Mayor de Blasio and Speaker Mark-Viverito Unveil Action Plan to Grow 21st Century Industrial and Manufacturing Jobs in NYC

November 3, 2015

Investments to spur more than 20,000 new jobs and support a sector that employs more than a half-million New Yorkers

Protections for core industrial areas, new Advanced Manufacturing Center, loan fund for start-ups and growing firms, new training to prepare New Yorkers for careers in manufacturing

NEW YORK—Mayor Bill de Blasio and City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito today unveiled a 10-point action plan to modernize the City’s industrial policy backed by more than $115 million in newly announced City funding. The plan will launch a new state of the art Advanced Manufacturing Center, protect core industrial areas from encroachment, provide loans and grants for new firms, and train New Yorkers for 21st century manufacturing jobs.

Together, these efforts will help ensure that both longstanding businesses and new firms have the space to grow and evolve, preserving and creating good jobs in New York City. The new and current investments will generate more than 20,000 new jobs and support the city’s existing 530,000 manufacturing and industrial jobs.

“Manufacturing isn’t just past of New York City’s past – it is a thriving part of our 21st century economy. We are positioning our industrial businesses to take advantage of new technology and new demand. These investments are going to generate tens of thousands of good jobs for New York City families. We are so proud to work with Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito and our partners in the City Council to strengthen this vital part of our economy and make sure more New Yorkers reap its opportunities,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio. 

"New York City's industrial and manufacturing sectors are crucial to our economy, providing 530,000 strong, well-paying jobs for hardworking New Yorkers across the city. After many years of decline, our industrial and manufacturing sectors are growing with the potential to employ even more working families, and we must modernize our city’s industrial policy to better support and sustain this growth. The Industrial Action Plan will strengthen and invest in our city’s core industrial areas and provide essential protections against non-industrial uses and development. These tools and strategies will build on the recommendations first put forth by the New York City Council, ensuring that existing manufacturing firms and new businesses have the space and support they need to thrive," said Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito.

The Industrial Action Plan also affirms the Administration’s commitment to strengthening the City’s core industrial areas, and limiting as-of-right hotel and mini-storage development in Industrial Business Zones (IBZs). It also establishes a new $150 million loan and grant fund for new and growing industrial businesses, helps firms access advanced technologies like 3D printing, and opens new career centers to connect New Yorkers directly with industrial employers.

The Industrial Action Plan is the culmination of the City Council’s strong advocacy for industrial jobs as “Engines of Opportunity” that can launch New York City families into the middle class. The Plan achieves the Council’s goals of reinvigorating the City’s manufacturing zones by increasing land use protections of core industrial areas, creating new mixed-use zoning tools, and supporting mission-driven non-profit industrial developers. Since releasing the Engines of Opportunity report in November 2014, the Council has held a Land Use committee oversight hearing and Council Members Antonio Reynoso, Inez Barron, Rafael Espinal and Stephen Levin continue to work with the de Blasio Administration on studies of the East New York and North Brooklyn IBZs that will be critical to the implementation of the Industrial Action Plan across the five boroughs.

New York City’s industrial and manufacturing sector employs 530,000 people, or 15.4 percent of the city’s private sector workforce. The sector is an important pathway to the middle class for many families, with median wages of $50,400 a year. In addition, more than 328,000 jobs in the sector (61.5 percent) are located outside Manhattan, 62 percent of the workforce comes from culturally diverse backgrounds, and nearly half are foreign-born. And approximately 63 percent of industrial and manufacturing sector jobs are available to individuals who do not have a college degree.

"I applaud the de Blasio administration for following the Council's lead and proposing concrete protections for industrial business zones. Manufacturing jobs are the cornerstone of our city's economy, providing tremendous opportunity for people from all walks of life to earn a living wage, support their families and achieve the American dream. These new zoning protections will restrict incompatible land uses and enable industrial businesses to flourish in neighborhoods across New York City,” said Council Member David Greenfield.

