Battery Park City Authority approves $11 M in contracts for Pier A renovation work

Battery Park City’s landmark Pier A will soon get its final repairs as the redevelopment project moves along under budget. This week, the Battery Park City Authority approved $11.1 million in construction contracts for core and shell work on the three-story pier, which is slated to begin once the underwater repairs are completed in April. That’s less than the project’s $30 million budget — which came from the city — had allotted for the repair work, and the surplus funds will be used to design the pier’s public plaza, the authority said. The authority is looking to have a tenant in the building by next year and is currently seeking proposals from prospective occupants. The city would have to approve the rent and terms of any lease. This isn’t the first redevelopment effort at Pier A; the city had previously enlisted a private developer to rehabilitate the former marine firehouse but the project never got off the ground. Some authority board members expressed skepticism that the authority would be able to find a tenant willing to pay a sum that would be agreeable to the city, especially given this history. [Downtown Express]