Community Board One on Tuesday evening approved a sweeping redesign of Pier 17 at the South Street Seaport in lower Manhattan, intended to convert what’s been a tourist destination into a modern, glass-enclosed structure housing upscale stores and restaurants with a greater local appeal.
Howard Hughes Corp., owner of Manhattan’s South Street Seaport, recently unveiled the plan. Hughes hopes to start construction next year and reopen the site in 2015. The project still has to be approved by the city’s Landmarks Commission which will meet late next month to review it, and this September go through the Uniform Land Use Review Procedure [ULURP] involving city planning, the borough president, the city council and the mayor. Key elements of the project include a public-access rooftop for concerts and other cultural activities, open views of the waterfront and the bridges, increased public space including a large front porch with amphitheater-style seating, a market that links to sections for retail and restaurants, and large glass and steel doors that are open or shut depending on the weather.