WPCNR COMMON COUNCIL CHRONICLE-EXAMINER. June 4, 2007 UPDATED 11:50 AM EDT: The surprise letter delivered by Reckson/SL Green, the largest owner of commercial office space in the New York area received Friday by the Mayor and Common Council by e-mail, promises, that as a $15 Billion enterprise they can “readily undertake a redevelopment of the Train Station and surrounding area into a magnificent mixed use gateway to the City of White Plains,” and calls for the City to issue a Request for Proposals “or any other form the Council determines is in the best interest of the City without causing any delay in advancing the Train Station Project.”
Rick Matthews, a spokesman for SL Green told WPCNR that the Mayor was first advised of the project in a meeting Thursday, before the Friday meeting. He said he would check to confirm this. WPCNR asked how long SL Green had been considering working up a station proposal, he said he would also check on that, but thought there might not be any more comment.
Reckson promises they would devise a proposal “crafted to better reflect the City’s vision and Comprehensive Plan for the Station Square area,” including “high-end retail,” and ability “to attract the very best of commercial tenants,” and “creating a walkable urban environment around the Train Station Area with pedestrian linkage to the Mamaroneck Avenue Business District,” while “respecting the density in the area.” Reckson also holds out the carrot of being “very much amenable to discussing other amenity packages for the City good or better than the current proposal (Station Square).”
The letter “respectfully submits that an Exclusivity Agreement, as contemplated at this early stage in the planning process for a Train Station Project, would undercut the advantages to the City to be gained by a competitive process, and promote improper favoritism and fundamental unfairness. It would also be difficult, “ the letter closes, “if not impossible, for the City to enter into an Exclusivity Agreement now with one developer, and expect a company such as Reckson/SL Green to submit a proposal later.”
WPCNR contacted John Barnes, the Senior Vice President of Reckson/SL Green at his office in White Plains, for details on when the firm apprised the Mayor they were interested in the station area, and we await his return phone call.
The text of the Reckson letter, released to WPCNR by a member of the Common Council, follows:
