LMDC to Unveil New Site Plans Dec. 18

LowerManhattan.info will partner with the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation to showcase seven new World Trade Center site plans from the design teams selected by the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation (LMDC) on December 18, the day the plans are officially unveiled to the public in a ceremony at the Winter Garden.  A final development plan for the site will be selected by the end of February, according to LMDC president Louis R. Tomson.

The seven new plans will include alternatives for the site that are very different from the six plans presented earlier this year, said Tomson in a speech at the first annual Rebuilding New York Public Finance Symposium on Monday.  "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," he said.  In addition to displaying the new site plans, LowerManhattan.info will also feature a question-and-answer series with each of the teams about the design process.

Public comment will play an important role in the LMDC's choice of which features become part of the final plan.  Response cards will be gathered at the Winter Garden exhibit, at a public meeting, and on the LMDC website.  Working with the Port Authority, the LMDC will evaluate each plan based on public comment and aesthetics as well as the treatment of the skyline, the memorial setting and approach, public spaces, cultural facilities, and the street grid, said Tomson.  Quantitative factors, such as cost and fundability, traffic impact and engineering considerations, will also play a role.

Tomson called the February target date, which is a month earlier than the date officials set previously, an ambitious but essential goal.  "Once those plans are released, we must move forward with the same sense of urgency," he said.  "Until a land use plan is in place, much of the site-related transportation work cannot proceed in earnest, and transportation is key to the revitalization effort."

A final plan will require agreement between the Port Authority, which owns the trade center site, and the LMDC, which was formed to help plan and coordinate the rebuilding and revitalization of Lower Manhattan. 

The City, too, will play a role in the ultimate redevelopment strategy.  Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg will present his own ideas for redeveloping Lower Manhattan on December 12.  The Mayor's plans will be available that day on LowerManhattan.info.

As soon as a final plan for land use at the World Trade Center site is reached, the LMDC will launch an international design competition for the memorial.  Two committees made up of a cross-section of the different groups affected by September 11 are now building a framework to guide the competition, including drafting a memorial mission statement and outlining the elements to be incorporated into the memorial.  The goal, said Tomson, is to select a design memorial by September 11, 2003.