Rudin: NYC environment key to industry.

"New York is a Disney World," explained Lewis Rudin as he recounted the wonderful attributes of the city to members of the National Realty Club last week. "I don't need a movie about dinosaurs to tell me about dinosaurs. I don't have to go anywhere for the best zoo but to the Bronx."

Rudin, president of Rudin Management, had come to the luncheon at the 60 East Club in the Lincoln Building fresh from a City Hall press conference with New York City Mayor David N. Dinkins. As president of the host committee for "NYC 93," Rudin was on hand for the announcement of the city's events.

Modeled after last year's successful promotion around the Democratic National Convention, this year's summer series features lunches for $19.93 among other specials promoting the city's restaurants, hotels, stores, attractions and visitor services.

Reading an article from a March 1955 U.S. News & World Report titled "New York City In Trouble," Rudin recounted budget, crime, quality of life and other problems as told to the magazine by Mayor Robert F. Wagner Jr.

"The City of New York is way ahead of every city in the country," Rudin observed, recalling similar woes that led in 1971 to the formation by the real estate industry of the Association For A Better New York of which he is now president.

These same obstacles are affecting other cities, such as Charlotte, New Orleans and Los Angeles today, but the City of New York has already faced them, he said.

"The problems of 1955 are still with us but we have different ones -- AIDS, drugs, immigration," Rudin said. "New York is one of the few cities that has stepped up to the plate to tackle them. It doesn't matter who that mayor is, we have to help that mayor."

In response to a question, Rudin praised Mayor David N. Dinkins for appointing Deputy Mayor Barry Sullivan and Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly and for the Safe Cities/Safe Streets program. "He understands what we are about, Rudin said.

"Our real estate industry isn't any good unless our environment is good," he added, launching into a discussion of topical issues.

Rudin touched on the need for vacancy and luxury decontrols in rent stabilized buildings and also spoke of the vacancies in commercial buildings.

His own properties have about 700,000 square feet of empty space and Downtown accounts for 625,000 square feet of that total. When Drexel Burnham went belly up, they vacated 400,000 square feet in one of his family's buildings. But Rudin is seeing more activity.

One international tenant is about to move from Uptown to Downtown where a building will be named for them. Rudin is also hopeful that his project at 23 Wall Street in conjunction with the Wilpons and the Hines Organization will begin soon. "That will be a positive stimulus on the Wall Street area, " he said.

He predicts there will be a shortage of space in the Midtown area within the next 12 to 18 months as there are already few spaces now available for large block tenants.

"[We need] to make sure the city is seen in a more positive light," Rudin said, and make sure the city's activities are right and that private interest and their concerns are reflected to the politicians. When we have civic self-interest at heart we can win a lot of battles."