Ex NYC development czar praises waterfront development, but acknowledges risk

Dan Doctoroff
Dan Doctoroff

Bloomberg LP chief and former city development czar Dan Doctoroff isn’t being intimidated by the effects of Hurricane Sandy. The one–time deputy mayor for economic development, who pushed for Williamsburg and Hunters Point developments along the shoreline, is still strongly in favor of new waterfront developments, the New York Obervers reported.

“I am obviously a believer in waterfront development,” Doctoroff said, “but development that is buttressed by strong building codes and is done in conjunction with a smart adaptability strategy.”

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Doctoroff admitted that there is some risk in building along the shore, since there is only so much the city and developers can to to fight the effects of global warming. “We cannot build a big barrier reef off the shore to stop the waves from coming in, we can’t build big bulkheads that cut people off from the water,” he said.

However, Doctoroff had strong words for the occupants of luxury waterfront developments that did not head the city’s orders to evacuate: “As for people who refuse to leave when warned, they are just fools.” [NYO]Christopher Cameron