Developers broke ground on the silver-skinned, 65-story tower planned for 50 West Street in Lower Manhattan.

On June 23, New York-based developer Time Equities Inc. marked the occasion with, appropriately enough, an organic breakfast from the local bakery Financier.

Not only was the breakfast-cum-groundbreaking religiously eco-friendly, but it was also religious.

According to the release, "Vicar Anne Mallonee, The Reverand Mark Bozzuti-Jones and Rabbi Schmaya Katz blessed the site and spoke of hospitality, unity and sustainability as they welcomed their new neighbor."

It's all in keeping with the firm's meticulous political correctness. The developers are anticipating that the residential and hotel building will get LEED-gold certification thanks to the incorporation of technologies like a green roof, water-efficient plumbing, automated blinds, and sustainable construction materials.  read more »

A group of neighborhood and business groups opposed to the reopening and expansion of the House of Detention at the edge of Downtown Brooklyn are expanding their opposition as the city moves closer to expanding the now-shuttered jail.

A group calling itself the Brooklyn House of Detention Community Stakeholders Group has launched a Web site for the issue, announcing their labors today with their very first press release.  read more »

Time Equities has applied for a building permit for a 65-story glass condo tower at 50 West Street, city records show. The luxury hotel and condo building would be completed in 2010.

The Helmut Jahn-designed tower, which the permit application puts at 714 feet, would have 305 condos atop 15 stories of a 150-room luxury hotel, according to project director Dermot Johnson.  read more »