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.
