The Seaport/Civic Center Committee of Community Board 1 has expressed concerns about security at the planned plazas at the base of Beekman Tower, the 76-story rental apartment skyscraper nearing completion at 8 Spruce Street near City Hall.

The City had requested that the developer, Forest City Ratner, redesign the major plaza and modify some "straight lines to curves," according to a report by Matthew Fenton yesterday at Broadsheet Daily.

The committee had no problem with the design changes, the article continued, but John Fratta, chair of the committee, declared that "our major concern for some time has been about safety - especially since they plan to keep this plaza open 24 hours a day."

"When committee members took turns grilling Forest City Ratner representatives about specifics like manpower, cameras and hours of coverage," the article continued, "'they weren't very forthcoming,' Mr. Fratta said."

At last Tuesday's meeting of Community Board 1's Seaport/Civic Center Committee, a discussion that was supposed to be about the design of plazas at the foot of Beekman Tower, now rising at 8 Spruce St., shifted abruptly to the question of security. There will be two plazas - one of 13,000 square feet to the west of the building, and a small, landscaped walkway to the east.

Paul Hovitz, a committee member, was quoted in the article as stating that "the design is beautiful, but it has bushes and trees and other places where a criminal might hide while waiting to assault somebody who walked by."

"Not satisfied with the answers provided by Forest City Ratner representatives, Mr. Hovitz moved that the committee consider a resolution calling upon the developer to staff the plazas with full-time security personnel. After a brief discussion, the resolution was passed unanimously by the Seaport/Civic Center committee. It will be considered by the full membership of CB1 later in June, at the Board's monthly meeting," the article said.