Bloomberg loud and clear on NYSCC.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg took the opportunity to hammer home the necessity for the NYSCC to some of the real estate industry's biggest players when he addressed the recent Real Estate Board of New York's members lunch.

"After what the IOC Evaluation Commission said while they were here last month, there can no longer be any doubt," Bloomberg said. "Their message was clear: no Sports and Convention Center, no Olympics. End of story. You can't have it both ways, if you're opposed to one, you're opposed to the other."

The mayor stressed the importance of building the Jets' stadium and expansion of the Javits Center as it is the key to Manhattan's chances at hosting the 2012 Olympic games, an event that he estimates would generate 120,000 jobs and have a $12 billion impact on the city's economy. At the luncheon, held in the New York Hilton's grand ballroom, Bloomberg also outlined the sweeping initiatives he has undertaken during his tenure at City Hall. The projects, he said, have both greatly improved the city's economic health and paved the way for a continued boom time in real estate. Speaking to a packed house that read like a who's who in Manhattan real estate, Bloomberg focused his talk on his administration's impressive track record in creating jobs, helping to rebuild and revitalize the downtown and develop the West Side.

According to Bloomberg, the impressive progress was made possible firstly by the significant reduction in crime citywide that his administration has effected.

"Livability starts with safety," Bloomberg said. "It's fundamental to creating opportunity. And today New Yorkers are safer than we've been in modern memory. We've driven crime 71% lower than it was 12 years ago, and nearly 23% lower than it was four years ago."

"During 2004, murders fell to the lowest level since 1963. And they're down another 17% so far this year."

Bloomberg noted that these reductions were accomplished during a period in which the city committed 1,000 officers exclusively to intelligence and counter-terrorism duties, and posted some of its best detectives to cities halfway around the world.

"When I helped dedicate the new memorial to the victims of the 1993 World Trade Center bombing last month, I said that we paid an awful price for not learning the lessons of that attack," Bloomberg said. "And we can't afford to re-learn them another time. The human cost is just too high."

While job figures have gone up, the Mayor pointed to the importance of events like The Gates for fomenting economic activity.

"Restaurants throughout the city were packed; waiters told reporters that it was like Christmas in February," he said. "Attendance at museums, cultural attractions, and Broadway shows skyrocketed. Stores catering to tourists reported brisk sales."

"In fact, The Gates may have been saffron, but they meant "green" for a lot of New Yorkers. We estimated that "The Gates" generated $254 million in economic activity."