Res No. 625 Title Resolution calling upon the Federal Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Empire State Development Corporation, the Governor of the State of New York and the Mayor of the City of New York to modify the World Trade Center Disaster Action Plan for Businesses and the Guidelines for the World Trade Center Business Recovery Grant Program, so that any business that was located in the demolished World Trade Center complex that has not been able to reopen in lower Manhattan for lack of funds be part of a newly created "Zone Zero," which would entitle them to a "Restart Your Business" Grant of between $50,000 and $150,000, based upon need, to be used to reopen their businesses in the area of lower Manhattan. Body By Council Members Gerson, Recchia, Baez, Jackson, Liu, Lopez, Perkins, Reyna, Sanders, Sears, Stewart, Weprin, Quinn and Brewer Whereas, The World Trade Center Disaster Action Plan (the "Action Plan") and the Guidelines for the World Trade Center Business Recovery Grant Program ( the "BRG Program", "Guidelines") seek to compensate lower Manhattan businesses for the days that their businesses were closed due to the horrible September 11, 2001, attacks; and Whereas, There are a number of small businesses that were located within the destroyed World Trade Center complex (including a few surrounding buildings), that had their offices, records, and equipment entirely ruined, and their place of business permanently uninhabitable; and Whereas, The current BRG Program makes absolutely no distinction between such demolished businesses, and other businesses in buildings that avoided damage located blocks away, instead, lumping all businesses in the vicinity of the World Trade Center complex into one of four grant zones, called the "Restricted Zone" category, with all businesses surrounding the World Trade Center complex being entitled, under BRG Program guidelines, to the same maximum of 25 days of lost revenue, regardless of whether the building that housed their business was destroyed or damaged; and Whereas, Despite more than $1 billion of federal relief funds already earmarked for lower Manhattan businesses, more than one year after the September 11, 2001,attack, no special grant program has been created for those businesses that were in the destroyed WTC complex that still have not been able to reopen due to lack of funds; and Whereas, At a City Council press conference held on March 16, 2002, New York City Council Speaker Gifford Miller and Council Members Alan Gerson, Dominic Recchia, David Weprin, and James Sanders,Jr. joined by representatives of dozens of business groups and small business owners, urged the Empire State Development Corporation and the New York City Economic Development Corporation to create a "Restart Your Business Grant" program that would have granted underinsured businesses within the WTC complex, that were willing to reopen in lower Manhattan, between $50,000 and $150,000, based upon need; and Whereas, After seven months, no such program has been created, leaving scores of businesses still unable to reopen in lower Manhattan as a direct effect of the September 11, 2001 attack; now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the Council of the City of New York calls upon the Federal Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Empire State Development Corporation, the Governor of the State of New York and the Mayor of the City of New York to modify the World Trade Center Disaster Action Plan for Businesses - and the Guidelines for the World Trade Center Business Recovery Grant Program, so that any business that was located in the demolished World Trade Center complex that has not been able to reopen in lower Manhattan for lack of funds be part of a newly-created "Zone Zero," which would entitle them to a "Restart Your Business" Grant of between $50,000 and $150,000, based upon need, to be used to reopen their businesses in the area of lower Manhattan. BR Gerson-Res B 12/13/02 |1013|