“Industry and manufacturing are an important part of New York City’s history and vital to the city’s continued economic health. Industrial Business Zones promote the development of quality jobs for New Yorkers in new and emerging industries by ensuring that businesses get the support they need to innovate and grow. I commend the administration for recognizing the critical role that IBZs play for city businesses and for affirming the need for a robust industrial policy that both encourages job growth and preserves IBZs for the industrial uses they were intended to promote,” said Council Member Stephen Levin.

“Industrial Business Zones help provide New Yorkers with good paying blue collar jobs, especially for minorities, who make up the majority of the sector’s workforce,” said Council Member Donovan Richards. “These new policies are crucial to ensuring that the industrial industry continues to provide reliable employment and bolsters workforce development in the field to help more hard working New Yorkers acquire the necessary skills to thrive in our city. I’d like to thank the de Blasio administration, Deputy Mayor Alicia Glen and Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito for their commitment to supporting and enhancing the City’s industrial areas, as well as limiting as-of-right hotels and mini-storage development.”

"Strengthening NYC's manufacturing sector is an essential way to create good jobs for a wide range of New Yorkers, and to advance more inclusive growth in the innovation economy. I'm especially enthusiastic that the plan commits to new zoning tools that will better protect our Industrial Business Zones amidst skyrocketing real-estate prices, and create genuine mixed-used districts where light manufacturing can thrive. In my district, these tools will help enable the Gowanus to remain a vibrant, creative, inclusive, sustainable, mixed-use neighborhood. Thanks to Mayor de Blasio, Speaker Mark-Viverito, Deputy Mayor Glen – and especially to the tenacious industrial advocates and manufacturers for their grit and determination to keep 'making it' in NYC,” said Council Member Brad Lander.

“Our City’s Industrial Business Zones (IBZ) have always been an engine of economic opportunity for our low-income and immigrant communities. They must continue to thrive – our city's future depends on it. The Mayor’s plan is a welcome step in that direction. We can all do better every day to hem the destructive reality of residential speculation through mechanisms like special permits for new hotels in our IBZ’s, a measure that is outlined in the Council’s Engines of Opportunity report," said Council Member Carlos Menchaca.

"The Industrial Business Zones are a critical component of the New York City economy, particularly in neighborhoods like East New York. As I’ve said all along, we can’t just talk about creating more affordable housing, we must talk about creating quality jobs. The East New York IBZ alone is responsible for 4,000 jobs in my community, and through the policies outlined in the Mayor and Council’s 10 point plan, I believe we can double or triple that number in the years to come by strengthening our land use policy, making strategic investments, and improving our financial incentives to help industrial companies grow.  I look forward to the recommendations from the ENY IBZ study and moving quickly from studying to implementing,” said Council Member Rafael L. Espinal, Jr.

“The Administration’s investment in an Industrial Action Plan will help retain and attract manufacturing business and position New York City as a manufacturing hub capable of competing in a national marketplace,” said Council Member Julissa Ferreras-Copeland. “It is an appropriate response as we see the sector growing and providing much needed jobs to our workforce. I applaud this smart investment and the Mayor’s commitment to strengthening our middle class.”

“The North Shore of Staten Island has historically been home to industrial and manufacturing businesses that helped build our city,” said Council Member Deborah Rose. “While our economy has shifted away from manufacturing and industry in recent decades, many of these businesses continue to provide quality jobs to many of my constituents. Mayor de Blasio’s 10-point action plan recognizes that this sector of the economy has great potential, and, with some investment and attention, can bring 21st century career opportunities to countless New Yorkers – employees and entrepreneurs alike.”

“Protecting and strengthening our manufacturing zones is crucial for the future of New York City. The IBZs support quality jobs with good wages and low barriers to entry, yet they are being threatened everyday by residential speculation and development of hotels and other non-industrial uses. This commitment to preserving manufacturing space means more job opportunities and a stronger economy for New Yorkers,” said Council Member Antonio Reynoso.

“Businesses in the industrial sector, their employees and the non-profits who support them have been poised for this announcement on industrial policy for nearly two years. I’m pleased that it is so robust and echoes many of the ideas proposed by the City Council in its Engines of Opportunity report last year. There’s a great deal to celebrate, including stable funding for industrial business service providers, and new career centers to connect additional New Yorkers to good industrial jobs. I look forward to delving into it further and to working with the administration as these plans are put into practice,” said Council Member Robert Cornegy.

