The Lower Manhattan Development Corporation today expanded on plans for the transition of its responsibilities to appropriate partners in the rebuilding effort. This transition is part of an overall plan to sunset the agency in the fall of this year. This transitional process will continue to be led by the LMDC Chairman Kevin Rampe who will continue to work closely with the City of New York. It was also announced that President Stefan Pryor, who has helped lead the LMDC since its inception in November 2001, will be taking a new position as Deputy Mayor for Economic Development for the City of Newark, New Jersey.
Governor George E. Pataki said, “The LMDC conducted an unprecedented public process, creating a plan to realize our vision for a rebuilt and renewed Lower Manhattan. Stefan Pryor played a critical role in moving the rebuilding forward and I am grateful for his efforts. Work on the Calatrava Transportation Hub and Freedom Tower is well underway, with construction on the memorial footings and foundations to begin later this month. The investments the LMDC has made will continue to transform Lower Manhattan into a 21st Century Central Business District.”
New York Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg said, “Stefan knows just how far Lower Manhattan has come from those uncertain days in late 2001. Today, businesses and residents alike are moving to and flourishing in Lower Manhattan, and with the plans that the LMDC has helped to put in place, the future looks even brighter. Through his hard work and determination, Stefan has played a key role in getting us to this point and we wish him all the best in his future endeavor.”
LMDC Chairman Kevin Rampe said, “LMDC has accomplished a great deal over the past five years to ensure the economic vitality of Lower Manhattan. Stefan has played an instrumental role in the LMDC's success since the Agency's inception and I wish him well in his new position.”
LMDC President Stefan Pryor said, “I would like to thank Governor Pataki, Mayor Bloomberg, and the LMDC Board for the tremendous honor of participating in the rebuilding of Lower Manhattan. I am proud of the LMDC’s accomplishments over the past five years, and appreciate the hard work and dedication of our staff as the agency’s transition advances.” Pryor said, “I am very grateful to Mayor Booker for the opportunity to make a contribution to his dynamic administration.”
Created in the immediate aftermath of September 11th as a transitional agency to help in the recovery and coordinate the rebuilding, LMDC has accomplished two key objectives: 1) planning for the World Trade Center site and downtown revitalization, and 2) the allocation of more than $2.7 billion in federal funding earmarked for rebuilding initiatives. The LMDC is working with the State, City, Port Authority, and the WTC Memorial Foundation (Foundation) to develop a sequence and protocol for the transition of LMDC functions to successor agencies as projects move from the planning to the implementation phase.
The City will administer the grants to over 60 downtown cultural initiatives and remaining earmarked funds as well as spearhead many of the planning projects off the World Trade Center site including the Fulton Street Corridor and East River Waterfront initiatives. The Port Authority and WTC Memorial Foundation will take on Memorial construction and fundraising responsibilities, and the Lower Manhattan Construction Command Center will assume responsibility for the deconstruction of 130 Liberty Street.
As the first employee of the LMDC, Mr. Pryor worked in establishing the agency’s operations and in formulating its priorities and programs. The LMDC is credited with establishing the World Trade Center Site Master Plan, which will guide the rebuilding, as well as the selection and planning of the design for the World Trade Center Memorial. Site preparation work on the memorial has already begun and construction will start soon. Beyond the World Trade Center site, the LMDC has planned and funded projects to restore Lower Manhattan’s commercial competitiveness and to transform its neighborhoods so as to make them even more viable and attractive to residents and visitors.
As LMDC’s Senior Vice President for Policy and Programs, Pryor served the agency’s Chairman and President as their top deputy before being appointed President in May 2005. In his role as Senior Vice President, Pryor played an integral and hands-on role in setting the agenda of the agency and creating programs that would drive long-term economic growth in Lower Manhattan.
During his tenure as President, Pryor oversaw the adoption and implementation of the LMDC’s Funding Allocation Plan, which laid out the allocations of the agency’s remaining funding and enabled the rollout of a number of key revitalization initiatives. Major off-site initiatives launched during Pryor’s tenure include programs to transform Fulton Street into a premier retail corridor, as well as projects throughout every neighborhood of Lower Manhattan. These include the transformation of over 140 acres of open space – with parks created and renovated throughout downtown, as well as major projects at Hudson River Park and on the East River Waterfront. Pryor also oversaw a comprehensive set of initiatives in Chinatown, from establishing the neighborhood’s first Local Development Corporation to launching a Clean Streets Program, addressing the community’s most-expressed concern. Other initiatives launched during Pryor’s tenure include an affordable housing program and a cultural enhancement plan that awarded grants to 63 Lower Manhattan arts organizations throughout every downtown neighborhood.
Pryor previously served as a Vice President at the Partnership for New York City, the citywide business organization. At the Partnership, Pryor led the organization’s public education efforts and served as Executive Director of its main school reform program. After September 11th, Pryor helped coordinate the Partnership’s efforts to get downtown businesses up and running again. Pryor helped to found ReStart Central, which provided donated and discounted goods and services to September 11th-affected businesses. Pryor previously worked in municipal government in New Haven, Connecticut, where he served as Policy Advisor to that city’s Mayor. Pryor is a co-founder of Amistad Academy, an acclaimed New Haven charter middle school that has been invited to replicate in New York City. Amistad’s expansion organization, Achievement First, opened schools in Brooklyn’s East New York and Crown Heights neighborhoods this year.
