UN May Move To Brooklyn While Headquarters Renovated-Annan

May 10, 2005 
Wall Street Journal
Original Source: http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,BT_CO_20050510_008567-search,00.html?collection=autowire%2F30day&vql_string=%27united+nations%27%3Cin%3E%28article%2Dbody%29

UNITED NATIONS (AP)--United Nations delegates, welcome to...Brooklyn?
U.N. planners have found commercial space across the East River in Brooklyn that could serve as a temporary home while the United Nations' iconic glass-and-steel headquarters in Manhattan gets a long-overdue renovation, Secretary-General Kofi Annan said in a report Monday.
The report assessed where things stand with plans to renovate the U.N. secretariat building, which was considered modern when it was constructed 50 years ago but now violates most New York City fire and safety codes.
The 38-story tower has no sprinkler system, is packed with asbestos and loses about 25% of the heat pumped into it in the winter.
Annan said a search of more than 100 properties in Manhattan had turned up nothing that satisfied its needs for both office and conference space. One possibility that planners looked at was 7 World Trade Center, which is expected to open next year, officials said.
A major issue is working out where to hold the annual General Assembly debate, when world leaders descend on New York for several days.
The Brooklyn space, part of a larger development in the borough, could fit the bill, Annan's report said.
The disadvantage is that the site would require additional travel for many staff and delegates, Annan wrote.
U.N. officials acknowledge the chances of a move to Brooklyn are remote. But even raising the option revealed just how difficult it has become for the world body to find a suitable place to stay during the headquarters overhaul.
The U.N. had originally hoped to build a skyscraper next to the secretariat in Manhattan to serve as a temporary home during the renovation. Once the work was complete, U.N. offices scattered around New York would fill the building.
But the U.N.'s original plan requires approval from the New York State legislature in Albany because the United Nations would have to take over a small playground where the building would be erected. And lawmakers who oppose the United Nations on principle have refused -despite urging from the Bush Administration.
Even if Albany does agree to the legislation soon, the next-door skyscraper would not be ready until 2010, three years behind schedule. Those delays would cost the United Nations $114 million, Annan said.
In the report, Annan also recommended that the United Nations accept a U.S. offer for a $1.2 billion loan, repayable over 30 years at an annual interest rate of 5.54% to finance the U.N. renovation. The loan offer expires on Sept. 30.