Building Congress Event
NEW YORK BUILDING CONGRESS ANNUAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING & CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY LUNCHEON FORUM
Mayor de Blasio Focuses on Affordable Housing and Improving Infrastructure at New York Building Congress Annual Membership Meeting
Mayor Bill de Blasio hailed the current strength of New York City and detailed ways to make it better for all New Yorkers during the New York Building Congress Annual Membership Meeting and Luncheon Forum on January 23 at The Pierre in Manhattan. The event included remarks from Carlo A. Scissura, who presided over his first Annual Meeting as President and CEO of the Building Congress.
Calling it a “glorious time to be New Yorkers,” Mayor de Blasio touted the low crime rates, education system gains, record job growth, and soaring tourism numbers as proof of the strength of the city, but recognized that there was still work to do.
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“These indicators, when you wrap them together, speak to the success of everyone in this room, the strength of the city, and the fact that we are actually poised to do a lot more. That’s not only in all of our interest but that’s where your work comes in so crucially. Because to do more, we have to build more,” he told the more than 650 attendees from the design, construction and real estate industry.
During his presentation, Mayor de Blasio emphasized the need to make New York a more balanced city for residents of all walks of life and acknowledged the role of the building industry in advancing this goal. “The path to an inclusive city that allows more people to stay in the city they love is not to put our heads in the sand or act like development pressure or market pressure is something that is going to go away.” He encouraged a healthy conversation, explaining that the goal is “to seek development that achieves the most for the most New Yorkers.”
Citing his administration’s affordable housing plan as an example of what must be done to create a more equitable city, Mayor de Blasio told the attendees that 21,900 affordable apartments have been preserved or financed in the past year, the largest annual total in the past 25 years. He explained that his administration is on budget and ahead of schedule for his overall plan of 200,000 affordable units by 2024.
Providing insight on the city’s 10-year capital plan which would be announced the following day, Mayor de Blasio revealed the city would be investing in 40,000 more school seats, pointing out the demand that the city’s extraordinary growth has put on the school system.
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Emphasizing the importance of improving infrastructure and transportation, Mayor de Blasio cited the Brooklyn Queens Connector and city-wide ferry service as essential projects and the rezoning of Midtown East as a crucial plan that will allow height and density for builders, while providing infrastructure improvements to those who live and work in the area.
He also declared that in addition to the 4,000 lane miles of city roads and highways that would be repaved by the end of this fiscal year, 1,300 lane miles would be in the budget for next year.
Mayor de Blasio then thanked the design, construction, and real estate industry for supporting design-build authority for New York City and requested the industry’s continued help in passing the legislation. “There’s a lot of reach in this room; there’s a lot of firepower in this room. We need your voices to be heard in Albany in these next months, because getting design-build authority is going to allow us to create a better city for all.”
In closing, he urged the attendees to work together to keep New York City an inclusive place. “We have to do smart, progressive things to keep it a city for everyone, keep it a place that has that entrepreneurial spark, that creative genius it’s had for generations. It’s our generation’s turn to make that happen, and I am confident that together we will.”
President’s Report
During his remarks, Mr. Scissura discussed the Building Congress’ 2017 strategic plan, the importance of being at the forefront of the infrastructure conversation, and the prioritization of a five-borough agenda.
Mr. Scissura told the attendees that the Building Congress would be focused on growing membership to better reflect all five boroughs, which he called “five unique places filled with amazing companies that are building our city.” Mr. Scissura also discussed the formation of two new committees – a government affairs committee to focus on legislative and policy ideas and a young professionals committee to engage the next generation of industry leaders – and told the attendees that exciting changes would be coming to the Building Congress’ Construction Breakfast Forums.
In closing, Mr. Scissura spoke of the Building Congress’ plans, “We will be forward thinking, helping to create and shape not only the projects of tomorrow, but the biggest projects of the future, not just tomorrow, not just today.”
Commercial Observer, Dodge Data & Analytics and ENR New York co-sponsored the event, which was co-hosted by Cauldwell Wingate; CHA Companies; The Durst Organization; Jack Resnick & Sons; LIUNA Eastern Region; Lend Lease (US) Construction LMB Inc.; Sciame Construction LLC; Skanska; STV Group, Inc.; and TGI Office Automation.
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