LOWER MANHATTAN — Fourteen projects and cultural institutions in Lower Manhattan — including $10 million for Hudson River Park and $15 million for the East River Esplanade — were awarded a total of $50 million through the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Friday.
The funds come from a settlement agreement between the LMDC, an agency created to help Lower Manhattan rebuild after 9/11, and construction company Lend Lease over the demolition of Downtown's Deutsche Bank Building near Ground Zero. The company was dismantling the building in 2007 when the area went on fire and killed two firefighters.
Lend Lease agreed to pay LMDC $40 million and to forgive more than $10 million in outstanding payments.
Cultural institutions, along with several park projects were the recipients of the funds. Winners of the money include the Lower East Side's Pier 42, which is getting $7 million for an overhaul. The South Street Seaport Museum won $4.8 million, the 9/11 Museum's annual Tribute in Light was given $700,000 and Battery Park was awarded $6 million for a new playground.
For a complete list, head here.
There was also one notable denial — the LMDC did not give money to a controversial affordable housing project at the site of the Elizabeth Street Garden.
“This action will help strengthen these neighborhoods in lower Manhattan and create a better environment for people to live, work and visit,” said Cuomo said in a statement. “The Lower Manhattan Development Corporation has been a major force in the rebuilding for this community, and with these projects, this progress will continue for years to come.”
