Survey reveals some support for Seaport tower

26 percent of comments oppose an alternative to Howard Hughes development

Howard Hughes Corporation's proposed South Street Seaport tower
Howard Hughes Corporation's proposed South Street Seaport tower

UPDATED, 12:31 p.m., July 18It would appear that the Howard Hughes Corporation’s proposed 600-foot tower at the South Street Seaport is not as unpopular as vocal criticism has suggested.

To be sure, a survey released by the Seaport Working Group revealed that 71 percent of comments submitted to the committee support a guideline that calls for an alternative to the 50-story tower, Downtown Express reported. However, 26 percent of comments oppose that guideline, while three percent of comments were neutral, according to the news site.

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The 71 percent support for that guideline is far below the support of at least 95 percent that other aspects of the development received, according to the paper. John Fratta, chairperson of Community Board 1’s Seaport Committee said the 26 percent figure bothered him because it seemed too high, the paper reported.

The working group, which was largely formed to address community opposition to the tower, has suggested a shorter building on the site of the old Fulton Fish Market. Howard Hughes Corp. will likely submit a new proposal for the mixed-use tower in the fall, Chris Curry, senior executive president of development for the company told Downtown Express. [Downtown Express]Tom DiChristopher