Robert Lieber, the deputy mayor for economic development, announced he's stepping down, "I told the mayor this is toughest decision I ever had to make. I love the job. I’m most proud of having taken a lot of these projects that had been put in the oven but not baked and gotten them done, whether it’s Coney Island, Willets Point or the World Trade Center.” The NY Times reports that Lieber, who previously worked for Lehman Brothers, will be going to a "merchant real estate bank that recently acquired a company that, he said, would be at the center of sorting out troubled real estate loans." Lieber also worked on the city's takeover of Governors Island and failed attempt to turn Kingsbridge Armory into a shopping mall. more ›

Photo: Food of the Future more ›

Plans to construct a glass addition to the top of the Battery Maritime Building moved a little closer to fruition this week with the approval of Community Board 1. The New York Post reports that the Board was a little concerned about the scale of the glass addition that will be added to the century-old structure, but that something productive had to be done with the building to ensure its continued existence. Plans by the Dermot Company include the installation of a 140-room boutique hotel, a restaurant, a lounge, and a specialty foods marketplace. more ›

Plans to renovate Pier A, the last remaining pier on the lower west side, are staggering forward again. The Victorian-era three-story pier was built immediately after the Brooklyn Bridge, using much of the same equipment, and was once one of the city’s proudest points of entry, boasting visits from boldface names like Amelia Earhart and the Queen of England. Today it’s a dilapidated eyesore that clashes with the rest of the lavishly rehabilitated west side waterfront, and Governor Spitzer’s office is stepping in to coordinate renovations. more ›

Luxury cruise line Cunard has many ships, but last night was the first time that its Queen Mary 2, Queen Elizabeth 2, and new Queen Victoria ships were in the "same port at the same time." And the port was the NewYork Harbor, under fireworks and gaze of the Statue of Liberty. more ›

• Today on the Gothamist Newsmap: a water condition at Surf Ave. and West 8th St. in Brooklyn, a car vs. building at 49th St. and 5th Ave. in Manhattan, and a fatality with a person under a subway train at Sutter and Snediker Aves. in Brooklyn.
• The editors at The New York Times apologize for asserting that Presidential candidate Ron Paul was allied with white supremacists and the American Nazi Party.
• Racked notes that the much-anticipated Uniqlo sample sale was a total bust because everything had already been sold in a pre-sale to PR types and members of the press.

Deputy Mayor Dan Doctoroff, who was in charge of Economic Development and Rebuilding in the Bloomberg administration, announced he would resign by the end of the year. The Post called the news "stunning," but we'd like to call it "classic," because his new job will be president of a little company called Bloomberg LP. At a City Hall press conference, Mayor Bloomberg said, "As a result of Dan's efforts, we've allowed for the creation of... more ›

According to Carousel News, "The New York City Economic Development Corporation (“NYCEDC”) is seeking a consultant or consultant team for restoration and reconstruction of the historic B&B Carousell." more ›

A city may be putting the kibosh on Thor Equities' ambitious plan to transform Coney Island. The Daily News has an exclusive: A "high-ranking city officials" says the plan is "dead in the water." Apparently the city is bothered on a few counts: The fact that Thor wants $100 million in subsidies (there's no guarantee Thor won't sell the land after getting the zoning it wants) and its plan for time-share hotel space. From the News:

"[Thor's plan] was clearly designed merely to try to get a lucrative zoning change and massive city funding without genuine regard to Coney Island's future," the city official said. "It's atrocious." more ›

Ooh. The Post reports that Economic Development Corporation president Robert Lieber flew to Denmark to met with representatives of Tivoli Gardens, the 164-year-old Copenhagen amusement park, about the possibility of some Tivoli Gardens action in Brooklyn. The Post's headline? "TASTY APPLE DANISH FOR CONEY IS." more ›

Controversial plans for high-rise luxury condos at Coney Island have now been scrapped, with developer Thor revising its plans to instead include a glass enclosed water park and hotel space. The city's planning department was very concerned with condominiums being included in the plan, but Thor had argued condos would be critical in keeping the project profitable. Now Thor CEO Joseph Sitt explained, "This is our way of being responsible and putting out an olive branch to the community and city administration." more ›

Officials from the city's Economic Development Corporation met in March with representatives from Tigerfish Aviation, an Australia-based seaplane manufacturer, to discuss how commercial seaplane service could work in the metropolitan region, and what kinds of planes could be employed. more ›

The NY Sun reports that the New York Aquarium has selected a plan for its redesign. The Wallace Roberts & Todd and Cloud 9 design has a dramatic "wavy, cage-like enclosure." NY Times critic Nicholas Ouroussoff said it resembles a whale last October when the design, along with two others, were announced as finalists. more ›

Oh, to be a child again! The NY Times has a story about the city's efforts to develop a new playground concept for lower Manhattan. The city has been working with designer David Rockwell on a playground that would include things like foam blocks, water, cardboard tubes, burlap bags, ramps, climbing nets and even "play workers" to help kids, uh, play.

Developers of the Lower Manhattan project envision groups of children collaborating, for instance, loading containers with sand, hoisting them up with pulleys and then lowering them down to wagons waiting to be wheeled off to another part of the park. more ›

Where's Reverend Billy? That quote is from today's NY Times article about people trying to stop a Wal-Mart from coming to the Bronx. Nevermind that Wal-Mart hasn't officially said that they'd like to bring one of its store to the borough - activists are just making sure it never ever happens. This is in spite of the majority of Bronx residents saying they would welcome a Wal-Mart. more ›

Gothamist has never had a taste for foie gras (although, some of us do) as we can't get past the fact that we're eating liver, but animal rights activists are trying to get the delicacy banned entirely. In an appeal to the state legislature, groups including the Humane Society asked the state's Department of Agriculture and Markets to label foie gras as an "adulterated" food, which is defined as food that is "diseased, contaminated, filthy, putrid or decomposed." This would give the agriculture commissioner the option of banning foie gras. The Times gets what could be the best quote regarding this issue from Eric Ripert, the executive chef and co-owner of Le Bernardin who sighs and then says:

We can criticize how foie gras is produced and be concerned about the health of the duck and blah, blah, blah, O.K., fine.

So, Battery Martime Building, which has been under renovations for the past few years, may become NYC's new enclosed greenmarket space. Or at least that's what the NYC Economic Development Corporation is hoping. While there may be challenges with its more remote location - and whether or not there are even enough people to sustain it, the NYC EDC and Community Board 1 think there's a great opportunity considering the lack of grocery stores downtown. Gothamist loves this idea, mainly because a year-round food market - with scale - would be wonderful; Philadelphia has the Reading Terminal Market which is a great destination and place to get delicious things to eat. The NYCEDC issued the request for proposal today, and vendors will have until May 10 to complete it. more ›