"We have an opportunity to make downtown Manhattan into the first urban district of the 21st century," stated Weisbrod at yesterday's monthly meeting of the Real Estate Lenders Association, held at the MetLife building, 200 Park Ave. "We will see more companies diversifying geographically. Our goal is to keep their headquarters in Downtown. We are seeing some incentives from the initial $700 million being appropriated towards incentives for attracting and retaining companies, and we expect to see more in the next $2 billion."

Weisbrod dismissed claims that office space would reach predicted levels of $60 per sf once Downtown is rebuilt, claiming that federal dollars will be used to offset construction costs. "With the next $2 billion [in federal funding] we will see more incentives for residents, as well as for new development," said Weisbrod. His plan to establish a consumer-friendly,"24/7 community" hinges on using some federal funding to advance Lower Manhattan's retail, restaurant, museum and general entertainment presence. In addition, connecting the PATH, subway and Long Island Rail lines to unify Battery Park City and the rest of Manhattan.

His design also calls for combining mixed-use and monument space in the trade center area. "A memorial is probably paramount to the site, however the area has to be mixed use for several reasons: It is geographically the center of Lower Manhattan, and it is the site that fits together the communities around it. The future plan must unite those communities together as it has in the past."