After 18-months of stalled progress, Howard Hughes agrees to change Seaport tower design

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South-Street-Seaport Tower revised planJune 20, 2015- Downtown express reports, “Howard Hughes is reducing the proposed size of its much-criticized 500-foot tower by a “significant,” unknown amount.

On June 3, David Weinreb, Hughes C.E.O., sent Mayor Bill de Blasio a letter saying they were changing the design. A Hughes spokesperson said the decision to change was made shortly before the letter was sent.

Weinreb was reacting to a May 20 letter signed by Board 1 as well as non-profit preservation groups like the New York Landmarks Conservancy and Historic District Council criticizing the city’s deference to Hughes.

Last week, Chris Curry, the Hughes executive in charge of Seaport development, angered many C.B. 1 meeting attendees when he did not have any details about the revisions to come.

“We didn’t completely satisfy the height issue,” Curry said of the 500-foot tower plan being changed. “The height issue may never be completely satisfied to everyone’s satisfaction, but what I can tell you is we are looking at a significantly revised plan that I don’t even know what it looks like yet, so it’s not going to be shared.”

There were sarcastic chuckles when he said “we have been nothing but transparent.””

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