On Wednesday, NYC Mayor Eric Adams held a press briefing to discuss infrastructure investments.
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00:00Good morning, ladies and gentlemen.
00:02My name is Randy Mastro, and it's my honor today to emcee this great event.
00:10Days when you can announce a transformative public works project like this one are the
00:15days that make it all worthwhile.
00:18Today we're here to announce and celebrate a project that will transform our street of
00:26dreams into a boulevard that will be the envy of the world.
00:31And to live in the greatest city of the world, we should have a boulevard of dreams, one to
00:37rival the Champs-Élysées, and that's what we will have when this project is fully realized.
00:44So many people to thank, so many people in government and outside of government who are
00:49involved in this public-private partnership.
00:51Yat-Ting Liu, Andrew Kimball, Ridd Agarwal, Yadonis Rodriguez, Deputy Mayor Jeff Roth from
00:59our administration, thank you.
01:02And your teams, Madeline Wills, who you'll hear from later, Fred Cerullo from the Grand
01:07Central Partnership, Dan Biederman from Bryan Park, Betsy Smith, who's here with us from
01:12Central Park Conservancy, Jan Hensley here from Con Ed, all partners in this great project.
01:20But the man of the hour, the one whose vision and leadership has made this all possible,
01:28our mayor, Eric Adams.
01:31Thanks so much, First Deputy Mayor.
01:38Also, hats off to former First Deputy Mayor, Maria Torres-Springer, and Deputy Mayor Mayor Josie.
01:47Those two Deputy Mayors saw this vision as well.
01:52I don't know if it came from all the shopping on Fifth Avenue or just understanding how important
01:59this piece of real estate is for all of us.
02:01It's not only used for many of our major parades, but a parade of tourists who come here and spend
02:11money that helps cascade throughout our entire city.
02:16This is a huge, huge economic stimulus for this entire city.
02:22And the first Deputy Mayor, when he came on board, he was zero focus on getting this over
02:29the finish line and doing what's right for our economy and for Fifth Avenue.
02:34Fifth Avenue has been a mainstay for this city during all of the difficult times.
02:39If you look at the closures during COVID, they held on.
02:44If you looked at times during the 80s when we were struggling with criminality in the city,
02:50they held on.
02:51During times when we were trying to focus on the rebuilding of our city when many people
02:58were fleeing, Fifth Avenue held on, continued to be the magnet that allowed people to be attracted
03:04to this beautiful place we call New York, and their success will really allow the gravitational
03:11pull of tourists and other visitors to allow our entire solar system to benefit.
03:17Every borough benefited.
03:18Countless number of people who traveled to Fifth Avenue and work and then go back home
03:23to have a productive life in their communities.
03:26So this is not a Fifth Avenue just for Manhattan.
03:30It's a Fifth Avenue for all of the five boroughs, and we cannot thank them enough.
03:35This place was once known as America's Street of Dreams.
03:40And those dreams have often remained silent.
03:45Well, today we're saying the alarm clock is going off.
03:48We're waking up, and we're going to wake up to economic stability of this great community
03:52in this great area.
03:53Two centuries ago, Fifth Avenue was just a dirt road.
03:56It's hard to even imagine and believe that.
03:59But it has turned and transformed itself.
04:02And today is a bustin' boulevard of shopping, restaurants, businesses, and tourism.
04:08It's also home to five lanes of traffic congestion, pollution, and high foot traffic.
04:15More people walked down Fifth Avenue in one hour than would fill Madison Square Garden tonight
04:23when the Knicks beat the playoff and beat the Pacers and hand their ways to the finals.
04:28Got to get that in.
04:32So this current design is not working.
04:36It's not modernized enough.
04:38It's not fit in the process.
04:39It has not evolved with the time.
04:41So part of our best budget ever, we are injecting an additional $250 million to fully fund the city
04:50and the future of Fifth Avenue's partnerships plan to transform Fifth Avenue's entire stretch of real estate
04:59from Bryan Park to Central Park.
05:01And we cannot thank this team here.
05:04When they met with me over a year ago, they were clear.
05:09We're not going to ask you to do this alone, Eric.
05:12We're going to be partners with you.
05:14And we knew we could land the plane.
05:17And today we're landing that plane with a total sum of $400 million to fully fund this project.
05:26This is addition to the $250 million that we're doing now and $152 million we committed to previously.
