"Today's approval of City Planning's rezoning for 30 blocks of the lower Grand Concourse will revitalize the transit-rich neighborhood, create opportunities for new housing development on underutilized and vacant land and loft buildings and facilitate the redevelopment of the waterfront with new housing, commercial uses and open spaces.

"While retaining viable light manufacturing uses, the plan will create opportunities for some 3,100 units of new housing, including more than 500 affordable units, nearly 3,400 jobs, and a publicly accessible new waterfront esplanade and park.

"This fulfills a key commitment we made to the many stakeholders who participated in our South Bronx Initiative, and will be transformative for the area and those neighborhoods surrounding it.

"In addition to the Lower Concourse rezoning, the Council also today approved the plan to facilitate the expansion of Fordham's Lincoln Center Campus. The project contemplates construction over time of new buildings that will solidify Fordham's long-term viability in the Lincoln Square neighborhood as well as the City's global competitiveness and economic well-being.  It will also create new construction jobs during development as well as hundreds of permanent jobs.  I commend the City Council for approving this critical plan."