BOMA discusses NYC economy at Oct. 10 conference/trade show

Real Estate Weekly, Dec 11, 2002

Always a forum for calls to action and a source of the latest information on key issues driving the real estate industry, this year's BOMA/NY Codes & Regulations/Government Affairs Conference and Trade Show, held Oct. 10 at the New Marriott Marquis Hotel, rallied around the future economic health of New York City--from how to handle the delicate issue of Ground Zero's future use as a vital economic center--to emergency and disaster planning.

More than 250 attended the morning long series of workshops, followed by a luncheon featuring keynoter Christopher Hetherington, Deputy Commissioner for Homeland Security Liaison Operations, New York City Office of Emergency Management (OEM).

New York City Council Member Alan Gerson, who represents the district encompassing the former World Trade Center site, called for a "collective process" when considering how to put to best use the 16 acres of land at Ground Zero. He also urged that Downtown Manhattan be rejuvenated through a culturally driven revival, which also brings the US Customs Service back to its true home and incubates small business with proper incentives.

Council Member Melinda Katz of Queens, and chair of the Council's Land Use Committee, emphasized the need to find the best way to promote confidence in New York City, while integrating any plans for the former Trade Center site with the rest of the City in terms of transportation and infrastructure.

Several workshops were held including the following:

* Officials from the Fire Department of New York repeatedly sounded the need to anticipate total evacuation strategies and procedures and to think through all the contingencies which might be needed in the event of bio-chemical warfare. Communication is central to the success of any plan, it was repeatedly stressed.

* New York City Department of Buildings Commissioner Patricia Lancaster, AIA, together with several of her senior staff members, led two workshops, "Department of Buildings Update" and "Scaffolds and Building Owners."

* A groundbreaking discussion on the possibility of having New York City adopt the International Building Codes was moderated by Codes & Regulations Committee chair Ernest Conrad, who was joined by Lancaster; Marolyn Davenport of REBNY; George Clark, Michael Clemens and Ron Piester of the New York Department of State; and Ron Burton and Larry Perry of BOMA International.

9-11 survivors and building management professional, Nicklolas Hayden, group vice president of Jones Lang LaSalle and former property manager of 90 West St., Edward M. Fallon, RPA, director of New York Properties for Brooldield Financial Properties, used their unique 9-11 experiences at the World Financial Center, One Liberty Plaza and 90 West St. to emphasize to their fellow building management colleagues how preplanning and training in disaster scenarios saved thousands of lives.

Central to their efforts that day, the recovery effort and the difficult task of maintaining tenant relations following the disaster, both relied heavily on a range of tools and procedures that had been preplanned: redundant lists of contractors, tenants and critical contacts in the city; building worker ID passes, which helped gain access on Sept. 12 and the days following; an emergency command center outside the affected properties; prior relationships with the (OEM), and frequent, often daily, verbal, printed and electronic communications with tenants to keep them apprised and restore confidence.

Hetherington of OEM emphasized how the now-independent agency came into its own during 9-11--ironically, using the hurricane disaster scenario to deploy as sistance and serve as incident coordinator--and how it has continued to evolve. Now separate from the mayor's office and with a new mandate to coordinate responses and effectively use both public and private resources, Hetherington stated that OEM now issues more than 500 responses a year to disaster situations, ranging from a water main break to a power outage to a terrorist threat.