PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Jessica Chait, Chair of Manhattan Community Board 4
1:48:15
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102 sec
Jessica Chait, chair of Manhattan Community Board 4, expresses support for the Port Authority Bus Terminal replacement project while emphasizing the need for mitigation measures to address the significant impacts on the local community during the long construction period.
- Acknowledges the Port Authority's ongoing dialogue with the community and improvements to the original proposal
- Requests the creation of an active construction task force to address community concerns
- Calls for early implementation of green spaces and detailed plans for social services, businesses, and traffic mitigation before construction begins
Jessica Chait
1:48:15
Hi, and thank you.
1:48:16
I'm Jessica Chait, chair of Manhattan Community Board 4.
1:48:20
Thank you to the council member, Batcher, and the city council.
1:48:24
I echo what others who have testified today have said and will add.
1:48:27
But as you know, our neighborhood has long been overwhelmed by commuter and long distance buses and is home to a terminal that for far too long hasn't met the needs of commuters, tourists, residents, and area businesses.
1:48:39
We are encouraged and grateful that the Port Authority has been in ongoing dialogue with the community, not just CB 4, but in listening sessions and the like, to arrive at an operations plan and structure that is more fitting than what was originally proposed.
1:48:54
However, the combination of the significant, dare I say, massive size and scope and duration of this project means that there will be countless unpredictable and deeply challenging impacts to all who experience this area for many years to come.
1:49:08
We need to make sure, and we ask for your help, that the Port Authority is not only committed to delivering the state of the art facility, but also to ensuring that the people who live, work, and receive support from providers in the district, who will see their lives greatly disrupted during construction are not overlooked or discounted in this process.
1:49:27
This can be accomplished by having the port authority commit to an active construction task force delivering on much needed greening space that you've heard about, not when the project is done, but before so as to provide respite and mitigation for the congestion and challenges faced by all who spend time there.
1:49:43
This would also include organizing detailed plans and commitments for social services and businesses and traffic mitigation before a shovel is even in the ground.
1:49:52
We thank you for your support and look forward to continuing in partnership with the port authority and to seeing this project realized.
