LOWER MANHATTAN — As more than 90 building projects continue to rise in Lower Manhattan — and in the wake of a deadly crane collapse last month — elected officials are calling on the city for more construction coordination.
The push from officials including Councilwoman Margaret Chin, State Senator Daniel Squadron, Rep. Jerrold Nadler and Borough President Gale Brewer comes as the Department of Transportation is phasing out its Lower Manhattan Commissioner's office — which worked to oversee the dense amount of construction work — because of budgetary constraints.
In the aftermath of 9/11, as much rebuilding was needed Downtown, an agency called the Lower Manhattan Construction Command Center (LMCCC) was created to oversee the vast amount of construction in the area.
The LMCCC served as a central point of coordination for various city agencies, as well as for Lower Manhattan residents who had concerns about quality of life issues.
When the LMCCC was disbanded in 2013, the DOT's Lower Manhattan Commissioner's office filled what residents and elected officials say is a continued need for an agency solely focused on the widespread construction in just a 1.5-mile radius.
But as the DOT is phasing out its Lower Manhattan-specific office, residents and officials are urging the city to keep, or create, some kind of Downtown construction agency.
“We are concerned that with the impending closure of the Department of Transportation’s Lower Manhattan Borough Commissioner’s Office, there will be no entity coordinating the large number of current and pending projects in the area," officials said in a letter to the city, sent Wednesday.
"We request that your office assign the role of coordinating construction efforts in Lower Manhattan and engage the community in construction related issues.”
The officials' letter also expressed concern about construction coordination throughout the city, pointing out that in 2015, the City Council had called on the mayor's office to appoint a construction coordinator for all of Manhattan to work with the DOT and the Department of Buildings to help with efficiency in the construction process.
The mayor's office did not immediately return request for comment.
