Progress continues at WTC site as tower redesign begins

Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Gov. George Pataki met with rebuilding officials yesterday, including representatives from the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation, the New York City Police Department, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, and developer Larry Silverstein, announcing at the conclusion of the meeting that an agreement had been reached to redesign the World Trade Center's Freedom Tower to meet NYPD security standards.

"What emerged from the meeting was a renewed commitment to realization of the Freedom Tower as a bold symbol of the rebuilding," Pataki said in a statement. "We have an obligation to move forward with the rebuilding in a deliberative and responsible way," he continued, pledging, "We will continue the great progress being made in Lower Manhattan and construct the Freedom Tower with a new design which will make our city and nation proud."

Larry Silverstein's team will work closely with the NYPD in coming weeks to create a new design for the building, which will take into consideration security concerns while retaining essential elements of the original design, including the tower's symbolic 1,776-foot height. "We believe that a building that meets the NYPD standards can be built consistent with Daniel Libeskind's Master Site Plan," the governor said in a statement. "I have no doubt that David Childs will come up with yet another magnificent design that will once again inspire the nation and serve as a fitting tribute to freedom."

At the meeting, the mayor and governor also discussed the significant progress that has already been made and the next steps in the rebuilding, outlining shared priorities for allocations of the remaining LMDC funds, which will help revitalize the entire Lower Manhattan community. The governor went on in his statement to offer assurance that the World Trade Center Memorial Foundation is continuing in its fundraising for a new memorial and two new cultural buildings, and that the World Trade Center Transit Hub groundbreaking, scheduled for later this spring, will take place as planned.