Video, Audio, Photos & Rush Transcript: Governor Hochul and Local Leaders Reveal Major Housing Breakthrough Bringing Affordable Units to Lower Manhattan at World Trade Center Site

"Good morning.

While we may never be able to close the hole in our hearts for those we lost on 9/11, at least today, we can close one of the holes left behind this hallowed ground left by a heinous terrorist attack over 22 years ago. Less than one hour ago, we received the final approval necessary to transform a place of death and destruction into a place of life and community, creating a live, work, play environment, showcasing once again to the rest of the world that you cannot keep New Yorkers down.

And we, as New Yorkers, and our magnificent buildings will always rise up. And I want to thank the members of my team who never gave up even in the darkest, most challenging hours, along with amazing partners starting with Senator Brian Kavanagh, who represents this area with heart and compassion. Our Councilmember, Christopher Marte, who's joining us. Help from labor - labor has been extraordinary. The jobs that are being created to build, but also those who serve the buildings afterward and the people who live in them.

Manny Pastreich, President of 32BJ, I want to thank you for all you have done for us. Extraordinary. Having a Borough President who believes that people need safe, wonderful communities to live in is also a tremendous asset. A great friend of ours, Borough President Mark Levine. Mark Levine. And you can applaud these people.

The New York Building Congress is in the house. Carlo Scissura, thank you. We saw you yesterday, and you had a chance to talk about my priorities once again. And thank you and all your members for what they do every single day. And also, Vittoria Farie - tell me, you tell me how to say it because everybody mangles mine. Vittoria Fariello.

Thank you. Thank you, and the members of the 100 Percent Affordable World Trade Center Coalition - I started my life as an activist. I know how hard it is, and I thank you. And directly from my team, Hope Knight, the President and CEO of Empire State Development - Hope. And the woman who has joined with me at the hips in making sure we build and build more housing, our Commissioner of Housing and Community Renewal, RuthAnne Visnauskas. Let's give them a round of applause.

He cannot be with us here today, but I also want to thank Rick Cotton, the Executive Director of the Port Authority, who's been the steward of the comeback of this site and whose effort in the end here and, as I'll describe it, helped us seal the deal.

I want to thank Mayor Adams for his support from City Hall and another mayor - Mike Bloomberg - for having the vision of the rebirth of this site over two decades ago. As I mentioned, the World Trade Center, the site holds some of the darkest memories. It also holds our brightest hopes, and from the darkness and despair of 9/11, a vision of New York that honors those we lost, but built us back stronger and more united than ever before.

In the aftermath, the community, the people who had to endured so much, they came together with civic leaders, business leaders, developers, elected leaders, and they decided that we can go from a place that was known for offices and commercial space to a 24/7 community. And as a result, it went from a community of residential -- people lived down there, maybe 15,000 to over 70,000 in that timeframe. A flourishing downtown neighborhood, the very opposite of what the perpetrators of that heinous attack envisioned. And many said it couldn't be done. Who's going to live down here? It's fascinating, those who live down here and now work in buildings like where we are today, the majority of whom are in their twenties, they're young.

They read about 9/11 in a book in school, or hear about it from older family members, but they're the ones who have seized the opportunity to redefine this place, and we are continuing to prove those who bet against us so very wrong.

So, two decades later, lower Manhattan has been transformed, and this building is a shiny example of that.

But also, just look at the 9/11 Museum and Memorial. The Oculus. The Perelman Arts Center opening up to the world in just a few short months. And One World Trade Center, which quickly became an iconic symbol of our skyline. And it's not an accident that it's 1,776 feet high. It was a reminder, an intentional reminder, of the birth of our nation, but also the rebirth of this site and this community. Its very existence makes a strong statement -- that we're Americans, we're New Yorkers, and we are resilient.

And today we're taking an unprecedented step forward, reaffirming our commitment to a vibrant, vital downtown Manhattan that understands that the vitality of this great city hinges on our ability to build more housing. Let me repeat that. The vitality of this great city hinges on our ability to build more housing.

