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In spite of it all, Pier 40 process may be working

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The first public hearing on the revised Pier 40 proposals came off without a hitch Monday night and it was, all in all, a quite interesting and informative event. Some had anticipated the developers — like Peter Chermayeff’s oceanarium group, for one — would do little to change their plans.

Clearly, Chermayeff as well as Park on the Pier Developers recognized there is a strong local constituency for athletic fields and active recreation space on the pier. Both development groups answered that need by filling in the pier’s so-called “donut” — roofing over its courtyard.

If what was seen Monday night was any indication of what is to come, we shouldn’t be surprised if this Monday night — at Manhattan Developmental Center, 75 Morton St., 6:30 p.m. — Forest City Ratner shows up with significantly revised plans for the pier, perhaps moving away from its three big-box stores in favor of a more appropriately sized retail component. Ben Korman of C&K Properties, which will also present on Monday, has already promised a “surprise.”

Unfortunately, tangled local political rivalries persist and there is no denying Pier 40 has become a political football.

Yet, at Monday night’s hearing it was evident that whatever political hostilities may be festering, no one is trying to derail the Pier 40 process. The developers have come back with new, some would say, exciting, proposals and there is a month and a half left to hone a plan and coalesce behind a group that seems to best represent the various interests of the community while meeting the park’s economic needs.

It was noteworthy that no elected officials — other than district leaders — attended. All three candidates for Village female Democratic district leader attended; one, Lois Rakoff, asked a question about where children’s buses would park by the pier.

We hope the politicians weren’t ducking the meeting out of some grudge over the feuding on the waterfront committee. What happened on the committee and the chance to now review the revised plans are completely separate issues. Getting a first-hand look at the new plans is important. At least, videotapes will be available….

Overall, the public is getting the best chance it has ever had to hear the developers and review the plans. It was Assemblymember Deborah Glick and the Pier 40 Working Group that pushed to extend the Feb. 15 deadline for selecting a developer for the pier four months to June 15. That extra time has already produced some good results.

Following her shake-up of Community Board 2’s waterfront committee, the board’s chairperson, Aubrey Lees, has taken charge of the process at the board. Judging by the meeting last night, she and her allies, like Don MacPherson, the waterfront committee’s new chairperson, have succeeded in opening up the review process to allow for more public participation.

The process is bigger than any few individuals, though countless many have made important contributions for the process to get to this stage. As Ben Korman of C&K says, it’s all about the process. So, let’s continue the process, and when June 15 arrives, we hope we will have a stunning new plan and won’t have to wait another five or 10 years or who knows how long for a real park on Pier 40.