| Contact: | Sunny Mindel / Matthew Higgins |
(212) 788-2958 |
| Janel Patterson, EDC | (212) 619-5000 |
Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani announced today the City is moving forward with plans to sell three buildings that comprise Board of Education headquarters -- including 110 Livingston Street -- with the release of a Request for Proposals (RFP) by the Economic Development Corporation. Following the release last March of a Request for Expressions of Interest (RFEI) to purchase 110 Livingston Street and two other Board buildings in Downtown Brooklyn, the City received responses from developers interested in purchasing some or all of the buildings.
The Mayor also announced the release of an RFEI by the Economic Development Corporation to lease or develop a new state-of-the-art building in Downtown Brooklyn that will house Board headquarters and include a new high standards public school. The consolidation of Board headquarters in one location will allow the Board to streamline its operations and trim its central staff. The new space will range from 450,000 square feet to 550,000 square feet.
The RFP seeks proposals from potential buyers interested in acquiring one or more of the three existing Board headquarters buildings. Permitted uses under existing zoning include office, commercial, residential and community facilities. The City has received expressions of interest for each of these permitted uses.
Joining the Mayor for the announcement were Deputy Mayor Anthony Coles; Deputy Mayor Robert Harding; Board of Education President Ninfa Segarra; and Schools Chancellor Harold O. Levy.
"For far too long, 110 Livingston Street has served as a symbol, not
of educational excellence, but of a bloated bureaucracy in desperate need of
systemic reform," the Mayor said. "By selling the Board's headquarters
and moving it to a new, smaller state-of-the-art facility, we will redirect
the resources to where they are most needed -- in the classroom. I'm pleased
that the prospect of purchasing 110 Livingston Street and the other buildings
has generated such intense interest among developers. I look forward to working
with the Board to expedite the sale of its existing headquarters, and to develop
a new facility to house the Board of Education."
Board of Education President Ninfa Segarra said, "The new headquarters
will encourage the Board to reinvent itself into a streamlined, efficient agency
dedicated solely to one vital mission -- educating children. The new facility
will also enable the Board to lead by example and usher in a new era of accountability
throughout New York City's school system."
Deputy Mayor Anthony Coles said, "The sale of 110 Livingston Street is
a critical element of the ongoing reform of the New York City schools system.
Even the building's address has become synonymous with government inefficiency.
Soon, the new headquarters will come to represent the Board's renewed commitment
to putting children ahead of bureaucracy."
Deputy Mayor Robert Harding said, "The sale of Board of Education headquarters
will generate significant revenue for the City while enabling the Board to better
manage the administration of the public school system."
Economic Development Corporation President Michael Carey said, "These prime sites present excellent development opportunities. Potential commercial, retail or residential projects would join the unique combination of businesses, academic institutions and government offices located in downtown Brooklyn, including Morgan Stanley, J.P. Morgan Chase, Goldman Sachs, Polytechnic University, Brooklyn Law School, and the Marriott Hotel, as well as Brooklyn Borough Hall."
The properties included in the RFP, all located in Downtown Brooklyn, are 11O Livingston Street, constructed in 1925 and containing approximately 361,284 square feet; 65 Court Street, constructed in 1965 and containing approximately 285,768 square feet; and 131 Livingston Street, constructed in 1907 and containing approximately 63,840 square feet.
The deadline to submit a response to the RFEI and the RFP is 2:00 p.m., Thursday,
June 28, 2001. To request a copy of the RFEI or RFP, please call the Economic
Development Corporation Contract Hotline at 212-312-3969.