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Update April 5, 2019- The A-hole is at it again. He has a Crain’s Op-Ed about his idea to fill in the Hudson River Park.
Update January 24, 2018- Delusional old fuck Charles Urstadt now wants to fill in the Hudson river by Piers 25 and 26 to make it a place where Amazon could locate its headquarters. He wrote a letter to the editor of a local advertising flier.
December 14, 2015- Opinion by Steven E. Greer
Charles Urstadt, the first Chairman of the BPCA, who was eventually pushed out (he claims that he quit), has been a continuing activist for Battery Park City despite living in Connecticut. He thinks that he still has the right to dictate how our community should be shaped. He views Battery Park City as his creation.
In several Op-Eds in various newspapers over the years, Urstadt has called for the filling in of the South Cove and replacing it with another hideous apartment tower. But his lame plans do not stop there.
Now, he is calling for the demolition of the Irish Memorial and replacing it with a development project. In a letter to The Broadsheet, he wrote, “(why the land beneath the Irish Memorial) should not be sold off for a substantial amount of funds, part of which — say $50 million — could be used to build a memorial on a thoroughfare where tourists can visit and is available for more repeat visitors. The Chairman says there is a ‘legal’ reason. I am not aware of what it is and we need more information and investigation. The land is probably worth $200 million and the Authority could make a nice profit.”.
What readers need to appreciate are the hidden agendas at play. Chairman James Gill replaced Urstadt and gave him the boot after he lingered around in a diminished capacity. Of course, Urstadt’s version of things are much different. The Irish Memorial is Gill’s pet project. Therefore, out of revenge, Urstadt, who does not give a rat’s ass about the real well-being of BPC, would love to see the Irish Memorial torn down to spite Gill.
To address Urstadt’s question about what legal hurdles there would be to tearing down the Irish Memorial, it is a registered park conservancy space. The square footage cannot be removed and replaced easily. To reduce the footprint of a conservancy park is prevented by strong state law and federal law. Urstadt knows this too. He is just misleading the community because he is an old real estate man still with delusions of grandeur.
It’s time to let go, Urstadt. You lost control of the BPCA a long time ago. What’s more, under your reign, Battery Park City staggered, stalled, and turned into a poorly developed semi-slum. You have no qualifications to be giving urban planning advice. Go putz around with your crappy strip malls that you manage in Connecticut, old man.
Your 2015 article on Urstadt was much punchier (and funnier). I fear you’re mellowing with old age.