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The following excerpt is from Mayor Bloomberg’s remarks at a breakfast at the Brooklyn Navy Yard on December 8, 2010.

“In New York, we know the economic power of immigration – because we see it every day. Nearly 40 percent of city residents were born outside the U.S., and beyond the cultural, religious, and civic contributions they make to our city – they do something else: they work. They start businesses. They create jobs. They pay taxes. We need more of that, not less.

“Here at the Navy Yard, we took advantage of a federal program that provides a green card to anyone who is willing to invest more than $500,000. That helped the Navy Yard attract $60 million in new investment – and now Steiner Studios has used the same program to attract another $65 million to fund its expansion.

“We want even more foreign capital to come here – so that more jobs are created here. The federal government could do that very simply: by making it easier to qualify for the program. And it should go further, by creating a new visa that allows immigrant entrepreneurs who have U.S. investors to come to America to launch their businesses. Any elected official who says he or she is pro-business ought to be able to get behind this idea.”

Wall Street Journal
New York Region — May 10, 2010 – By Joseph De Avila

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The Brooklyn Navy Yard hopes to trade green cards for greenbacks to help finance $125 million in projects in its biggest facelift since World War II.

“We have to look for ways to do more with less,” said Robert Lieber, deputy mayor for economic development. “This is a real interesting and clever way to provide financing.”

The so-called EB-5 visa is awarded to foreigners who invest $500,000 to $1 million in U.S. businesses; $500,000 is required if the investment is made in a high-unemployment or rural area. The investors must document that their investment created at least 10 jobs before they are granted green cards, which allow permanent residence in the U.S.

The Brooklyn Navy Yard expansion is expected to create about 2,800 construction, film-studio and so-called green jobs. Besides the foreign investment, New York City is also paying an additional $81 million for infrastructure upgrades.

Industrial park to receive $60 million investment, develop two green buildings & create 1,200 jobs through innovative program

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Brooklyn, NY (May 10, 2010) – In a first for New York City, an innovative program that raises capital for economic development projects in high unemployment areas across the nation has generated $60 million in investment at the Brooklyn Navy Yard. The New York City Regional Center (NYCRC) is providing the financing through the EB-5 visa program of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). The EB-5 program allows foreign investors to invest in job creating projects in areas of high unemployment in exchange for expedited access to green cards. The money will be used to develop new industrial space and upgrade the Yard’s infrastructure. Combined with $81 million in City-funded infrastructure investment, the three-year project will result in more than 1,200 new jobs at the city-owned industrial park.

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Industrial park to receive investment of $60 million through EB-5 Program

NEW YORK, NY — May 10, 2010 — In a first for New York City, an innovative federally authorized program that raises capital for economic development projects in areas of high unemployment across the nation is moving forward on raising $60 million in investment at the Brooklyn Navy Yard. The New York City Regional Center (“NYCRC”) is providing the financing through the EB-5 Regional Center program. The program was established by Congress to stimulate economic growth through foreign investment and is overseen by the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services, a division of the Department of Homeland Security. The program’s mandate is to use foreign investment to spur job creation in areas of high unemployment while simultaneously afford eligible foreign investors the opportunity to become lawful permanent residents of the United States

The funds raised by the NYCRC will be used to develop new industrial space and upgrade the Brooklyn Navy Yard’s infrastructure. Combined with $81 million in New York City-funded infrastructure investment, the three-year project will result in more than 1,200 new jobs at the city-owned industrial park.

“Now more than ever, we have to find innovative ways to secure private investment and finance important infrastructure projects, and Alan Fishman, Andrew Kimball and the Brooklyn Navy Yard Development Corporation are doing just that through the EB-5 program,” said New York City Deputy Mayor for Economic Development Robert C. Lieber. “We’ve already pumped $140 million into the growing Navy Yard, which is fast becoming a nationwide model for a successful urban industrial park, and this new infusion of capital will go a long way towards helping us complete its expansion.”

Through the EB-5 program, a person and their immediate family can obtain permanent residency in the United States by investing $500,000 into a Regional Center project that creates a minimum of 10 jobs for American workers in an area of high unemployment as designated by the New York State Department of Economic Development. The financing is the first in the Navy Yard for the NYCRC, one of approximately 100 regional centers designated by the USCIS across the country. The NYCRC is raising $60 million for the Brooklyn Navy Yard Development Corporation (“BNYDC”) by attracting 120 investors from around the world.

“It is no surprise that securing private financing for economic development projects has been challenging,” said Alan Fishman, BNYDC chairman. “Affordable financing through the New York City Regional Center will jump-start some of our projects and create good paying, green-collar careers.”

“The New York City Regional Center is a tremendous alternative lending source that accelerates the largest expansion of the Navy Yard since WWII and creates more than a thousand jobs, many of which will go to residents in the surrounding community,” said Andrew Kimball, BNYDC president and CEO. “The Bloomberg Administration’s long-term commitment to upgrading basic infrastructure at the Yard made it the ideal location for New York City’s first Regional Center investment.”

About the New York City Regional Center
The NYCRC is approved by the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services to secure foreign investment through the EB-5 Program for real estate projects within Brooklyn, Queens, Manhattan, and the Bronx. The regional center works in conjunction with government agencies, economic development entities, and private developers to fund a diversified portfolio of real estate projects – such as light industrial, retail, civic, hotels, office buildings, and mixed-use.

About the Brooklyn Navy Yard
The Brooklyn Navy Yard is owned by the City of New York and managed by the not-for-profit Brooklyn Navy Yard Development Corporation. BNYDC leases space in the Yard, promotes local economic development, develops underutilized areas and oversees modernization of the Yard’s infrastructure. The corporation’s board of directors is comprised of leaders of Brooklyn’s economic development community. Established in 1801, the Brooklyn Navy Yard served as one of America’s preeminent military facilities for more than 150 years. Closed by the federal government in 1966, the City of New York subsequently assumed ownership and re-opened the Yard as an industrial park.

Today, the 300-acre Brooklyn Navy Yard is in the midst of its largest expansion since WWII. This expansion has been driven by the Yard’s strong track record of leasing space and by major investments from the Bloomberg Administration in basic infrastructure and increasing levels of funding from the State and federal governments. The Yard’s existing four million square feet of space – currently consisting of 40 rentable buildings with more than 240 tenants – is 99 percent occupied. For additional information, please visit www.brooklynnavyyard.org.

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