05:35No more crammed sidewalks.
05:37No more dodging traffic.
05:40We're making Fifth Avenue more walkable, greener, and safer.
05:45The stretch of real estate that we enjoy walking all the time from Bryan Park to Central Park,
05:51we're going to double the sidewalk space, shorten the crosswalks so that the avenue is safer to cross,
05:59green the avenue with more than 230 tree planters, and adding new seating and better lighting.
06:07We don't have to travel to Paris or London to experience the world-class shopping, restaurant, and green, pedestrian-friendly streets.
06:16We're going to have that right here to add to all of the other attractions we have.
06:21Right in our backyard, we're going to have the beautiful boulevard that we all expect and we all deserve to have in this premier city called New York.
06:30And we're going to cement Fifth Avenue's status as an economic engine and job creator for all five boroughs.
06:38We know that people spend more money when they shop on open, green streets, which puts money back into the pockets of working-class New Yorkers who work in this business district.
06:49We have seen what happens when we open space to the public.
06:54Thousands of New Yorkers and tourists reveled in our open streets here on Fifth Avenue during the holiday season.
07:00It is a major boost in our economy during our holiday season when we do our open streets initiative.
07:06Green open spaces fire up our economy and lead to safer streets for all.
07:12So this boule reimagined means more room to walk, to bike, to shop, and do what I like to tell tourists all the time, to spend money.
07:23Spend a lot of money in New York.
07:25And we're excited about the more room for opportunity and it means less traffic and less noise.
07:32What's more is that this investment we are making today will pay for itself within five years of completion thanks to increased tax revenues along the avenue.
07:43Looking down Fifth Avenue, you see the past, the present, and we're going to see the future.
07:49This avenue moves New Yorkers and visitors alike, empowers our economy.
07:55And I just really want to thank all the partners who have been part of this initiative.
07:59This is a living example of private and public sector coming together to improve our city, to make it more livable, more affordable, and more workable for healthy children and families.
08:12I thank everyone that's involved and let's shop on Fifth Avenue.
08:21I hope my wife isn't watching this press conference because she shops on Fifth Avenue.
08:28Next up, you know, our partner in government, City Council, the representative from this district.
08:34We're going to hear from Councilman Keith Powers.
08:39Good morning.
08:40I want to start with the most important thing to say today.
08:43Let's go, Knicks.
08:45Thank you for acknowledging that they are going to win tonight.
08:48This is exciting news because, you know, Fifth Avenue is the heartbeat of Manhattan.
08:53It's certainly the heartbeat of our city.
08:55It is a corridor that is so essential to New York City's economy.
08:59When you walk up and down here, whether it's on a regular day like today or when you are certainly here during the holidays or on a parade or any other day,
09:08you can feel the congestion of the sidewalks and you can aspire while you walk down here for something that does look like those other cities that we see all across the world,
09:20where you have beautiful pedestrian space and we make it a place that is welcoming and inviting for you every single day.
09:27This corridor, whether it is the amazing sort of fashion and retail that is here or the major engine of economic activity and a major transportation hub for so many New Yorkers,
09:40it is a place where we should be thinking big.
09:43And I recall not long ago with Madeline Wills and the mayor's team and others thinking and talking about even the possibility that we would do something transformative here on Fifth Avenue.
09:56And I give them a lot of credit because it's easy to say yes.
09:59It's a lot harder to actually go forward and invest money into it because we do that so much in the city.
10:04We talk about things. We don't get here and we actually invest them and do them.
10:08This is going to be a transformative experience for people that are New Yorkers and use this every day or just even routinely to get around the city.
10:16Transformative for people that come to visit the city to be a welcoming space and a much more inviting space and hopefully something that when they go home,
10:23they'll talk about and tell people about the transformation of Fifth Avenue.
10:27So thank you to everyone who made this a possibility today.
10:31This is a really big day and I look forward to seeing it.
10:34I think, what, one year it's going to be done?
10:37But I do look forward to moving forward and seeing this really come to life.
10:41Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Thank you to everyone who's part of this.
10:48Now another representative of our administration, our DOT Commissioner, Yadonis Rodriguez.
11:00Well, DOT is the agency that manage, oversee 26% of the land of New York City.
11:06So all the sidewalk and roadways under the leadership of this agency.
11:10And it's an honor to be here, you know, recognizing that we have the mayor that have made the largest investment on transportation in our history.