And back on January 18, not long ago, I announced a bold new approach to addressing our housing crisis here in the state. First of all, I said, "I will not wait. The state will not wait, nor will our communities wait." And as evidence of that, literally one week later, here we are today. Another week, another major housing proposal -- a proposal that once found itself on life support just a short time ago, and it's been revived.

So, I'm delighted to announce that, as I said, less than one hour ago, the Public Authorities Control Board, a major step in the process, approved a major development here at 5 World Trade Center that'll bring residential housing to the site for the first time ever. And it's not just any housing development. It'll have 1,200 new apartments -- more than six times the number of residential units created in lower Manhattan in any given year.

And here's the best part: one third will be permanently affordable to low- and moderate-income New Yorkers, making this the largest affordable housing development in this place. Just think about it, a family of three, single mom who's a new teacher, someone who's starting out as a firefighter, a police officer, those starting salaries make them eligible to be able live in the community that they protect. That's extraordinary.

And also, we're reserving a place here for those who did live through the trauma and the terror of 9/11, saying that you deserve to have this be your home after what you witnessed, that very few human beings ever had to endure. So, you participated in this revitalization. You never gave up, you stayed, you persevered, and yes, you deserve the privilege of living here as well. And also, that would include the many first responders who put their lives on the line at a time when the future was so uncertain. They deserve our gratitude, and they deserve a great place to live.

And this is going to be a symbol of what we can do. It'll include some office space, some commercial, but a vibrant new community center operated by the Educational Alliance. That's going to bring new life here. We'll also allow space for local organizations to gather, have their meetings, grow, thrive.

Here's what's extraordinary. We expect construction to begin next year. This is not three, five years down the road. This begins next year. And I'm so proud to say that it'll be built by the men and women of organized labor, over 10,000 union jobs. And I want to thank the building construction with our steam fitters here, the Building Construction Trades Council, and all the hardworking people who are going to be here coming in.

And as we witnessed yesterday, often under very dangerous conditions, but they'll show up. They come rain or shine, heat wave, or torrential rains or pandemics. That's why the city kept growing during the pandemic. They work so hard. And when the buildings are built, who's going to work in them? Well, I'm really proud it's going to be members of 32BJ. Anybody from 32BJ in the house?

Perfectly on cue. So, this took, those of you who have the scars to show for it, that would be my team in particular and our senator, everyone, the developers, took years of discussion in the community. And the community for stepping up and going to meetings and enduring and putting up with so much and making sure you were heard. And you were heard.

And all the negotiations and the opposition, and there were times when this looked like it was dead just a few months ago, and it was clear that the PACB wasn't going to support a proposal that came before one of its last meetings, but we were not to be deterred. This was too important, because the people who were affected by 9/11 who could live here - or those who don't make a lot of money but are part of our public service ranks - are just trying to get by. They don't have a lobbyist. They don't have a powerful advocacy group, other than the people here. But they also have a governor who says, "We can, and we will build our way out of this affordability crisis, because the past has not worked for us, my friends." That's one of the drivers of why people are leaving our state. It truly is. And why other states around us have the ability to possibly surpass us.

Are we going to let that happen, New Yorkers? No. Not now. Not ever. And I say that 1,200 units, one third of them affordable. Is far better than no outcome at all. So, we teamed up, took a bold approach, powered through the obstacles, and again brought this back from the grave. And we put our heads together with our state leaders and conversations with Brian Kavanagh, morning, noon and night. Me talking to Andrea Stewart Cousins, Leader of the Senate who wanted to make this happen but wanted more give and take. Speaker Carl Heastie, Charles Fall. We said we can make this happen if we have to dig a little bit deeper. We got creative. We found financing from other sources. $40 million direct from my administration, $20 million from the state legislature, $10 million from the Assembly, $10 million from the Senate, $5 million from Battery Park City Authority, and the Port Authority foregoing some reductions in rent; pending approval of their board. Feel pretty good about it though.

