‘renga 1 Oven fichect rte ora Wes RegionalP laf Association May 19, 2009 The Honorable David A. Paterson Governor of the State of New York Executive Chamber Albany, New York 12224 ‘The Honorable Jon S. Corzine Governor of the State of New York 125 West State St PO Box 001 ‘Trenton, NJ 08625, The Honorable Michael R. Bloomberg Mayor of the City of New York City Hall New York, NY 10007 Dear Governor Paterson, Governor Corzine and Mayor Bloomberg: ‘The current impasse between the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey and Silverstein Properties is another unfortunate development in the tortured history of redeveloping the former World Trade Center site. While enormous progress has been made in restoring the infrastructure and vibrancy of Lower Manhattan since September 11, 2001, full recovery cannot proceed until this physical and emotional center of Lower Manhattan ceases to be a construction site. Regional Plan Association appreciates your collective efforts to intercede and facilitate a resolution. We strongly urge that any outcome reflect three principles that RPA has espoused since rebuilding began nearly eight years ago, These principles have guided positions we have taken at various stages in this process, both independently and in coalition as convener of the Civic Alliance to Rebuild Downtown New York. Perhaps most significantly, these principles were endorsed by almost 5,000 participants at the historic Listening to the City forum that RPA and the Civic Alliance convened at the Jacob Javits Center in 2002. First, public funds should not be diverted to support the development of commercial office space at the World Trade Center site beyond the current commitments of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey and LMDC. With limited funds for redevelopment, the financial resources of the Port Authority should be devoted to restoring the public infrastructure of the site—the PATH station and both the underground and surface facilities necessary to support the 9/11 Memorial, commercial activity, civie functions and public accessto the site, Beyond these purposes, all Port Authority funds should be devoted to maintaining and improving the vital regional transportation facilities that are its core responsibility. With two large towers with more than 5 million square feet of office space under construction in an uncertain market, the risks of any additional office development should be borne by the private sector. Second, the WTC site should be restored to support street life and connections to the rest of Lower Manhattan as quickly as possible. When the 9/11 Memorial ‘opens, Lower Manhattan will be flooded by tourists and visitors. Most importantly, the Port Authority should expeditiously complete the transit infrastructure and streets to restore the pedestrian experience at ground level. These investments will support long-term economic growth and quality of life throughout the district ‘Third, commercial development in Lower Manhattan should be paced by the ‘market, rather than public subsidies. In the short term, retail development would better respond to market conditions and generate profits and tax revenues. This could include shopping, restaurants, and hotel rooms to accommodate the anticipated visitors. While acknowledging that this is a complicated construction site, there are several examples of building office towers over existing building and transportation facilities. The feasibility of building multi-story retail pedestal ahead of the full construction of Towers 2 and 3 should be fully evaluated. By focusing on infrastructure and quality of life investments, the district and WTC site can be positioned to accommodate visitors in the short term and capitalize on improvements in the regional, national and global economy. ‘Thank you for moving this vital process forward. Sincerely, ( i Va Rebs We Yen Peter W. Herman Robert D. Yaro. ce: RPA Board of Directors Janno Lieber Robert Lieber Larry Silverstein Christopher Ward