NYC Construction Insurance: The Reconstruction of South Street Seaport
When most people think of Superstorm Sandy, the devastating storm that hit the east coast well over a year ago, they remember the extensive damage that affected the Jersey Shore, putting many stores out of business for months, some indefinitely. A frequently forgotten piece of land that was also severely affected by the storm, though, is the South Street Seaport in lower Manhattan.
For the most part, lower Manhattan was back to business within five months of Sandy’s touchdown. However, store owners and residents of the South Street Seaport neighborhood are still plagued by empty buildings and silent sidewalks. Shortly after the storm hit, one business owner named Adam Weprin noted that “Everybody knows about the Rockaways and Staten Island and New Jersey… But I don’t think most people know about the carnage that took place at the Seaport.”
Seaport’s reconstruction and recovery has only just recently begun, and it’s not without debate. At a Community Board 1 (CB1) meeting in mid-March 2014, representatives from developer Howard Hughes presented plans to keep visitors coming this year while the mall is demolished in way of a new one to be designed by SHoP Architects. The debate, however, is over the 50-story hotel/condo tower that Howard Hughes wants to erect next to Pier 17.
Community members and business owners in the area feel that this tower will be out of context with the neighborhood, which is characterized by three-and four-story buildings. They feel that it will obstruct views of the Brooklyn Bridge as well. Over all, residents of the area simply do not want a tower, although CB1 sees it as a landmark status for the New Market building.
At this point, CB1 members are listening to residents, city officials, and the developer, considering the history of the site and other important factors. Whether or not a modern tower will be installed near this historic district remains to be seen, but in the meantime business owners want to see something happen, to get their visitors back that they had pre-Sandy.
Whether you are working on a controversial project such as the tower at South Street Seaport, or working on a small residential construction project, it’s important to ensure that your NYC Construction Insurance Policy is up to date. At Provident Protection Plus Insurance Agency, we offer a number of comprehensive Manhattan Business Insurance products, for not only the Construction Industry, but also the Manufacturing, Real Estate, Transportation, and Wholesaler Industries. Please contact us today to learn more at (888) 990-0526.