Annual Report 2004

Voicing the Challenges

I am aware of the challenges facing New York as wecontinue to rebuild lower Manhattan and the rest of our city. In the coming years, the City Council, and the Land Use Committee in particular, has a great opportunity to be the engine that moves the resurgence of the economy.

Honorable Melinda Katz New York City Council Chair, Land Use Committee

In partnership with the State and federal government we must continue to rebuild the World Trade Center site in a way that respects the lives of those we lost. In addition to a memorial, it is also critical that we move forward with an overall economic plan for the area. We need to decide what kind of industries we want to foster, what the office space need is, what kind of residential needs there are, and what kind of retail stores are going to be needed. Most importantly, there needs to be a coordinated effort to make sure that once again Lower Manhattan thrives.

We lost jobs at an alarming rate after September 11th as companies moved out of the city. We have to continue to instill confidence that New York can rebuild and create incentives to make sure that corporations that provide tax revenues stay in the City. We must also recognize the boroughs of Queens, Staten Island, Brooklyn, and the Bronx in our rebuilding efforts. There is great potential in the other four boroughs and many places where economic and real estate development is needed.

Gretchen Dykstra Commissioner, New York City Department of Consumer Affairs

As the revitalization of Lower Manhattan moves from the planning to implementation phase, it is critical that we safeguard the quality of life of local residents, workers and school children, while ensuring the continued economic viability of those businesses currently located in the environs of the World Trade Center. As part of that process, the Bloomberg Administration has proposed the "Coordinated Construction Act,” a common sense set of regulations designed to speed the construction of projects while promoting fairness and safety. Among its seven recommendations is a provision that would allow the City and the utility and telecommunications companies to jointly bid on infrastructure projects, which greatly reduces the need to rip up the same streets repeatedly. The bill requires approval by the New York State Legislature and Governor Pataki, and the Bloomberg administration is lobbying hard to get it passed in 2004.

Kathleen Grimm Deputy Chancellor of Finance and Administration, New York City Department of Education

In the fall of 2003, the Bloomberg administration and the Department of Education proposed an ambitious $13 billion, five-year capital plan for New York City's public schools. The plan goes well beyond the usual bricks and mortar of the past and focuses directly on the urgent needs of the City's children.

Over the past two years, we have dedicated ourselves to transforming our public schools into first-rate educational institutions. Now we have aligned our capital planning program with the rest of our reform agenda. We are determined, not just to throw dollars at problems, but to get the most and best for our children. The plan relies on increased State funds, which are essential to correct the generations-long imbalance between the needs of our children and the resources provided to our schools. It is up to New York City's public and private leaders to demand that this City finally receive appropriate resources
from the State.

Patricia J. Lancaster Commissioner, New York City Department of Buildings

New York City's current building code is the most stringent set of construction guidelines in the nation, yet its complexity is seen by many, including the Bloomberg administration, as an impediment to progress. In an important effort to streamline the City's construction process and to create updated guidelines responsive to the latest technical advances, best practices and post 9/11 realities, a Mayoral Commission has recommended, and Mayor Bloomberg has accepted, a proposal to adopt the International Building Code (IBC).

The commission chose the IBC based in part on its comprehensiveness, ease of understanding, flexibility of upgrading and the ability to adapt it to the unique requirements of New York City. We have put forth an aggressive timetable for adoption of the code but are confident that, with the active support of the building industry, we can create a system that will positively impact building design, construction and management, as well as public safety, for centuries to come.

Katherine N. Lapp Executive Director, Metropolitan Transportation Authority

New York's mass transit system is, in a way, a victim of its own success. More people are using the subways than ever before, and the resulting congestion must be alleviated if the City is to maintain its competitive position in the global economy. Last year, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority created the MTA Capital Construction Company to serve as its construction management arm on a series of interrelated expansion projects, including East Side Access, the Second Avenue Subway, service to Manhattan's far West Side, the Fulton Transit Center and a new South Ferry Terminal.

These projects will dramatically enhance the City's commercial, economic, residential and cultural development and serve as our legacy to the next generation. While funding is in place for the projects in Lower Manhattan, the timing of the remaining projects hinges largely on funding streams. A federal transportation bill, which will determine New York's funding allocations, is up for reauthorization, and it is incumbent upon the business, government and civic community to advocate strongly for New York's fair share.

Mary-Jean Eastman Principal, Perkins Eastman Architects

New York City seems poised for a significant economic recovery this year and next. In the architectural community, we are seeing especially strong growth in those markets that serve the general population, including housing, healthcare, and education. Currently the housing market is very robust. The City's public and private healthcare institutions continue to commission projects, both renovations of existing physical plants and new facilities. In senior living, the assisted living market is saturated, but there is strong activity in continuing care communities and replacement nursing homes.

Renewed interest in commercial work and mixed-use developments is generating large new projects, particularly in Queens. Major corporate and financial institutions are beginning new facility planning cycles following several years of inactivity. And many major New York City architecture firms are currently working in China, where the emphasis is on commercial buildings, new town planning, university planning and design, and resort planning.