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WTC plan likely OK'd by February
From Phil Hirschkorn
NEW YORK (CNN) -- A plan for what to do with the 16-acre World Trade Center site is likely to be approved by the end of February, the president of the Lower Manhattan Development Corp. said Monday. In addition, a mission statement and design specifications for a memorial to the approximately 2,800 people killed in the September 11, 2001, attacks on the twin towers will be finalized next month, Lou Tomson told investment bankers at a symposium on public finance. The LMDC, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which owns the Trade Center land, and the city of New York, which controls the property adjacent to the site, must agree to the plan before construction can begin. "We all want it to go faster, and we all don't want to rush into things," said Mayor Michael Bloomberg. "We are progressing with the democratic process of letting lots of people give their input." Land-use plans proposed by seven design teams assembled this autumn will be unveiled for public viewing and feedback December 18, Tomson said. They will be displayed in atrium of the World Financial Center, which borders Ground Zero. A first round of designs, unveiled in July, met with widespread public disapproval, especially for being too cluttered with office space. The Port Authority had prevailed on the original land-use architects, Beyer Blinder Belle, to restore 11 million square feet of office space lost when the twin towers and five surrounding buildings were destroyed. That resulted in six different variations of the same theme. "This time, the planners and architects are being encouraged to share their concepts in their own distinctive voice and style, to explore a range of ideas, and above all else, to inspire the public," Tomson said. The plans are expected to propose a range of 6 million to 10 million square feet of office space and a symbolic skyline element, but to avoid construction on the one-acre plots where the towers stood, known as their footprints. The land use plans unveiled later this month and refined into one plan next year will not include designs for individual buildings. "Ultimately, of course, it is the market that will determine if, when, and what gets built on the site," Tomson said in this remarks. He added to reporters afterward, "No one's going to build an office building until there's a demand for it." The LMDC has $1.3 billion in federal funds on hand. The agency has already allocated $300 million in rent and mortgage subsidies to entice people to move into Lower Manhattan and another $350 million in business grants to downtown businesses. Residential occupancy rates in the area are back up to 95 percent, but there are still double-digit vacancy races in downtown office space. Congress has appropriated another $4.55 billion, administered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA, for rebuilding transportation infrastructure. Tomson said planners intend to build a downtown hub with a "grand point of arrival," akin to Grand Central Terminal, that would unite 13 New York City subway lines and commuter trains to New Jersey and connect to the metropolitan area's three major airports -- La Guardia, Kennedy and Newark. "If we can make significant progress on the transportation infrastructure by then, businesses will have an even greater incentive to remain in Lower Manhattan," Tomson said. "These projects will also ensure that we can accommodate the millions of people yearly who will one day journey to the permanent memorial."
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