The deadline for the developer to spend $1 million to improve existing parks in the area was May 12, 2022. Was that money spent? (By 2035, $3M must be spent.)

As I wrote in March 2018, the project Development Agreement states, that "prior to the Substantial Completion of Phase II," which is May 12, 2035, the developer (now Greenland Forest City Partners) "shall collectively invest (or shall cause to be invested)" a total of $3 million in the aggregate, for the improvement of existing parks near and around the project site.

Within that total, $1 million must be invested before the "Outside Phase I Substantial Completion Date," which is 5/12/22, 12 years after the Project Effective Date, again subject to Unavoidable Delays.

As I wrote, if the $1.25 million-plus earlier pledged by original developer Forest City Ratner for the Dean Street Playground comfort station counts, well, they've already met that requirement. 

But that was never addressed, nor confirmed.

At the time, I wondered if the seeming near-term plan, required as a result of the 2014 Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS), to upgradeTimes Plaza just west of the project site would count. But that plan has been delayed.

Following up

A few months ago, I filed a Freedom of Information Law (FOIL) request to see if there's any update.

More recently, I queried Empire State Development (ESD), the state authority that oversee/shepherds the project, as well as GFCP,

No answers yet. I also filed a question for tomorrow's Quality of Life meeting. 

Will we get an answer? Maybe, maybe not. But if not, it's another lingering deadline missed, just as with the deadline to build the Urban Room or the deadline to pay New York City for its development rights at Site 5.

And if not, maybe ESD will exercise its "right to refrain" from enforcing contractual documents, offering a general loophole to the developer. That looms even more importantly regarding the deadline to build the Urban Room and the May 2025 affordable housing deadline.