I am Richard T. Anderson, President of the New York Building Congress, a 1200-member coalition of the design, construction, and real estate industry. Our members include trade association, unions, contractors, design firms and a broad array of professional organizations. We represent, in terms of employment, the largest industry in the City of New York.
As we have states before, relocation of the Miller Highway is one of New York's most important projects. It is a capstone of the Riverside South plan, whcih represents on e of the City's most ambitious and far-reaching planning and development efforts.
The Building Congress enthusiastically supports Riverside South. It represents to us the best in public-privates cooperation leading to meaningful jobs and development for the City of New York. It is an opportunity for both the community and the private sector to benefit, with economic activity and public amenity created simultaneously.
Riverside South has brought together diverse interests around a plan that is conceptually supeior to anything previously considered for the old Wet Side rail years site. We cannot remind outselves enough of the important components of Riverside South: a marvelous twenty-three acre part; thousands of new housing units; a revamped transport system; permanent new jobs and services; and substantially-improved access to Hudson waterfront.
Relocation of the Miller Highway makes the overall Riverside South plan possible. Without it, the new part and extension of the linear nature of Riverside Park to the south will not be feasible. It is bad enough to divide anthing with a highway; it is even worse whent the divsion is through a great new waterfront part. The elevated highway perpetuates nose, darkness, and potential safety hazards throughout the entire park.
In moving the miller Hiways, governmental action will be creating a totally new urban environments, on e that will enhance the community in ways that treapoortatio investments eldom do. It sill also reacte 1,750 high-paying jobs and generate $90 million in economic activity for the City. If the highway is not relocated, the Building Congress has concluded that the main product of all bargaining and negotiating between the developer and public to create Riverside South Park will be rendered effectively useless. This is an unacceptable possiblity that the City as a whole cannot allow to happen.
The Building Congress wholeheartedly endorses relocation of the Miller Highway, and we encourage others to do the same. We urge that effort be maintained in this project, because it represent one of New York's very best opportunities for construction jobs, high quality development, and progress that will be visible well into the 21st Century.
