Trouble has been brewing at Harlem Park, the first new office building planned for the neighborhood in a generation or three. Following lengthy construction delays?the 125th Street building was supposed to be done in 2009, but construction hasn't even started?Vornado Realty Trust's boxy 21-story tower was cut down to 14 floors. Hmm! Then, it was reported that anchor tenant Major League Baseball was reconsidering whether Harlem was still "viable." Ruh-roh! Now, the killer: Charles Bagli reports in the Times that Vornado wants MLB to take on more space and pay $2 million more a year in rent, and the new demands have nearly killed the deal. Instead, MLB may just keep its fledgling TV network in Secaucus, where it planned on housing it until Harlem Park was finished. Bagli writes that this has placed "the future of the entire building" in jeopardy, though Vornado boss Steve Roth and city officials are trying to revive the deal. We're in the bottom of the ninth, and Vornado needs a walk-off. Can they rally? OK, that's enough of that.
· Harlem Plan for a TV Base Deteriorates [NYT]
· Curbed's Harlem Park coverage [Curbed]
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