Plans For Public Hearing About Ground Zero Progress

Photograph of the World Trade Center Transportation hub, taken this month, by Joe Woolhead, courtesy of Silverstein Properties

Get ready to rumble: State Senator Bill Perkins (D-Harlem) says that his Senate committee, the Committee on Corporations, will hold a public meeting discuss development—or, rather, the slow pace of development—at the World Trade Center site. He told NY1, "We are literally still at ground zero when it comes to the monument and development of that site. It's a site that has local, national and international importance and it's important that we try to play a role in moving it along."

The site is controlled by the Port Authority while developer Larry Silverstein holds the lease. The two parties have been disagreeing about financing of additional towers—Silverstein thinks the Port Authority should foot most of the bill while the Port Authority (backed by Governor Paterson) refuses. Now the dispute is headed to arbitration, which could delay development by months. Today, the NY Times has an editorial criticizing Silverstein, "Mr. Silverstein should see the governor’s offer for what it is: a good deal that provides public financing for one tower and preserves Mr. Silverstein’s development rights for the others, which can be built later when the market is more encouraging."

The father of a 9/11 victim, Clyde Frazier, said, "We must put that site back, not only for the families of the 2,700 plus people that were lost but for the United States of America." In other 9/11 attacks news, a Ground Zero first responder, firefighter John McNamara lost his battle with cancer and 9/11 victims' family members are still looking for answers—one tells the Star-Ledger, "Members and staff of the 9/11 commission have said many of the questions raised by the attacks have never been answered.''