The Howard Hughes Corporation CEO David O’Reilly (LinkedIn via David O’Reilly)
If any pigs were seen flying over Lower Manhattan Tuesday, this would explain it: An $850 million development planned for the South Street Seaport Historic District was approved.
The third time before the fussy Landmarks Preservation Commission was the charm for the Howard Hughes Corporation as the board voted 6 to 2 in favor of its downsized but still sizable project at 250 Water Street.
The company’s proposal was among the most controversial in recent city history, with throngs of New Yorkers weighing in about how it would save the nearby Seaport Museum, provide affordable housing and blend in seamlessly with the historic district and Financial District on either side. Plenty of others decried the design, saying the building would overwhelm the area with its height and bulk.