We will examine the potential of major infrastructure expansions to spur growth in new neighborhoods
Because so much of the transit system is already strained, investment in transit infrastructure is a key component of accommodating growth.

Once New Yorkers were crowded into neighborhoods like the Lower East Side at densities that approximate conditions in some of the world's most congested cities. By extending the city's subway system out into the then-open land of the so-called outer boroughs, we opened up new land for development, reduced overcrowding in Manhattan, and provided a diversity of living conditions throughout the city. While the city has very little open land remaining for future growth, it can incorporate the principle of using infrastructure investment to support future development.

The City is already pursuing this strategy in the Hudson Yards area of Manhattan where it's investing $3 billion in extending the subway's 7 line and building new parks and streets. These investments will support about 100,000 jobs and more than 13,000 apartments in the immediate area and indirectly support employment for another 100,000 people, all in a location that is more transit-oriented than could be provided in any other city in the United States.

Similarly, creating a direct link between Long Island and Lower Manhattan will ensure that the nation's fourth largest business district remains a premier business location and will help attract users for the rebuilt World Trade Center site. But it can be much more than that. If we can find a way to connect it to the Second Avenue Subway, which we believe can be done, we can provide new and improved connections between Brooklyn and Manhattan. This will support both residential and commercial growth in both boroughs. And by extending this to Jamaica, we can provide a unique mass transit alternative for peripheral travel between Brooklyn and Queens and support both residential and commercial growth in Jamaica.

Progress (as of 4/22/08):
On September 10, 2007, the City adopted the Jamaica rezoning which capitalizes on opportunities provided by the AirTrain. In addition, the City is working to rezone the area around West 34th Street, Penn Station to further the multi-agency Moynihan Station project. The Moynihan Station project would result in a much improved railroad station and facilitate nearby redevelopment. The Empire State Development Corporation (ESDC) issued a scoping document in 2007 for the project. Various groups are working together to resolve significant environmental, design, zoning and funding issues with the hope to begin the public review process by summer 2008. The City has completed a rezoning proposal for Willets Point and expects to begin the public review process in April. The proposal seeks to rezone the 60-acre industrial area for commercial and residential development, including affordable housing, new parks, a school, and a convention center and hotel.