We figured out the formula because we didn't walk away. We walked toward each other, and that's how we got to the right place. So, I'm so deeply grateful again for the Coalition of Advocates, what you've done. The lower Manhattan community, the city officials, all of our partners.

It wouldn't be, wouldn't have happened without all of you. And again, this Coalition for the Affordable 5 World Trade Center, I don't know where you're going next, but let's work together. Because everyone should be able to call this place, it should be accessible as a home because they deserve it.

Now, as you heard last week, I laid out a different approach. No longer a "wait and see and hope things get better" approach, because that's not who I am. I laid out a bold plan to address the housing crisis all across our state. As I mentioned, it's one of the reasons people are leaving. People want to be here. They truly do.

Because of a lack of housing supply - and this is real basic economics - less supply means prices can go up. How do you overcome that? You build more supply. And then prices start coming down and that's what will happen. And so, this is how we deal with it. Bold visionary projects like we're celebrating today.

But last week, I also announced a series of executive actions to promote housing growth across the state. It's not just a problem here, it's happening everywhere. A breakthrough strategy to unlock housing opportunities everywhere.

You saw what we did in Gowanus. Unlocked 8,500 residential units and 3,000 permanently affordable homes at a place that has been a wasteland and now there's an energy and excitement, a sense of hope. We did that last week. That was a good week. How do you top that? You come here to this site and as you can tell, there's a drumbeat. We're going to keep marching forward every single week. We'll find a way to build more how housing because New Yorkers deserve it.

I'm also prioritizing over $650 million in State discretionary funds. So, a community -- listen up. If you're going to say you're part of the solution and not the problem, there'll be money to help you meet your needs and your goals for your community. Make a commitment, show some skin in the game. Start working on it and you'll be rewarded. We're also identifying state owned properties. Didn't know there were so many everywhere. Every time I see a vacant space, do we own that? Do we own that? Can I put a house there? Can I make that come to life instead of a vacant parking lot? We can repurpose old existing buildings. We can make new life come out of barren wastelands because I like to build.

And we're streamlining regulations. Another barrier. How long will this project take? Oh, maybe 10 or 15 years. Why is that? The need is there, the property's there, the developer's there, the communities are behind it because we put in place so many layers of red tape over years. The regulations that protect health and safety, the environment, they stay. They're good. But let's not make it such a burden. People say, "It's just not worth it." So, that's all on top of last year's $25 billion five-year housing plan that's intended to create 100,000 affordable housing units.

So, as I wrap up and I'm excited today, this is a very good day for New York. It's not just about the skyscrapers, although they're magnificent, the offices, the apartments, it's about the people who inhabit them. Never lose sight of that. And if you do, just walk around this floor. See the artists who are here residing, showing their vision, their image of New York, and it's so positive. People who worked here during the pandemic when there was no place to go, some of these artists are extraordinary and now they're able to showcase their work. We're going to bring more people like that here to tell their stories, give them a home. It's the essence of what makes New York so unique and why so many people want to be here. It's about building back stronger, more vibrant than ever before.

And sending one final message to the terrorists of 9/11 who tried to destroy a way of life, thought they could bring us down. We did more than just survive, we thrived. We flourished. As you look out, you don't just see glass and steel. You see a testament to the human spirit, the triumph of hope over fear, and nothing will ever dim that beacon of hope that we provide to the rest of the world. It'll never dim the memory of those we lost.

So, we carry that torch of hope, not just for ourselves, but for the generations of New Yorkers to come. And this building, World Trade 5, when it is complete, will finish the 20-year vision that was dreamed of at a time when others were too exhausted to knock down to dream, but we dreamed right here. We'll show the world what we're made out of as we continue to do. New Yorkers prevailed and they always will. Thank you very much, everyone. Thank you for joining us."

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