Development officials hope to work out a deal to buy the damaged Deutsche Bank building next to Ground Zero in coming weeks, at the same time they resolve an insurance dispute that has threatened to stall downtown rebuilding plans, sources told The Post.
The intense talks over the Liberty Street tower’s future have been going on since November, after Gov. Pataki named former Sen. George Mitchell as mediator.
The negotiations were initially portrayed as being aimed at finding common ground between Deutsche Bank, which owns the building, and two insurance companies, which dispute the bank’s claim that it needs millions to cover 9/11 losses, including the cost of tearing down the damaged tower.
But sources told The Post the negotiations have expanded to cover all the issues regarding the bank’s property, which development officials want to integrate into the World Trade Center site, to make room for a new office building and underground truck ramps and parking.
Officials hope to announce a deal in the next few weeks, Lower Manhattan Development Corp. chairman John Whitehead said at an LMDC board meeting Tuesday.
The Port Authority, which owns Ground Zero, would ultimately control the Deutsche Bank site.