"Industrial manufacturing is essential to maintaining a strong and vibrant middle class throughout all of New York City,” said New York City Council Majority Leader Jimmy Van Bramer. “I applaud Mayor de Blasio’s efforts to focus on this important and too often overlooked part of the fabric of the economy of our city.”

"Creating an environment in which industrial jobs can flourish is key to New York City's future," said Council Member Daniel Garodnick. "The steps that are being announced today will help to ensure that our businesses have the space, tools, and support they need to grow."

"The expansion of the industrial and manufacturing sectors‎ ‎will bring much needed jobs and ensure the City maintains its global competitive edge,” said Council Member Ritchie Torres. “I applaud the Mayor and Deputy Mayor for their leadership that will keep NYC at the forefront of industrial policy and innovation.

"The City's industrial policy action plan will help strengthen our economy and build our vital manufacturing workforce,” said Council Member Costa Constantinides, Chair of the Council Environmental Protection Committee. “The plan will also expand our Brownfield Jumpstart program, which will help make our city more sustainable. The program will provide grants to industrial businesses for site cleanups and promote clean neighborhoods. I look forward to seeing the implementation of this plan and I thank Mayor de Blasio for his bold vision."

"In today’s globalized world, our city’s vitality will hinge on whether it has the capacity to modernize and grow the businesses occupying its industrial and manufacturing sectors, cultivate a skilled workforce ready to compete for jobs in a diverse labor market, and invest capital to spur technological development,” said Council Member Ruben Wills. “The Administration’s plan wisely leverages government resources to create a premier hub for innovation that will change our systems of everyday living, promote greater prosperity, and ensure the city's fiscal stability for generations to come."

“Downtown Brooklyn is home to several institutions of higher learning whose academic focus on science and technology has attracted an increasing number of students across New York City and abroad. The City’s investment into the Brooklyn Navy Yard will spur innovation and job creation that will greatly benefit the hundreds of college students who will enter the tech sector over the next several years. The implementation of the Mayor’s Industrial Action Plan will help sustain our City’s growing economy while positioning the Brooklyn Tech Triangle as the next Silicon Valley,” said Council Member Laurie A. Cumbo.

The 10 Point Industrial Action Plan will help achieve three major goals, all of which are essential to a vibrant and growing industrial economy:

Protecting and Strengthening Core Industrial Areas

To protect the kinds of industrial and manufacturing activities that are a critical component of a strong economy, the Mayor and Council reaffirm the City’s commitment to strengthening and investing in the city’s core industrial areas, while limiting residential development and other non-industrial uses.

1. Invest in City-Owned Industrial Assets: As part of the 10-Year Capital Plan, the City will invest a total of $442 million in City-owned industrial properties. That amount includes:

• Brooklyn Army Terminal: $115 million to develop 500,000 square feet of space
• Brooklyn Navy Yard: $140 million to develop 1 million square feet of space
• Sunset Park: A $37 million infrastructure investment to support thousands of new and existing jobs
• Hunts Point: $150 million to protect 3,225,000 square feet of space  

2. Limit New Hotels and Personal Storage in Core Industrial Areas to Reduce Use Conflicts and Support Diverse Economic Growth: As part of this commitment to strengthening core industrial areas, the City will enact new safeguards against the influx of tourist hotels and personal mini-storage facilities to preserve opportunities for industrial and manufacturing businesses. Specifically, the Administration will work with the City Council to create a new special permit that will be required for any hotel developments in M1 districts within IBZs (with the exception of a portion of the area around JFK, where hotels serve airport-related businesses). Additionally, it will implement restrictions on personal mini-storage and household goods storage facilities in IBZs through appropriate land use controls. Such storage facilities do not create a high number of jobs and thus do not align with the Mayor and Council’s vision for economic development in core industrial areas.

