Large projects subject to council review

The City Council is seeking to expand its role in private development with a new task force to assess new projects' impacts on city infrastructure.

Council's Role in Private Development To Expand

The infrastructure task force, headed by Council Members Daniel Garodnick and Letitia James, would report to the council on the projected effects, in areas such as traffic, telecommunications, and energy, of large-scale plans conducted by private developers, as well as the state and federal government. The task force could examine the redevelopment of ground zero, the Atlantic Yards project, the Second Avenue subway line, and the future development of the West Side rail yards. "There is no entity today that considers the impact on city infrastructure," Mr. Garodnick said in a phone interview. "We want to take a long view and see that our infrastructure keeps pace with our development plan."

(And ensure themselves more lobbying money, too.)