took to put up the Empire State Building.

This so-called culture of inertia prompted Donald Trump to demand that the two towers brought down on 2001-09-11 should be replaced by similar buildings one or two storeys higher than the originals.

The concept favoured by Trump has been developed on the basis of two years' research by architect Herbert Belton and structural engineer Ken Gardner.

These would surpass the Freedom Tower as the world's tallest building (about 560 m) when the 150 m mast carried by the north tower is taken into account.

One of the essential elements in this grand design is a much greater degree of redundancy in a stronger frame, protected by skins of steel within and without.

But Governor Pataki has ruled that construction of the 540 m Freedom Tower will proceed undeterred, and that all other key elements of the rebuilding program will continue on schedule.

In dismissing the ideas of Donald Trump and his design team, which attracted support from a significant element of public opinion in New York, Mr Pataki and his colleagues are determined to stick with the Libeskind master site plan in which his high tower will rise 'as a beacon of freedom for the entire world'.

There have however been changes in the rebuilding organisation, no doubt in response to the rising tide of controversy.

For example, a commentary in the New York Times at the recent Memorial Day weekend said: "A 1776 ft Freedom Tower with no tenants - and no prospect of tenants - has been abruptly sent back to the drawing board after the Marx Brothers-like officials presiding over the chaos acknowledged troubling security concerns about truck bombs".

"But truck bombs may be the least of the demons scaring away prospective occupants, The simple question than no-one could answer the day after 9/11 remains unanswered today: what sane person would want to work in a skyscraper destined to be the most tempting target for aerial assault in the Western world?".

'Hands-on leadership' appointed.

To restore confidence in the rebuilding process, and to ensure that the Freedom Tower moves forward without further delay, Governor Pataki has named what he calls hands-on leadership to ensure that critical milestones are reached in the rebuilding effort.

He has appointed his own chief of staff and top advisor John Cahill to undertake overall direction of this vast program.

It is now Cahill's job to lead and coordinate the efforts of the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation, the Port Authority, the Empire State Development Corporation, the Department of Transportation and the Battery Park City Authority.

Mr Cahill will be the key man or 'point person' in negotiations with the NYPD, Silverstein Properties, Goldman Sachs and New York City.

Goldman Sachs comes into the picture because the firm is proposing to build a new $2 billion headquarters building in Lower Manhattan where it had previously been located.

The negotiations have stalled due to what are described as 'major issues', one of which is understood to be plans for driving an underground rail tunnel beneath the site in close proximity to Ground Zero.

But Mr Cahill appears confident that this and other issues will be sorted out in time.

The arrival of Goldman Sachs in a 40 storey tower providing one and a half million square feet of office space would certainly give a big boost to the redevelopment of Lower Manhattan.

Big spend on transport infrastructure.

There is however another formidable player in this reconstruction saga and that is the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, owner of the site on which the World Trade Center stood and on which the memorial is being built.

The renewal of this historic site moved into higher gear with the Port Authority's proposals for the World Trade Center transportation hub and the laying of the Freedom Tower cornerstone.

The infrastructure that supports the economy of Manhattan is developing at a fast pace and no doubt enhancing the value of the key sites that belong to the Port Authority as sponsor of these works.

The recovery of the city's economy over the past four years is signified by the growth of traffic at the PATH station which suffered heavy damage at the time of the World Trade Center collapse.

Passenger traffic at the rebuilt station is exceeding all expectations.

The train fleet is being renewed and this year the Port Authority is spending $1.7 billion on strengthening and extending the city's transportation infrastructure.

This is only part of the story of development stemming from a sound financial base founded on ownership of key sites and strong capital assets.

Remarkably for an organisation running such a large and complex transportation system the Port Authority is financially self-supporting.

It receives no subsidy either from the State of New York or the State of New Jersey.

That offers a strong contrast with London Transport which is dependent on government funding in excess of GBP1,000 million annually to finance reconstruction and meet the operating costs deficit.

The Port Authority is spending a like sum this year on capital expansion of the New York transport infrastructure.

By contrast the redevelopment of Lower Manhattan is being heavily subsidised.

Announcing his revitalisation strategy, the New York State Governor said that some $800 million of Federal funds has been allocated to transform Lower Manhattan into a mixed-use neighbourhood and create 'a downtown for the 21st century'.

As Governor Pataki said, this plan will help to ensure Lower Manhattan's long term economic health and vitality.

That part of his 'sustainable community' statement could almost have been drafted in the office of the UK's Deputy Prime Minister".

"Our efforts will mean better streets and transportation, new parks and open spaces, affordable housing and an overall improved environment".

Underlying all this however, there is a deeper intent expressed by the State Governor and the Mayor of New York City: "Most importantly, this plan supports the construction of the memorial which will offer a profound experience to millions of family members and visitors".

It is this aspect of Lower Manhattan development that comes closest to the hearts of New Yorkers in recovery mode, closer certainly than any tall tower, be it never so high.

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