11:19I'm proud to be here today to represent the New York City DOT.
11:24The lead agency is spearheading the transformation of Fifth Avenue into a world-class pedestrian first Boulevard.
11:33We are joined by our partners, especially EDC, Andrew, who is here.
11:38It is through EDC that's going to be putting all the money, every single dollar.
11:43But thanks to EDC, DEP, Parks, and Mayor's Office, and community estate holders to celebrate a major milestone in this historic project.
11:55Fifth Avenue, as you heard from Mayor Eric Adams, has always been a symbol of New York City's global identity.
12:02But for too long, this design has prioritized vehicles over the millions of people who walk it every year.
12:11With this historic 550 million investments, we are finally bringing the design of Fifth Avenue in line with how it's actually used by making it a pedestrian first corridor.
12:26Redesigning for 2075, now for 1975.
12:33This project builds on years of momentum from the city's successfully holiday open streets on Fifth Avenue.
12:40When we turned the street over pedestrians during the holiday, and the funding and the data show that there was an increase of sales those days when we was mainly focused on pedestrians.
12:52Those events show just how much people love walking Fifth Avenue, and how it helps local businesses too, with big boosts in food traffic and sales.
13:03It also builds on the long-term success on New York City DOT's pedestrianization of Times Square, which used to be a historical car in the 80s.
13:14But Mayor Bloomberg and Janay worked on Times Square, and they changed it from a historical car to a playful concert where Shakira hold a concert with 44,000 people.
13:27From Broadway Plaza to neighborhood open street DOT has been leading the charge in reclaiming a space for people.
13:35And Fifth Avenue is the next major step in that transformation.
13:39This redesign will significantly widen sidewalks, reduce traffic lanes,
13:45by still keeping three lanes for vehicle, and add trees, planters, and seating to create a greener, more walkable public space.
13:57As the agency responsibility to managing and maintaining the city's street and sidewalk, DOT is proud of playing a role in implementing this vision,
14:07alongside our agency and civic partners, especially the Fifth Avenue B.
14:13Unfortunately, they took our Manhattan Borough Commissioner pink, but I know that he will continue making great contributions.
14:20By building public space that reflects how New Yorkers move through and use their city,
14:27we are not only improving daily life, we are strengthening our economy and making the city more resilient.
14:33I want to thank, as I said before, Mayor Eric Adams.
14:37In 22, he increased our budget DOT by 18%.
14:44In 23, he had almost $400 million.
14:48And in 24, he came out in millions and millions.
14:51This is the administration that has invested more dollars to our New York City Department of Transportation.
14:56One minute in Spanish.
14:58We are here with the Alcalde Regan,
15:01thanking the money he is putting in this place,
15:04designing the fifth avenue to make the most of the peatons,
15:08so that the people who come to buy the stores have more space to walk.
15:18And now, on behalf of Fifth Avenue, someone who's been a dear friend for many years,
15:26did transformative work.
15:28The Hudson Park, now doing transformative work on Fifth Avenue.
15:34Madeline Wills.
15:36Thank you, Mr. Mayor, so much.
15:41Good morning, everyone, on this beautiful spring day.
15:45Thank you, First Deputy Mayor Mastro.
15:48It's an honor and a pleasure to work with you to forward Mayor Adams' agenda in warp speed, I might add.
15:56The city began building Fifth Avenue in 1824, starting at Washington Square Park.
16:03Over 100 years ago, in 1907, the Fifth Avenue Association was founded by local residents,
16:10including the titans of industry, the Carnegies, the Vanderbilts, and the Astors,
16:15with the purpose of keeping Fifth Avenue safe and preserving commerce, art, and architecture.
16:22Today, although those families are no longer with us,
16:25the Fifth Avenue Association continues to pursue those basic goals.
16:30A few years ago, at the beginning of COVID, the board of the Fifth Avenue Association,
16:35under the leadership of Chair Ed Hogan, determined that Upper Fifth Avenue,
16:40that's what we call this, after serving for over 100 years as the world's most iconic street,
16:46needed to be revitalized in order to compete in a global economy.
16:51For the sake of keeping New York's title as the shopping capital of the world,
16:56as well as its good-paying jobs, after 100 years with no public investment,
17:01the time had come to reinvest in the public realm of Fifth Avenue and return it to its former glory.
