The Accidental Visionary

Former Governor George Pataki has been in something of a cocoon for the past 20 months, staying far away from the public spotlight. But last week at the Republican National Convention in St. Paul, he emerged, mostly as a surrogate for Senator John McCain who gave speeches at delegation breakfasts and generally stayed away from New York political issues.

But on the issue of the World Trade Center redevelopment, Mr. Pataki was direct. Speaking to a small gathering of reporters, he responded to a question about whether current delays at the World Trade Center came as a result of mistakes in his administration.

“That’s utter nonsense,” he said. “The most important thing is that we have a brilliant vision for the future of Lower Manhattan that is completely under construction right now, and I am very proud of how we worked to make sure that that vision was not just a theory but was implemented on the ground.”

The subject of what to do at ground zero commanded much of Mr. Pataki’s attention in the final stretch of his time in Albany, as the administration spent years in an attempt to get the project moving.

Somewhat incredibly, even after two governors, billions in unexpected costs, and years in unforeseen delays, his administration’s vision and layout for the site have managed to remain constant, with the major elements of the plan slated to emerge mostly as Mr. Pataki and his people proposed.

The ink that drew the outline in 2006 and before has proved indelible in large part due to the emotion and symbolism that surrounds the project, making it a politically difficult plan to alter. What has changed is the price tag and the timetable of everything on the 16-acre site, due in no small part to the unyielding nature of the original plan, which has been filled with complexities and unforeseen challenges.

A YEAR AGO, the story line was an entirely different one from what it is this week as the project enters its eighth year. For the sixth anniversary of the attacks of September 11, ground zero’s narrative was one of progress—one of new, long-awaited growth and movement on the floor of a site that had worn out its welcome as an empty pit. The Freedom Tower was starting its move upward; the memorial had nearly reached its fund-raising goals and was headed out on a national tour; the Port Authority was in the midst of excavating the sites for two of developer Larry Silverstein’s towers.

Just days before the anniversary last year, the Port Authority, which owns the site and oversees most of the operations, called in a legion of reporters and photographers to its downtown offices, where officials boasted about the progress since the start of the year, complete with a video and before and after images.

This year, there was no briefing.

Even as construction continues and the Freedom Tower rises above street level, the downtown story has pulled a 180, as the Paterson administration acknowledges a huge array of obstacles. Perhaps billions of dollars in added cost and years in expected delays landed with a thud in the public’s understanding of the project, and a likely explosive firestorm looms as Mr. Silverstein, a legendarily tenacious negotiator, prepares to reopen and change the terms of his lease with the Port Authority.

Officials involved with the project long knew of its complications and propensity for major delays, particularly on components such as the PATH hub and the memorial. But the position of the Spitzer administration—which was a matter of internal dispute—was to hold firm on the Pataki-era dates, with hopes of ultimately exacting from contractors projects with only marginal delays.

But the Paterson administration, with no desire to be the recipient of public scorn once the delays became clear, came clean this summer with the situation downtown, and is planning to offer a new timetable at the end of the month.

As for the 2012 scheduled finish line for everything, that’s being treated as an anachronism. A confidential 2007 report commissioned by the state- and city-run Lower Manhattan Construction Command Center found many components, including the museum, the PATH hub, the Vehicle Security Center, Greenwich Street, and Tower 2, would not be finished until at least 2015, based on the plans and phasing of each of the components at the time.

Whether the Port Authority comes up with the same dates in its review, due Sept. 30, the agency will ultimately need new money and more time, as it does triage with the variety of semi-independent projects planned in the Rubik’s Cube of a site and cuts back where it can.

Only the original Pataki administration vision is expected to remain the same. That vision established the basic location, size, and scope of each of the major components: the Freedom Tower, the memorial and museum, the Santiago Calatrava-designed PATH hub, the underground concourse and connectors, Mr. Silverstein’s three towering office buildings, and a number of other elements.

While the Paterson administration plans to scale back aspects of some of the major components, including the PATH station, it has essentially steered clear of attempting any major changes to the Pataki vision, instead working within the parameters of the basic plan it was handed.

That vision was a defining project for Mr. Pataki in his last years in office, as it was a top priority for his administration before it left Albany. It went through constant twists and turns as new architects came on, components were altered and added, and the Freedom Tower was redesigned, but has gone unchanged in the past two years.

“The symbolism that we looked at—Governor Pataki, myself, and others,” said Charles Gargano, the former state development czar and former vice chairman of the Port Authority, “was the memorial, number one, and the Freedom Tower, number two … they were the priorities.”