Rebuilding Must Address Community Needs, Gerson Says

 By Ronald Drenger

Councilman Alan Gerson on May 8 called on Downtown rebuilding officials to adopt a set of redevelopment guidelines that prioritize the needs of people who live and work in the community.

Joined by about 30 residents and business owners at a press conference on the steps of City Hall, Gerson urged the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation, the Port Authority and city and state officials to embrace the “Livability First” principles as they move forward with the rebuilding process.

The principles, which Gerson said are intended to protect Downtowners’ safety, health and quality of life, include:

  • Minimizing noise, pollution, street congestion and other impacts of construction;
  • Using the lessons of 9/11 to construct safer buildings;
  • Creating amenities, such as cultural institutions, recreational facilities, schools and a new library, to support the growth of the residential population and the development of a “24/7 community”;
  • Supporting new and existing street-level retail;
  • Avoiding unnecessary street closures and reducing the number of security barriers on streets;
  • Preserving affordable housing, as at Independence Plaza in Tribeca;
  • Building underground parking, including at the World Trade Center site, for tour and commuter buses, to keep them off the streets;
  • Safeguarding or removing diesel fuel stored in Downtown buildings, such as 60 Hudson Street;
“The mayor, the governor, the LMDC have talked about their plans for rebuilding Lower Manhattan,” Gerson said. “This is the people’s plan. What we need is a human vision, a human blueprint for rebuilding, which takes into account that this is where people live, where children grow up, where seniors retire and where people work and go home.”

[To download the complete blueprint (in PDF format), click here.]

Several residents echoed Gerson’s comments, saying that their quality of life concerns should be taken into account as Downtown redevelopment moves forward.

“Many voices have been heard in this rebuilding process, but one of the constituents that sometimes gets drowned out is the neighborhood,” said Bruce Ehrmann, a Tribeca resident and Community Board 1 member.

“We look forward to the renovation of the area with trepidation, because of what we lived through with the cleanup,” said Skip Blumberg, president of Friends of City Hall Park. “Half of City Hall Park is still locked to public access and there are still many public plazas that are closed,” he said. “I hope the government doesn’t ignore us.”

“We feel very connected to this community,” said Nancy Owens, who lives on Franklin Street and is a former Community Board 1 member. Downtown residents had to fight hard over the years for parks, schools and other community facilities, she said. “We need these things, but in planning, they’re usually put on the backburner.”

Michael Cook, who lives at 125 Cedar Street, across the street from the World Trade Center site, said after the press conference that he and his neighbors have been dealing with some of the specific problems that Gerson’s plan attempts to address. Since being allowed to move back into their building earlier this year, he said, residents at 125 Cedar have confronted construction noise, pollution and blocked streets and sidewalks.

“I get the feeling that the people involved, from the government agencies, have absolutely no idea of the impact on the people down there,” Cook said, referring to ongoing construction projects on Greenwich and Albany streets as well as work on the trade center site. “Traffic patterns and accessibility change all the time. There will be a sign saying, you can’t cross the sidewalk here, use the other side, but the other side of the street is blocked by construction equipment and you can’t get through. And it’s not getting any better.”