Under the program guidelines, Zone 1 is eligible for 30% of the monthly rent (or mortgage payments, plus maintenance costs and real estate and related taxes for owner occupied units), up to $12,000 over two years. And Zone 2 is eligible for 30% of the monthly rent (or mortgage payments, plus maintenance costs and real estate and related taxes for owner-occupied units), up to $6,000 over two years.

The Residential Grant program has successfully attracted new residents to the downtown area, Amy Peterson, VP for development programs and economics, tells GlobeSt.com. "The Residential Grant Program has been critical to the revitalization of Lower Manhattan. It has also has attracted new residents to the area – in fact, of the applications approved, more than 56% of Zone 1 applicants have identified themselves as new residents," she says.

If any resident has questions about filling out their application or about how they can provide supporting documentation, they should contact the LMDC hotline at 1-866-RenewNYC or make an appointment at one of the community offices. All applications must be submitted no later than Saturday, May 31. New residents that move in during May can submit partial applications while they wait to receive their first utility bill or other required supporting documentation.

To date more than 7,000 prospective participants have registered for the World Trade Center Site Memorial Competition from all 50 states and more than 80 countries. "Individuals from nearly half of the world's nations have indicated their interest in participating in this competition," Rampe notes. "This overwhelming response is a testament to the global impact of the attacks and the world's unwavering commitment to honor the thousands of innocent victims.

LMDC will accept memorial design proposals from registered participants from June 9 through June 30 All proposals will be evaluated by the 13 member memorial jury and a final design for the competition will be selected by fall 2003. Registration information and the competition guidelines are available at, www.WTCSiteMemorial.org. Interested participants may also call 1-800-696-0081 to hear an overview of the guidelines or fax a written request for registration materials to 1-800-718-5699. The competition is open to anyone, anywhere in the world, 18 years of age or older, regardless of professional accreditation.