CDL, LLC (owners of the The Millennium Hilton right next to ground zero) is suing the WTC developers for a bunch of money to allegedly install double-paned windows, allegedly to minimize the noise produced by the construction site.
WTF, you might ask. The construction didn’t exactly start yesterday. Why now?
Well, apparently the ground zero developers have installed new windows on “residences adjacent to the site” and CDL wants in on the action. It’s only fair.
I think there’s actually only one residential building that fits the description of “residence next to the site” and I’ve lived there. It’s an ancient one, but newly renovated since the attacks (obviously). And it’s nowhere near the size of the Millennium Hilton.
It’s like if you gave a 3-year-old a bit of your ice cream and a 600-pound gorilla got jealous and wanted 15 ice creams.
But maybe cost isn’t the problem. Is there a difference between people who live in an area and those who are only tourists? Um, yep. Tourists don’t vote.
Fundamentally, the Port Authority is a political beast and it is impossible to underestimate the political clout actual residents of the area around ground zero wield (particularly the ones that lived through the attack). They might be the post powerful polity in the country. Irritate them at your peril.
Sorry, Millennium Hilton. You probably ain’t getting windows.
Not Unreasonable 