Posted at: 02/20/2009 1:52 PM | WHEC.com

Major step forward for Midtown Plaza site

The redevelopment of the Midtown Plaza site took a major step forward today. The City issued the Final Generic Environmental Impact Statement (FGEIS), clearing the way for building demolition, establishment of a street grid, development of public improvements and preparation of various development parcels within the 8.5 acres of real estate downtown.

"I am very pleased to reach this important milestone," said Mayor Bob Duffy. "This project is a genuine example of how public-private collaborations can benefit our city for generations to come. I would like to thank Governor Paterson and our partners at Empire State Development for their continued support of this project. I am also extremely grateful to the team that put the plan together and to the public participants who helped guide and shape it along the way."

The City will now begin the process of amending its Urban Renewal Plan (URP). The amended URP will be the subject of a public hearing at the City Planning Commission meeting on March 16. City Council will hold a public hearing and consider the proposed amendments to the URP at its May 12 meeting.