NYT corrections and clarifications, Sept 2003

NYC 9/11 Public Portal Document B6 Le THE NEW YORK TIMES METRO wepwnespay, JULY 7, 2002 VISIONS OF GROUND ZERO: The Biueprints Emerge THE OVERVIEW ir Six Plans for Ground Zero, All Seen as a Starting Point Continued From Page Ai tion and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, the owner of the 1f-acre site, that the designs re place ail of the commercial and re- tail space that was destroyed on Sept. 12. _ Although Mr. Whitehead said he believed the six plans adequately achieved those goals, he added, in response to a question afier the pre- sentation, thei the plans could be significandy altered if the public strongly favored that. The suggestion met with hopefal surprise among some of the civic leaders, archirects and family mem- hers of trade center victims who attended the presentation. ' “£ thought 1¢ was very hearten- _ ing,” said Predric Bell, the executive director of the New York chapter of . the American Institute of Architects. “There are more options that need to _ be drawn, and different options that need io be considered.” ' Many of those people who had al- ready reacted negatively to the plans gaid they packed toe much office space on foo small a site. Several of the civic groups monitoring the pro- cess had alse objected that the brief time in which the plans were pro- duced did sot allow consideration of _ their affect on the area’s economy and traffic patterns, among other factors. Margaret Helfand, an urban plan- ner who is co-chairwoman of the executive cortmitiee of New York New Visions, a civic group that has offered ideas and designs for the redevelopment of downtown, said the designs did not meet the spirit of the design principles outlined by the de- velopment corporation in April. “That cailed for a vibrant, mixzed- use community,” Ms. Helfand said. “What we gol was what was there before, packaged differently.” Several people involved In the planning process said that they had mot heard until about a month ago that the designs would have to re- piace all 11 million square feet of office space in the trade center and A request for more ‘mput, feedback and recommendations’ for ground zero. that the available retail space would be increased io 600,008 square feel from about 491,000. In addition, the ers were directed to. include apace for a hotel to replace the one that formerly stood on the site with - the twin towers. “These plans are ali driven by hard economics,” said Beverly Wil lis, an architect and the co-founder of Rebuild Downtown Our Town, a civic group. “There’s no heart in them and _no recognition of what we all had been ied eo beHeve would occur, that we would wing up with something wonderful on this site.’ Kent Barwick, the president of the Municipal Art Society, a planning organization that organized a series of public forums to discuss the future of the site, said the office and retail constraints “diminished the pros- pects” for the designs. “There hasn’t been tirme for the analytical work that generally pre- cedes thai kind of site planning,” Mr. Barwick said. “The next phase needs to be to go back and de the analytical work necessary and determine what this part of town can and should suppert in terms of office space and retail space.” Steven K. Peterson, whase firm, Peterson Litlenberg Architects, worked on the designs, said the plan- ners always considered ther ta be a first step. “We knew we cotildn't solve every problem at once,’ he said, “but we first had to prove thal there are raany ways to do what had to be done under the current restrictions. It’s easy fo then reduce the program if the economic or political considera- itons call for it” Officials from the Port Authority and the development corporation also said that from the firet, they had intended to consider everything that rnight be dene on the site, then te » scale back those plans. “This was the opening offer,” one government official said, speaking on the condition of anonymity, “but this was not the time io amend these restrictions.” City and state officials were also unanimous in characterizing the plans presented yesterday as ‘‘a Starting point.” Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg said thai what ihe planners have done so far was simply “to take a concept and give you some variations on it to _ to think, to realize that we shouldn‘t be tied into any one thing.” Gov. George E. Pataki, whe ap ‘ pointed Mr. Whitehead as chairman bs of the development corporation to lead the rebuilding of Lower Manhai- tan, said he expected New Yorkers, who “are nol inherently shy,” to of- fer their mosi creative ideas. - Federal Hail was a building under NYC-WTC_0001 43205 Proposals to Develop the World Trade Center Site Six land-use plans were unveled yeslerday showing competing concepts ior rebuilding the former World Trade Center site. Elements of these proposals val form a blueprint for ihe beginning of the _ rebuilcing process. Each plan extends Greenwich Street through the site. and creates ai least one building with a spire 1,500 feet nigh. The proposais can be viewed in deta’ al www.renewnyc.com. MEMORIAL PLAZA | KEY [BB wewontaL OPEN SPACES — GB MUSEUM / CULTURAL BULDNGS. 8 COMMERCIAL BUILDINGS. 