Developers Demand JFK Rail Link
A web of politics, lobbying, and profit motives have developers scrambling in support of a rail link that could have a significant impact on the economy of New York City and state.
"In fact, according to real-estate sources, leaders of the Real Estate Board of New York—the city's powerful trade association for developers and property owners—have been active in donating and soliciting donations from fellow members, often citing the J.F.K. rail link as the reason why. It's not clear to what extent they did so under the official guise of REBNY, however, and how much on their own. REBNY members referred questions to president Steve Spinola, who did not return phone calls before deadline."
"'It's not just a New York City issue,' said Mr. Weisbrod, who was president of lower Manhattan's business-improvement district until about a year ago, but has not contributed to the Reynolds campaign. 'It's not just a lower Manhattan issue. This is important for the city's economy and therefore the state's economy as a whole."
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Not on Spitzer's top three list
Note in Observer article:
"The rail link, though, is not a pothole that everybody thinks needs to be fixed. Watchdog groups such as the Straphangers Campaign and Good Jobs New York see the train—which would require another tunnel under the East River—as pandering to downtown business owners. They say that the $6 billion it is expected to cost would be better spent on the Second Avenue Subway, which will serve many more people. Attorney General Eliot Spitzer, the leading gubernatorial candidate, was cool to the project when he made his first transportation-policy speech earlier this month.
(See "NY Gubernatorial Candidate Picks Transportation Project Priorities", http://www.planetizen.com/node/19717.
Spitzer's top 3: Tappan Zee Bridge replacement, connection of Grand Central to Penn Stations, and 2nd Ave Subway.
It speaks well for Spitzer that he is unafraid to support his own priorities rather than the powerful downtown business owners.
Irvin Dawid, Palo Alto, CA