Monthly Archives: September 2018

Construction has begun on the Freedom Tower in Lower Manhattan in New York City. The Freedom Tower will be built to attain a height of 1776 feet and would be the tallest building in the world if it was completed today. The Tower is the centerpiece of the new World Trade Center complex and is scheduled for completion in the year 2010.

The tower will have a cubic base that is designed for safety from car or truck bombs. The base will be covered in thirteen foot tall glass prisms that will refract light into color. This will make the cubic base more interesting to the naked eye. The concern for safety also is incorporated into the vertical core which will run through the center of the building. The core will contain many of the structure’s essential safety systems. It will have 3 foot thick walls made from extra-strong concrete. The core will also contain emergency communication cables, exhaust and ventilation shafts, water pipes, and stairs and lifts to enter or exit the building. Overall, the unique architectural design of the Freedom Tower will make it look like it twists as it get higher.

The new Freedom Tower will honor the Twin Towers in several ways. The base of the Freedom Tower will be two hundred feet square. Two hundred square feet was the exact dimension of the original towers. The observation deck will be at 1,362 feet, the height of World Trade Center Tower Two. The glass parapet will be at 1,368 feet, the height of World Trade Center Tower One. A spire will emit an intense beam of light at night that will be visible over a thousand feet into the air above the tower. The light will represent a beacon of freedom in the night sky over New York City.

The Freedom Tower will also be a world class model of energy and environmental efficiency. It will feature unique conservation technology to reduce energy demand. Ultra-clear glass windows will mean better interior natural lighting and enhanced outside views for occupants. Improved indoor air quality will be the result of outside-air ventilation and the use of nontoxic building materials. The building will reuse rainwater for building cooling and irrigation.

Adjacent to the Freedom Tower is the 9/11 Memorial. The 9/11 Memorial is called ” Reflecting Absence” and it consists of a park at street level, within the footprints of the two destroyed towers. The landscape of the surrounding area is interrupted by the footprints of the twin towers, which will be represented as waterfalls.

The 9/11 Memorial’s descent below ground is a transformation from the bright, loud, colorful city above to the solemn, dark, quiet area below the surface. The more public areas below ground feature sheets of falling water that outline the locations of the Twin Towers. The entire area below the surface of the 9/11 Memorial is intentionally sparse and gray to evoke a sense of mourning, while being open to the sky above as a symbol of hope for the future. This is in contrast to the area above ground. Before the attacks, this was a large plain of concrete. Now it is being transformed into a living space of trees, flowers, and grass.

Three other high rises are planned for the site along Greenwich Street, plus a residential tower. Together, all the high rises will surround the World Trade Center Memorial. The area will also be home to a museum, highlighting many of the different aspects of the past and future World Trade Centers.

In a few years, the completed construction of the Freedom Tower, the 9/11 Memorial, and the three other high rise towers will transform the skyline of New York City and complete the rebirth of lower Manhattan.

If you are a cell phone tower landowner or building lease owner or know someone that is, this article will provide some insight into tactics used by the Wireless Industry to take advantage of unsuspecting cell tower landowners.

When approached by a cell phone company or one of the many lease buyout companies it is important to understand one thing. Companies exist to make money. The wireless industry is no different. I am sure you felt like you hit the lottery and in a way you did, but what if you found out that the lottery was only paying you 1/4 of your winnings.

When you look at the industry it is still relatively young. Consider when you were growing up, I’m sure you remember radio, having to roll the windows up in your car by hand, or using a rotary phone. Now it’s the internet, power everything and cell phones. I only mention this so that as a landowner you realize you are part of new technology that has not only replaced the rotary phone, but now your LAN line home phone as well. With that comes the potential to benefit greatly, just as all of us have from using cell phones. Many landowners and attorneys do not have the expertise in this industry to fully take advantage of it’s potential. Here are a couple of examples of tactics used by cell phone companies and tower companies.

1.) The cell phone industry is consolidating so that means your tower may be at risk.

In most cases this is just not true. Yes there has been consolidation such as the merger of Sprint and Nextel, as well as Cingular and AT&T. But understand that does not mean less demand for the service that is being provided. In addition there are new companies such as ClearWire that are doing well and growing. Here is another secret, cell phone towers are not only being used for voice communication. Bringing the internet to your phone and other media content including TV is here now, if you have not seen the Apple Iphone I suggest going to at&t’s website. This translates into higher cell phone bills which means more money for those companies. Shouldn’t that mean more money for landowners?

2.) Use this lump sum payment to pay bills now.

A lump sum offer may sound like a great deal, especially if they offer you seven years at your current rent. There are situations when this is a viable option, but as I mentioned before companies exist to make money. Combine that with the possibility that you are not getting full value for your land contract and … that is exactly how these companies are making money. Often times they will turn around and re-negotiate your contract for much more and begin profiting from your financial situation. Imagine if you received $500 more a month from your cell phone tower lease. Would this help relieve some of your debt? What if you could get more? Sometimes short term problems can be solved with long term solutions, not always the quick fix.

These are the two common scenarios. The truth is that as a landowner you have a great investment sitting on your property. To learn more or if you have any questions please visit CellSiteNegotiation.com. Cell Site Negotiation was founded as a way to help cell site landowners and building lessors maximize the profit potential of their contracts.