954 TOWER SHAPE 2 {BB Paceoseo Resinentiac BUILDINGS «BS euauic INDOOR SPACES MEMORIAL Would include an eight-acre plaza west of a newly extended Greenwich Street. The plaza would have both memorials and cultural buildings. The footprints of the former towers would be feft as open space aboveground. BULLDINGS Five towers would be built, one of 79 stories, two of 67 stories and two ol §2 stories. The tallest of these would include a skyline element, possibly an antenna or sculpiure. WEST STREET Wesi Street would be covered fror Battery Park to Vesey Street, creating ream for a promenade above and ronm tw expand memorial or cultural facilities. MEMORIAL PRE MEMORIALSQUARE memorial Would include a lf-acre square framed by l@-story buildings. The roofteps of these bulidings woald: have gardens connected by a continuous public walkway _ overlooking the square, The footprints of the former tawers would be left as open space aboveground. BUILDINGS Four towers would be built, ane of 80 stories, two of 76 stories and one of 56 stories. The tallest of these would include a skyline element, possibly an antenna or sculpture. WEST STREET Would be covered from Battery Park to Chambers Street, creating room for a promenade above. MEMORIAL GARDEN ~ 8 Boon pare), os noaysr. MEMORIAL Would include a five-acre (iangular open space surrounded by memorials and cultural and commercial facilities, including a public pavilion. The footprint of 1 Werld Trade Center would be covered by the pavilion. BUILDINGS Six lowers would be built, one of 83 sbories, one of 81 stories and four of 59 stories. The tallest of these would Include an unspecified skyline element. WEST STREET An clevated pedestrian deck would run east/ weat over West Street, providing passage to the public pavilion leading to the memorials. qwre.§, 5 MEMORIAL Would include a four-acre open space. The Southwest corner of this space would be reserved for. . Memorial and cultural uses. The footprinis of ihe farmer - towers would be left as epen space above ground. BUILDINGS Five towers would be built, one of 80 stories, two of 66 stories and two of 50 stories. The tallest of these would look out on the open space and include a skyiine element, possibly an antenna or sculpture. WEST STREET A multilevel pedestrian bridge would connect various parts of the site and provide passage: over West Street. MEMORIAL PARK WEMORIAL Would include a six-acre park partly situated on a deck over West Street. Two buildings for cultural uses would be on the edge of the park. The footprints of the former towers would be partly covered. BMALDINGS Five towers would be bulit, rwo of 72 stories, 3 of 45 stories. A skyline element would be added to ane of the towers. WEST STREET A tunnel, running from Albany Street to Vesey Street, would be built to bypass West Street. The plan would require the acquisition of property on the southern edge of the former World Trade Center site along Liberty Street. *& new 7 WTC. tower 6s already under consinuction, MEMORIAL PROMENADE MEMORIAL Would include a large oval park built on a: deck above West Street as well as a promenade that would run above West Street all the way to Battery Park. The walk would be lined with trees or plants in memory of each of the victims. The footprints of the former towers would be partly covered. — BULDINGS Six towers would be butll, rwo of 63 stories and Jour of 32 stories. The two taller buildings would inchide unspecified skyline elements. WEST STREET West Sireet would be covered from Battery Park to Vesey Street, creating room for a promenade above. x aiLO. boa a Manihat en Bevetaament COM era The Mew York Traes heavy security, a reflection of the continuing concern about possible terrorist acts directed at anything associated with the World Trade Center. Armed federal agenis were in evidence, bonsb g¢weeps were con- ducted with dogs, and bags were searched when people entered. Now that the initial designs have been presented for public comment, discussions about amending the re- strictions that limited them can be considered, Mr. Whitehead said. “We have looked carefully to see whether it is possible to preserve those private-sector rights that those twe groups bad and still rebuild this as a beautiful place and a place of which we are proud,” Mr. Whitehead said, referring to the lease agree- ments that Larry A. Silverstein, the developer who holds the commercial rights to the trade center site, and Westfield America, which holds the retail right, have with the Port Au- thority. “So far, we believe that it is possi- ble to do that,” he sald. “If we oon- clude differently, thar it is not possi- ble to rebuild and still meet those requirements and have the kind of heautiful center that.we want chis te be, then we will change our plans.” Nikki Stern, who attended the pre sentation yesterday and whose bus- band, James E. Potorti, was killed in the Sept. 11 attack, said Mr. White- head’s carnment ‘surprised me and gratified me.” “There are a fot of fine things in the plans,” Ms. Stern said. “But they were created using givens thal may have to be changed. This process is all ahout the art of corspromiuse, and we want to make sure that all the parties are practicing compromise, including the developers.” ,