We know guessing when the Ground Zero negotiations will end is a game no one wins, but we couldn’t help noticing the time frame Port Authority Chairman Anthony Coscia mentioned in a press huddle after his meeting today:
“We are very optimistic that in the ensuing weeks that we are going to come to some sort of agreement.”
Coscia, as well as Vice Chairman Charles Gargano, disputed the notion that the New Jersey and New York delegations had put forth different interests. A source said that while the Hudson River tunnel had not played into negotiations at all, that Jersey board members were pushing for a harder bargain from developer Larry Silverstein, pushing him to hand any discount on rent over to build the World Trade Center memorial.
Silverstein took the opportunity to play up the disarray within the Port Authority. He put out a statement today saying: “It looked as if a final, fair deal was at hand. However, we now find that the process has apparently gotten bogged down inside the Port Authority, which is as frustrating to me as I’m sure it is to New Yorkers.”
–Matthew Schuerman
