J. de Koning

Sun, 08 Oct 2006 06:34:21 -0500

Some politicians and officials will do anything to avoid having to respond to our nine-year old project proposal described on www.NationalHeritageTriangle.com The Lower Manhattan Development Corporation had tried to seize the National Heritage Triangle concept with a public statement a few months after we had delivered our envisaged project proposal to all its board members. This newest public brainchild of a "New York Harbor District" appears to us another wholesale attempt at circumventing our project and seizing its intellectual properties for the city. It is all about power, money and control.

Dave H.

Sun, 08 Oct 2006 06:17:40 -0500

With federalism comes legal complications. From a Washington Post article regarding an inter-state Supreme Court case disputing ownership of Ellis Island I read back in '98: To the victor will go political authority and regulation over a place at the core of America’s historical identity. Because the federal government holds title to the land, it controls activities on the island and its preservation. But there is potential for a state to earn revenue from any future building and use of the island. Except for the renovated main building, which is operated by the National Park Service, the old immigration structures are dilapidated and most of the island is undeveloped. New York now collects sales taxes on items sold at the museum’s shops, and New Jersey gets revenue from water, electricity and gas it provides the island. Strumpf, a spokesman for the park service’s regional office, said each state gets about $500,000 a year from activities on the island. The Court found 6-3 in favor of New Jersey: Because the federal government controls the island and today operates it as a national park, as a practical matter not much will change because of the high court’s decision. What the ruling does is give New Jersey potential tax revenue, a greater voice in future development of the island and - perhaps most important for the two grudge partners - a definitive answer on who can claim the bragging rights to one of America’s most celebrated landmarks. Close to 2 million tourists visit Ellis Island every year and more than 100 million people can claim that a relative passed through there when the island served as an entry port for immigrants earlier this century. Any creation of a Harbor District and increased infrastructural transportation services--by Doctoroff in particular--would seem to indicate a desire for real estate development. The SC seems to have already handed the ball to NJ on this issue and this proposal would seem legally DOA. "Many of us have parents or grandparents who landed as immigrants at ‘Ellis Island, New York,’" Justice Stephen G. Breyer wrote in a concurring statement signed by Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg. "And when this case is argued, I assumed that history would bear out that Ellis Island was part and parcel of New York. But that is not what the record has revealed." More than likely, this is an effort by Doctoroff to legitimize an entity to garner federal improvement funds to line his own pockets and those of NYC developers.

anonymass

Sat, 07 Oct 2006 16:41:15 -0500

I don't think that NY 'owns' Liberty Island. In fact, I just checked and neither does it 'own' Ellis Island. These are federal property within the jurisdiction of both NY and NJ. http://www.nps.gov/stli/

Gothamist: NYC Gets A New District: The Harbor District

J. de Koning

Dave H.

anonymass