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March 27, 2009
Ratner says Gehry tower will keep rising
Downtown Express
By Julie Shapiro
Word spread quickly last week that Forest City Ratner planned to chop the rising Beekman St. tower in half, leaving it at its current height of 38 stories.
The rumors started when workers recently stopped adding floors and WNYC reported that contractors applied for a permit to add a roof.
Joyce Baumgarten, spokesperson for Forest City, said the rumors are exaggerated. The permit was actually for the tower’s first setback, not for the roof, she said. The permits look similar, which could have caused the confusion, she added.
Baumgarten said the addition of new floors had paused so Forest City could look for ways to save money, possibly by re-bidding construction contracts. She is not worried about finding a market for the building’s 903 apartments, which will range from $4,000 to $15,000 a month.
“There’s been no change in the design of the building,” Baumgarten said in a phone interview. “Work is continuing on the building.”
In a statement, Baumgarten added, “Given current economic conditions, including downward trends in construction costs, we are conducting a study to evaluate potential opportunities to achieve savings on the project.”
NoLandGrab: On the other hand, nothing in Baumgarten's statement actually precludes topping out the building at 38 stories, so stay tuned...
Posted by lumi at March 27, 2009 5:25 AM