3. Create New Models for Flexible Workspace and Innovation Districts: In response to the evolving needs of the industrial and manufacturing economy, the Administration will work with the City Council, business groups, neighborhood associations, and other key stakeholders to develop a framework for Innovation Districts in New York City. This framework will help determine the best ways to bring a mix of light industrial, commercial, and limited residential development to appropriate locations in a way that supports 21st century businesses and 21st century jobs. The City will begin developing the framework for these re-imagined Mixed Used districts with the North Brooklyn IBZ study currently underway. Developments would be facilitated through incentives and/or zoning requirements that encourage a mix of uses, with specific requirements assessed on a neighborhood-by-neighborhood basis.  

4. Strengthen Core Industrial Areas: Mayor de Blasio and the City Council made a strong commitment to ensuring that space in our core industrial areas remains available for industrial and manufacturing businesses that create a density of quality, middle class jobs for all New Yorkers. No residential uses are currently permitted in IBZs, except by rezoning. The Administration and the Council have agreed to further strengthen that prohibition to curb speculation. Going forward, no private applications for residential uses in IBZs will be supported by the Council or Administration.    

Investing in the Long-Term Development of Industrial and Manufacturing Businesses

The City will target investments to create and rehabilitate affordable, modern industrial space, while also providing key support services that these businesses need to start, grow, and thrive in the five boroughs.

5. Create an Industrial and Manufacturing Fund to Spur Development: For the first time ever, the City will create an industrial and manufacturing fund to stimulate the creation of new industrial and manufacturing space by non-profit and mission-driven developers. The fund will provide $64 million in City loans and grants, which will in turn leverage an additional $86 million dollars in private investment. This fund is expected to fuel the creation of approximately 400,000 square feet of space and approximately 1,200 new jobs.

6. Launch Advanced Manufacturing Network “Futureworks NYC”, including Creation of New Advanced Manufacturing Center: NYCEDC will leverage up to $10 million in both public and private resources for the creation of an Advanced Manufacturing Center, which will provide as much as 40,000 square feet of shared workspaces and equipment, such as 3D printers and robotics, for both new entrepreneurs and established manufacturers looking to modernize their operations. The Center will serve as the cornerstone of a new $3 million Advanced Manufacturing Network called “Futureworks NYC”, bringing together industry and community stakeholders to drive new services and investments to better support 21st century manufacturing jobs. It will feature a network of citywide resources that includes grants to advanced manufacturing start-ups, virtual incubator services to connect emerging firms to support programs, business extension services to help mature firms adopt new technologies, and workforce training programs. Futureworks NYC and the Advanced Manufacturing Center will directly support over 3,000 jobs.

7. Expand Brownfields Jumpstart Program to Industrial Properties: The Mayor announced a $500,000 expansion of the City’s Brownfield Jumpstart Program, which will help businesses enroll in the New York State Brownfield Cleanup Program (NYS BCP) and provide grants to industrial and manufacturing businesses for site investigation and cleanup efforts. The program will unlock critical space that can be used to create 200 good jobs for New Yorkers and promote clean, sustainable neighborhoods. These projects can receive tax credits of up to 20 percent through the NYS BCP.

8. Re-launch Industrial Business Solutions Providers Network: The de Blasio Administration is providing $1.5 million per year in baselined funding to relaunch the City’s Industrial Business Solutions Providers (IBSPs) network. This program, operated by the Department of Small Business Services (SBS), will provide critical support services to 400 unique businesses in 21 IBZs citywide. Participants will receive business education, financing assistance, recruitment and training support, and help navigating government and accessing public incentives. As the City’s eyes and ears on the ground, the IBSP network will also collect real-time data on industrial and manufacturing businesses, enabling the City to refine policies and better respond to the evolving needs of industrial and manufacturing businesses.

Preparing New Yorkers for the Industrial and Manufacturing Jobs of the Future

To meet the growing demand for high-skilled labor, the City will invest significant resources to train New Yorkers for 21st century jobs in the industrial and manufacturing sector.

