Another project in Brooklyn had been approved for the $15 million in tax exempt bonds by the EDC (just in case the Hyatt deal falls through) but today's Wall Street Journal reports that there's enough money to go around for the December 31 deadline. New York City was allocated $121 million in Recovery Zone Bonds that had to be used by the end of the year or the money will go back to the federal government. The Harlem Hyatt was scheduled to receive the last of the tax-exempt bonds and many thought that when the Brooklyn project received the approval that there would not be any funds left. Today's WSJ article reveals that another development deal has since collapsed and this will allow the Harlem Hyatt to move forward if all the paperwork is completed on time: LINK. Top photo is of the August drilling on the proposed site.
Great news, this corner deserves something significant, what with the new Marcus Samuelsson’s Red Rooster on the opposite corner and Chez Lucienne along with the beautiful architecture of Lenox Ave., this hotel will provide a significant boost to the uplifting of this major intersection. However, it is not over yet, I expect some more bumps in the road and the predictable local resistance to progress by some.
ReplyDeleteGreat news. Still 100% behind this with jobs going to local residents. I heard something a few months ago from the construction company that the "groundbreaking" is merely a ceremonial event with construction to commence in 2011 (backing up what Ulysses reported), so there is still every chance that this will move ahead. Would still be nice to get some recent clarification though (especially as to what the recent drilling was for). Site preparation?
ReplyDeleteChris, they drill for core samples. Best to make sure it can hold what it needs to hold. Don't want to build up and have it fall over because there was a river under there.
ReplyDeleteFunny you should mention that, Sanou's Mum: I take it you know there actually is a river under there? Pretty much the whole length of 125th St. was a creek bed until well into the 19th century. It's part of what accounts for the odd configuration of the street's westernmost stretch, over in Manhattanville. So yeah, they've gotta be careful the site can support the building--let's just hope the economy can support it, too! (If not, I still think it'd make a good spot for a little shoe factory...)
ReplyDeleteWorking stiff, thanks for the great information, I always wondered why 125th veers north at its western end.
ReplyDeleteThere is no question the ground will be capable of supporting a hotel, the foundation system will be designed to work with the conditions found by the core samples being taken in this photo.
ReplyDeleteHa, this is why I stick to building sand castles.
ReplyDeleteWorking Stiff. Thanks. No, I didn’t know there was a river flowing under 125th Street. I’ve been reading my Harlem history but missed that.
ReplyDeleteYears ago there was a huge Roman Catholic church just barely north of Canal Street called St. Alphonsus. It no longer had a congregation to support it and was vacant. Alarming signs started appearing "St.Alphonsus is sinking". And it did. They don’t call it Canal Street for nothing.
Highly recommended:
ReplyDeletehttp://welikia.org/
You can find the creek there--I guess it didn't quite make it all the way to Lenox, it poops out around ACP; but you can see there were all these little freshets and streams all over the area. Basically 125th was the at the center of a giant flood plain.
Working Stiff: Great pointer on the map.
ReplyDeleteIt's actually really interesting in this context to consider to what extent the present-day outlines of "Harlem" (along with some of the distinctions between the more and less "desirable" locales within greater Harlem), appear to have been influenced by the underlying physical geography.
The split between the "high ground" and "low ground" areas appears fairly stark in the 1609 map, and the flood plain no doubt influenced both the initial patterns of settlement and the subsequent course of urban development.
Oh my lord, I’m living in a swamp! Thanks for the link to the map, Working Stiff. I’m slowly working my way through the book Manhatta but it's a bit of a slog.
ReplyDeleteUpdate...things are looking up:
ReplyDeletehttp://theuptowner.org/2010/11/09/80-million-harlem-hotel-project-moves-closer-to-construction/