Bill Requiring More Local Reps On Battery Park City Board Passes Assembly

BATTERY PARK CITY, NY — A bill that would require a local government agency in Battery Park City to be made primarily of neighborhood residents has come one step closer to becoming law after the State Assembly approved the legislation on Tuesday.

The Battery Park City Authority is a state agency tasked with developing the west side of lower Manhattan. It was created in 1968 to promote business and community growth in the area, which at the time was stagnating after the collapse of 20 different piers into the Hudson River. Since then, the neighborhood has developed and gentrified considerably. Local legislators now argue that because the agency's original objective — to promote business development — has largely been accomplished, the agency's primary work now is in supporting the community. The legislators say the agency is ill-suited to support Battery Park City because no local residents sit on its board.

The bill, written by State Senator Daniel Squadron, would require Battery Park City residents to make up the majority of the agency's seven-person board.

"The challenges of the Authority are no longer the challenges of a major infrastructure project, they are now the challenges of running a neighborhood. It is time for community members to have a voice in its governance as members of the Battery Park City Authority board," the proposed law reads.

The bill passed the New York State Assembly on Tuesday and will now go before the State Senate.

Lead image via Ciara McCarthy/Patch.