9. Create Industry Partnerships to Bolster Workforce Development: The City will provide $750,000 in funding to launch a Career Pathways initiative for the industrial and manufacturing sector. Led by the Office of Workforce Development, SBS and NYCEDC, this partnership will convene business leaders, service providers, and other stakeholders to create a real-time feedback loop for workforce training, align workforce and incentives programs, and secure placement commitments from businesses seeking public benefits.

10. Establish Career Centers in IBZs: Building on the success of the existing Workforce1 Industrial and Transportation Career Center in Jamaica, SBS will create up to 5 additional satellite centers in select IBZs with high job density. Each center will have the ability to serve 500 local businesses and 1,000 residents every year, providing training and job placement services in the construction, manufacturing, transportation, utilities, and wholesale distribution sub-sectors.

The 10-Point Industrial Action Plan is designed to spur the growth of industrial and manufacturing businesses across a number of sub-sectors, ranging from food and fashion manufacturing to metal fabrication and film production. It will also support infrastructure and services that are critical to the City’s larger economy, such as transportation and distribution, wholesale trading, construction, telecommunications, utilities, and waste management.

Today’s announcement builds on previous commitments by the Administration to grow and modernize the city’s industrial economy. Earlier this year NYCEDC launched Connect IBZ, a $5.3 million public-private partnership to provide access to high-speed Internet in IBZs. The program will create high-speed commercial broadband networks in Southwest Brooklyn, Long Island City, North Brooklyn, and Greenpoint-Williamsburg. Taken together, these initiatives will help ensure that the city has the infrastructure in place to attract and support 21st century industrial and manufacturing jobs, and provide more New Yorkers with the skills they need to build careers in this growing sector.

“A critical part of our mission at NYCEDC is to create good jobs that provide a pathway to the middle class – the exact kinds of jobs supported by our industrial and manufacturing sector,” said NYCEDC President Maria Torres-Springer. “By creating a new fund to spur industrial development, and launching the Futureworks NYC network of advanced manufacturing spaces, we are helping to grow an industrial economy for the 21st century. I’m proud to be working with my colleagues in the Administration and the City Council, along with community and industry leaders, to make this bold plan a reality.”

"New York City's industrial and manufacturing sectors are critical components of a diverse, strong New York City economy that provides opportunity to its residents. The land use policy initiatives announced today will work together with the financial and job-training efforts to reinforce areas of core industrial activity while also allowing for new innovation economy jobs to locate and grow in New York City,” said Department of City Planning Director Carl Weisbrod.

"Industrial and manufacturing businesses are key economic engines in New York City, generating quality job opportunities for a diverse range of New Yorkers," said Andrew Schwartz, Acting Commissioner of the NYC Department of Small Business Services. "As part of Mayor de Blasio's Industrial Action Plan, SBS will expand critical supportive services to strengthen New York City industrial and manufacturing businesses, including connections to qualified local talent. Through partnerships with industry leaders and the launch of new Workforce1 satellite career centers, SBS will provide New Yorkers with the training opportunities and job connections needed to secure a career in the 21st century manufacturing and industrial sector."

“The industrial and manufacturing sector is an often overlooked, yet critical, driver of the New York economy,” said Congress Member Carolyn B. Maloney. “Mayor de Blasio’s work to build on this vital economic engine with a $115 million investment will generate new jobs and growth for our city. I applaud his efforts and look forward to complimenting this important work with our Make it in America agenda in Congress.”

“We must continue promoting the growth of manufacturing jobs throughout New York, while protecting against reckless real estate speculation and conversions,” said Congress Member Nydia M. Velázquez. “This new initiative holds great promise for furthering that effort and providing tools for local, sustainable growth. I applaud the Mayor for developing it and look forward to its continued refinement with input from the community.”

“I believe it is imperative for government to pursue initiatives that have the potential to spark job creation and economic growth,” said Congressman Eliot Engel, a senior member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee. “This massive investment by the City to modernize industrial policy has the potential to grow our local and regional economy in exciting new ways,” said Congress Member Eliot Engel.

"I am very gratified that Mayor de Blasio and Speaker Mark-Viverito understand the importance of preserving and modernizing the industrial sector of the New York City economy,” said State Senator Velmanette Montgomery. “We are a city of people who make things that are critical to the global economy and we must never lose that!"

