Local Group Skewers $230M LMDC Assistance Plan

NEW YORK CITY-With the window for public comment on the Lower Manhattan Development Corp.’s Draft Assistance Plan for Individuals set to close in two days, a local watchdog group tracking the city/state partnership’s efforts has published a highly critical analysis of the document.

A newly released report by activist group Good Jobs New York says that LMDC’s $230-million assistance plan is fundamentally flawed. Before distributing massive US Department of Housing and Urban Development funds to Downtown residents, LMDC should spend the time and money required to ensure that the environment is safe, the report says.

“Nobody is sure what the air quality and environment is like down there but the city and state government are willing to pay people to live there,” says GJNY director Bettina Damiani. “Their priority should be to ensure that the quality of the air and the environment is healthy. Until everyone knows what’s going on and the correct testing and cleanup is completed, the assistance plan could be siphoning funds that could be used to do that.”