Pier 55 has been under unrelenting legal attack since media mogul Barry Diller and the Hudson River Park Trust unveiled plans for the futuristic west side pier park. The source of those attacks has been by and large the same—a mysterious and small nonprofit called the City Club of New York, who’s filed three pricey lawsuits against the project in the past several years.
The source of City Club’s beef hasn’t really been clear, and with that, neither has the source of its funding. Now, Crain’s says City Club is being made to disclose their income after questions surrounding it were raised with State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman. In September, Diller wondered aloud if it was fellow rich guy and real estate titan Douglas Durst who was pumping funds into the ailing nonprofit. Drama!
The source of the funding intel will come by way of a disclosure form that nonprofits are required to file in New York state. City Club has neglected to file said form with either the IRS or state since 2003, since which time they’ve waged legal battles against the plan to rezone Midtown East and a rezone Willets Point, Queens.
City Club plans to file the disclosure form for the most recent fiscal year tomorrow, though Crain’s notes it’s unlikely that any connection between Durst and the organization will be coaxed out, should there be one.
"We were not aware until very recently of the state requirement and are cooperating with the state to get our filings up to date as quickly as possible," City Club President Michael Gruen said in a statement. The organization will work backwards through the years until they’re caught up with their filing.
Update: City Club has been in compliance with IRS regulations. Curbed regrets the error.
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