“Increasing the number of industrial and manufacturing jobs in New York City must be a top priority if we want to be competitive in today’s market. These are jobs and businesses that maintain the economic engine of our region and fortify a valuable standard of living for our hardworking families,” said State Senator Jose Peralta. “I want to thank Mayor Bill de Blasio and City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito for launching this initiative aimed at protecting the City’s industrial areas.”

"I’m glad to see this Administration and this City Council recognize the need to invest in our City’s industrial centers,” said Assembly Member Joseph R. Lentol. “And I am especially glad that this announcement is taking place in Greenpoint. This community has been home to industrial manufacturing for generations, but in recent times those jobs have been displaced as industrial space shrinks and local rents skyrocket. This new policy will help Greenpoint and other industrial business zones throughout the city."

“As an original sponsor of the bill that created the Industrial Business Zones, I know how important it is for both the city and the state to make the necessary long-term investments to both the industrial and manufacturing sectors,” said Assembly Member Catherine Nolan. “I would like to commend Mayor de Blasio for making this investment that will go a long way to creating and retaining many middle class jobs for our city residents.”

"The City's investments have enabled the Brooklyn Navy Yard to become a key anchor for 21st century manufacturers," said David Ehrenberg, President of the Brooklyn Navy Yard Development Corporation. "The Mayor's recent contributions to Building 77 alone will add 1 million square feet and create 3,000 high-quality jobs, transforming a former storage facility into a bustling industrial innovation hub. This new industrial policy will be hugely impactful for the sector and, as developers of the Yard, we uniquely understand the need for the Industrial and Manufacturing Fund, which will help nonprofits overcome barriers to the creation of sorely needed industrial space."

“New York City is always on the cutting edge, and thanks to Mayor Bill de Blasio, Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito and the City Council, our growing industrial and manufacturing sector will have the support it needs to continue expanding and innovating,” said Brooklyn Chamber President and CEO Carlo A. Scissura. “Manufacturing in the five boroughs has skyrocketed, particularly in Brooklyn – with everything from clothes and furniture to food and beverages being made here – and we’ve witnessed firsthand the desire to produce products in Kings County through the Brooklyn-Made certification program. Whether it’s by creating over 20,000 new jobs, solidifying 530,000 other jobs, or opening up additional opportunities for future businesses, the Industrial Action Plan will do incredible things for our city’s economy.”

“The de Blasio administration’s plan to grow industrial and manufacturing jobs by promoting balanced, sustainable development is a perfect example of how the City can incentivize job growth through smart zoning. We applaud the Mayor for recognizing that hotel development is unique, and a one-size-fits-all approach for hotel construction in New York City does not make sense. Through special permits in these zones, all community stakeholders will have a role in determining what kind of development defines our communities, and all New Yorkers will be better off because of it,” said Peter Ward, President of the New York Hotel and Motel Trades Council.

"The Teamsters represent thousands of workers in the city's Industrial Business Zones. This is personal to us. We commend the Mayor and the Speaker for their leadership on behalf of industrial workers. This is a thoughtful, comprehensive policy to protect and grow industrial jobs and the Teamsters will work with the administration and the City Council as the conversation moves forward,” said George Miranda, President of the Teamsters Joint Council 16.

“On behalf of everyone at Evergreen, we want to thank Mayor de Blasio, Speaker Mark-Viverito, the City Council and all the hardworking staff of both the Administration and Council for their commitment to manufacturing in NYC,” said Leah Archibald, Executive Director of Evergreen. “It is imperative that manufacturing zones remain havens for manufacturing businesses in order to nurture the growth of local firms and the high quality working class jobs they supply for NYC residents. It is particularly important to limit uses that undermine industrial job growth in M-zones, like residential conversions and non-compatible commercial uses such as hotels and self-storage facilities. We are delighted that the Administration and Council will be investing in City-owned industrial properties, creating a fund for the nonprofit development of industrial real estate and funding business services for these firms citywide.”

