Messinger vote on Riverside So. still up in the air.

Borough President Ruth Messinger will cast her vote this week on the Riverside South development plan. The 74-acre project has been under intense scrutiny for several years as it has gone from a plan with the tallest building in the world to one in which the opponents became the developers.

The $2.1 billion mixed use development proposed for the Upper West Side railyards entered the Uniform Land Use Review Process just before the summer. The Community Board has already voted "no" and cited a laundry list of concerns.

Messinger said there are negotiations taking place with the Riverside South developers on the major issues which she noted have been raised and highlighted over the last year or more. Some progress has got to be made in these discussions, she said. "If we are just chatting about design, affordable housing and sewerage treatment, then we can't do a favorable report," she added.

Messinger said she was pleased to see serious negotiations. In the past, she said, there would be a long period of time during which there would be no discussions until the last few hours before a major decision. "From my point of view, while waiting to see if something happens, at least the parties are engaged," she said.

"Hopefully, the discussions will lead to new agreements, understanding and tough provisions for enforcement," Messinger continued," so provision are being addressed that could make it possible to express conditional support." Her vote is due this week.