Says James Gill, chairman of the BPCA: "The selection of Albanese and Related indicates our green building program is moving ahead with commendable speed. The high cost of fossil fuel makes it more important than ever to use environmentally advanced technologies to conserve energy." Green buildings also address not only the expense of fossil fuels, but their scarcity as well.

Russell Albanese, president of Albanese, commends city officials for their "forward thinking and support of environmentally-sustainable development." David Wine, vice chairman of the Related Cos. LP, admits "environmentally friendly construction is a real challenge but an important one for the real estate community" as well as the community at large.

The new green buildings will each be 230 feet high and can be built out to 260,000 sf (18B) and 330,000 sf (19B). The Albanese building at site 18B will house 260 units and cost $95 million; the Related building at 19B will have 330 units and cost $113 million. Both sites are located on the west side of North End Ave. between Murray and Warren Streets, and both developers are eligible for tax credits under Governor Pataki's green building tax credit program. The program is the first of its type in the nation.