A judgment by the Landmarks Preservation Commission is on the horizon for the Howard Hughes Corp’s controversial South Street Seaport mixed-use proposal designed by SHoP Architects (above). As the $1.5B project sits in purgatory, Howard Hughes CEO David Weinreb cleared up a few misconceptions in a chat with Commercial Observer. For starters, Howard Hughes isn’t planning to turn South Street Seaport into a suburban mall, but rather a city within a city, with thriving Class-A office space in addition to retail and residential. He also claims all those misguided rumors that Howard Hughes doesn’t want to preserve the Seaport Museum are patently false, saying the company has offered tens of millions to the Seaport Museum and plans to build a new and improved museum. Ultimately David wants the community to know the plan is to use the development to revitalize the neighborhood and bring it back to its former glory… with cool new updates, of course. The South Street Seaport proposal includes a 42-story residential tower, a restored Tin Building, pavilions under the FDR Drive, an extended East River Esplanade, a new middle school, and a marina.