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Dan Doctoroff is leaving City Hall with a lot of big real-estate projects unfinished, but he’s done his best to make sure they have the momentum and guidance to be completed in his absence (which meant coordinating a lot of egos and favors). The mayor remains urgent about his green agenda, and the staff Doctoroff leaves behind seems to click. Plus, he’s not exactly dropping off the grid: “One of the great things about going to [Bloomberg LP] is I’m not going to be that far away,” he told us, murkily. But without strong-willed Doctoroff forcing players to negotiate, will everything go according to plan? After the jump, a handy guide to Doctoroff’s key reform campaigns, with assurances from Doctoroff himself included. Think of it as a cheat sheet for who now controls their (and our) future. —Alec Appelbaum
| IDEA | ENEMY | WILD CARD | SAVIOR? | SHORED UP? | ODDS | DAN SAYS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Congestion Pricing! |
Outer-borough politicians and their lobbyists. | Assembly Speaker Shelly Silver, who has to endorse the plan to accept $354 million from the Feds; also, hysterical news reporting will be a challenge. | Organized-labor boss Ed Ott; former environment commissioner and current civic bulldog Chris Ward. | Unclear: Last fall, the city said it could work its plan through a state commission, but D.D. now says it will all play out in February during Albany’s budget season. | Pick ’em. | “We intend to work with Shelly and the needs of his constituency and at the same time achieve objectives that, by the way, no one has disputed.” |
More efficient electricity and
clean power! |
Foot-dragging Con Ed. | Real Estate Board of New York, wanting a fifteen-year period for making buildings waste less energy where PlaNYC wants to do it in only seven. | Bill Clinton, bringing money for building tune-ups through his Climate Initiative. | Sort of: Former city electricity czar Gil Quinones is newly installed near the top of state power authority. | Long. | “We’re not focused on control. We just need to hold demand flat over 20 to 25 years, with an increase in clean supply, and if we can do that, we're happy.” |
Lower Manhattan! |
Steve Roth of Vornado Realty Trust, trying to lure Merrill Lynch to midtown. | JP Morgan moving in to the neighborhood, Deutsche Bank tearing down its accursed tower. | Silver, willing to share credit with anyone for his beloved downtown . | Yes: The Port will pay daily penalties for late work, and developer Larry Silverstein’s financing hangs on a 2012 deadline for all four towers. | Excellent. | “Look at Port Authority working day and night to build out the east bathtub so they don't pay $300,000 a day, and Silverstein knows he could lose it all.” |
Extension of No. 7 subway line! |
Greedy sole supplier of services to MTA, whose price made a midpoint station too costly to build between the Port Authority Terminal and 33rd and Eleventh. | Chuck Schumer, who made noise last month about suspending a new through-street in Hudson Yards to pay for a midpoint station. | Private developers, financing a people-mover from far West Side. | Pretty much: Doctoroff negotiated contingencies with the MTA this fall, and many expect the MTA to suck up overruns. | Good. | “This one is gonna happen.” |
Airport mass-transit
improvements! |
Queens civic groups opposing buildup around Jamaica and Willets Point. | FAA chicanery that could make the airports more nightmarish. | Anthony Coscia, newly kickass head of Port Authority, working like a demon to make deals on mass transit. | No: The airport situation, including rail from JFK, is beyond anybody’s control. | Poor. | “Coscia has got real vision.” |
Update: A previous version of this post had an incorrect completion deadline for the World Trade Center towers, and reported that the Port Authority is currently paying fees for delays.They are not yet paying fees.
