On Sunday, City Council Speaker Chris Quinn and Councilmember Margaret Chin rang the bell to open the 2011 season of the New Amsterdam Market at the South Street Seaport. In the last couple of years, they both have become big advocates of creating a 12-month, 7-day-a-week market on the former site of the Fulton Fish Market.
The Howard Hughes Corp., which has a long-term lease at the Seaport and is considering whether to redevelop or sell the property, isn’t necessarily enamored with the idea. But Quinn said she’d be making a case for the market concept in upcoming meetings with company executives and the NYC Economic Development Corp., which oversees the Seaport.
In the meantime, Quinn told shoppers, their continued patronage of the New Amsterdam Market speaks volumes. “Who knew that when you came here to buy arugula you would be making a profound political statement about the economic future of Lower Manhattan,” she said. Chin added, “we will make this happen. It’s going to be a showcase.”
The New Amsterdam Market will begin its weekly schedule on June 5th.
If Quinn has anything to do with this (ala Kingsbridge) you can be sure it will not work. Where was Ms Quinn when the Rouse Co, GGP, the City and the EDC were trashing the existing businesses at the Seaport after 9/11?
After Pataki, Bloomberg , EDC and CB1 begged us in letters “Don’t abandon Downtown” they screwed us all right out of our stores and left us holding “the debt bag”.
Screw her and that stupid Market. And for the record, yes, I am angry.
Gerry Nally “Former Seaport tenant”
I am laughing once again after witnessing what people such as Chin & Quinn are proud to be promoting at the seaport, after so many years of “repeating” feeble attempts at putting a market there after the Fish Market departed for the Bronx. I was a merchant at the seaport for 25 years and not once have they been successful with establishing a market. Ms. Chin, markets only a short distance away in Chinatown are superb! Ms. Quinn I respect you for years, BUT, when did you start living in a “dreamworld???” Unfortunately, Chin & Quinn did nothing to keep many excellent tenants at the seaport in recent years in spite of the fact that they encouraged all of us to remain after 9/11??? Ms. Chin states, “We will make this happen….” Really? Ms. Chin can you part the East River and walk over to Brooklyn??” If you had the power to achieve that feat,.then I would believe you are going to make this fiasco work! IT AIN’T GONNA HAPPEN!!! NEVER HAS AND NEVER WILL.