The heart of the issue— and the source of the opposition—is that directly across from the parking lot is the hideous HIGH-RISE complex Southbridge Towers. Several years ago, it’s greedy residents successfully voted to overturn their affordable Mitchell Lama designation so they could sell their government subsidized apartments at market rate prices. This new tower at 250 Water will substantially obstruct East River and Brooklyn Bridge views from all east-facing units, greatly reducing their values.

In NYC, the historic preservation movement has been mostly hijacked by self-centered residents who simply want to maintain their property values. Very little is actually about preserving significant architecture/history. It’s no coincidence that the vast majority of historic districts are in wealthy residential areas.