17:08And I am joined today by leaders of international brands
17:12and owners of some of the most beautiful landmark buildings in New York.
17:16And together, we are here to thank Mayor Adams for his pro-economic agenda
17:22and for understanding the inherent value of Fifth Avenue,
17:26not just to the Midtown Business District or New York, but to the world.
17:31For years, Fifth Avenue has been an economic engine
17:35and has produced millions of dollars of revenue annually for the city,
17:40creating tens of thousands of high-paying, working-class jobs.
17:44And with the investment the mayor is announcing today,
17:47Fifth Avenue will continue to be the powerhouse it has for the last 100 years.
17:52This is an enormously complicated project with many partners
17:57who have come together to help realize this once-in-a-century opportunity.
18:02I would like to thank some of them today, although some of them have been thanked.
18:06First, Andrew Kimball, President of VDC, and Len Greco, and Josh Kraus,
18:10DOT Commissioner Adonis Rodriguez, our partners from the Department of Parks and Recreation,
18:16Deputy Commissioner of the Department of Environmental Protection, Tazo Stregelis,
18:22Jen Hensley, and Robert Brantley from Con Edison, and I'm sure I missed a few.
18:28In addition, I'd like to thank our partners, Betsy Smith,
18:32President of Central Park Conservancy, Fred Chirulo, President of Grand Central Partnership,
18:36Dan Biedemann, President of Bryan Park Corporation,
18:39and last but not least, Rockstar Yateng Liu, Chief Public Realm Officer.
18:45And, of course, our Board of Directors and members, many, again, who are here today,
18:52who have been completely committed to this project.
18:55And, finally, again, we owe our gratitude to Mayor Adams,
18:59who recognizes the value and importance of this project.
19:04Paris, London, Madrid, Tokyo, and Miami are watching
19:09as this project comes to life over the next several years.
19:24How are you, Kelly?
19:25I'm okay. I was going to ask, when is this project going to start,
19:28and when is it going to end? And what does it mean, the redesign,
19:32what does it mean for the traffic here? Because I'm seeing a lot of cars.
19:35I read it a little bit in the release, but can you go over those details?
19:39Who's from here?
19:4120... 2028 is when we are going to be starting the work.
19:46But, as I said before, this avenue will keep three lanes for vehicle,
19:51as we also double the space for pedestrians.
19:56I'm just curious. I know sometimes capital projects,
19:59or whatever this is designated at start late,
20:01but 2028 does feel a little late.
20:03Can you explain some of that, what might seem like a delay,
20:07or the process of why it's starting in three years?
20:10Well, two and a half years.
20:12And the reason for that is that we're still in design.
20:15But more importantly, when we open up the street,
20:19we're going to have all of our partners together,
20:22Department of Environmental Protection, Con Edison.
20:25We're going to make the effort of doing all the construction,
20:28including the infrastructure, all at once.
20:30And that takes a little time, a little extra time,
20:33to coordinate all the agencies.
20:35You know how it is, sometimes you see a street get open,
20:38and then it closes, and then it gets open again.
20:40We're going to open those streets, and we're going to do all the work at once,
20:44so that when Fifth Avenue opens, it's not going to be open again for a very long time.
20:49And I know I'd spoken to you previously about the containerization program.
20:53There was some concern about where the big bins for trash would go.
20:56I don't know if there was an update for some of the partners here on Fifth Avenue
20:59and the other side streets on the containerization project.
21:02We're still working on the containers.
21:04They'll go on the side streets, not on Fifth Avenue.
21:07And Mayor Adams, I don't know if you wanted to comment on the DOJ investigation.
21:11Hold on, hold on, hold on, hold on, hold on, hold on.
21:16Yeah, yeah.
21:18Okay, so listen, I have made it extremely clear,
21:23my disappointment on what happened during COVID,
21:27the disproportionate amount of resources that went to particular communities of color.
21:32I made it clear how I felt about those who were in nursing homes.
21:36My heart goes out when you lose a loved one in a nursing home.
21:39But investigations must take their course.
21:42And I'm not going to do to him what others did to me.
21:46I'm going to allow the investigation to take its course.
21:49I'm focusing on revitalizing Fifth Avenue
21:52and opening up this amazing city
21:54and continue to put wins on the board for a city that I love
21:58and let the other agencies do what they do.
22:00I'm going to do what I do because I've been doing a darn good job.