“SIEDC is excited about the Mayor's plan to expand and promote industrial development throughout NYC,” said Cesar Claro, President and CEO of SIEDC. “AT SIEDC, we have seen an uptick in requests for industrial and warehouse space and a renewed interest in industrial expansion throughout the borough from existing firms. The Mayor's efforts for the past two years to help small industrial firms has led SIEDC to explore organizing Industrial Business Groups and BID's in two Staten Island towns – Richmond Terrace and Rossville – where we have a growing industrial base.”

“The Southwest Brooklyn Industrial Development Corporation (SBIDC) is excited about the upcoming release of the Mayor’s Industrial Plan, particularly its potential to lead to good industrial jobs and career pathways for Southwest Brooklyn residents, as well as other New Yorkers,” said David Meade, SBIDC Executive Director. “As an industrial advocate and direct service provider, we know the impact that an industrial job can have on a family’s chance at economic mobility, as these jobs tend to pay better wages and are more likely to offer benefits than comparable retail positions. Furthermore, industrial jobs offer real career pathways within the sector. Industrial and manufacturing small businesses are a critical piece of the economic fabric of New York City and we are excited to continue strengthening this sector of the city’s economy. “

“Greater Jamaica Development Corporation applauds Mayor de Blasio's announcement of a new industrial policy for the City of New York,” said Hope Knight, President and CEO of Greater Jamaica Development Corporation. “The industrial sector of Jamaica Queens has always been, and we hope, with the City's new policy, will continue to be, a path to well-paying middle class jobs for the people of Queens.”

“As the first in-place Industrial Park and Industrial BID, we are pleased to have a new Industrial Action Plan,” said Bill Wilkens, Director of Industrial Development for LDC of ENY. “This new policy and initiatives are critical to protecting and preserving a sector and industry that tends to be neglected, but is vital to the City of New York. I commend the Mayor and all participants with giving us an Industrial Action Plan, which provides new, transformative tools for our tool box in order to be successful in our respective industrial communities.”

"We applaud these crucial steps to curb residential speculation and limit inappropriate uses in core industrial areas, and we look forward to working with the City to maximize the use of the newly announced Industrial Development Fund by non-profit, mission-driven developers," said Benjamin Dulchin, Executive Director of ANHD.

“Mayor de Blasio¹s industrial announcement offers critical and timely support to NYC's thousands of passionate manufacturers, not only allowing them to strengthen their operations but also to retain and create valuable jobs,” said Kinda Younes, Executive Director, ITAC.

“Staten Island MakerSpace is committed to contributing to the innovation infrastructure of NYC,” said Scott Van Campen, Co-founder and CEO of SI Makerspace. “We are pleased to partner with the City on new initiatives that help people start small businesses, invent new products, and develop advanced manufacturing techniques in our great city.”

“As a NYC-based manufacturer, we have seen exciting growth in the advanced manufacturing and hardware scene and we are thrilled that the City is taking notice and creating much-needed space and resources for these companies to support local innovation right here in New York City,” said Limor Fried, Engineer and Founder of Adafruit Industries.

“In addition to affordable housing, New Yorkers – especially those without advanced degrees or who might not be fully English proficient – need access to good jobs that pay living wages and provide benefits that allow them to raise families here,” said Mark Foggin, Principal at Public Works Partners LLC. “Opportunities in NYC’s industrial neighborhoods are exactly these kinds of jobs. The Mayor should be commended for putting forward an agenda of important initiatives to help ensure businesses that provide these jobs can thrive. I look forward to playing whatever role I can in helping to advance and implement this agenda.”

“With this plan Mayor de Blasio and the City Council are helping keep New York City at the forefront of the innovation economy, by investing in advanced manufacturing and providing more New Yorkers with the skills they need to get 21st century jobs," said Coalition for Queens Founder Jukay Hsu. "Coalition for Queens will continue working with the City to build an innovation workforce that leverages the great diversity of our communities.”

“We are glad to see that the administration is supporting these businesses, and working to preserve a mix of uses necessary to meet the needs of the city, and areas such LIC, a truly mixed-use ‘city within the city,’” said Elizabeth Lusskin, President of the Long Island City Partnership.