LoMa forms council to hang on to TAMI tenants

Local business leaders in Lower Manhattan including WeWork founder Adam Neumann will form a council to persuade the much-cherished technology and media sector to stay in the area.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg, in a speech today plans to announce an initiative that includes a technology leadership council consisting of landlords, local startup executives and venture capitalists. The council will advocate for better facilities and neighborhood amenities for technology and media clients, with the aim of keeping them around, according to the Wall Street Journal.

“This new initiative will advance the tech community in Lower Manhattan by creating venues for those in the industry to congregate, collaborate, and share resources and ideas,” Bloomberg will say today, according to an advance copy of his speech seen by the newspaper.

The burgeoning presence of the TAMI (technology, advertising, media and information) sector in Midtown South has transformed the vibe of the area and brought in plenty of open spaces and trendy restaurants. Now, their Lower Manhattan counterparts are looking to recreate these changes.

Since 2005, 53 technology firms have moved to Lower Manhattan, compared to 81 financial firms, and occupy five percent of the area’s office space, according to 2012 data from the Downtown Alliance data seen by the Journal. [WSJ]  – Hiten Samtani