Whitehead resigns from LMDC.

John C. Whitehead has announced that he will resign as chairman of the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation (LMDC) at the end of May, after more than four and a half years of spearheading the post 9/11 redevelopment efforts.

At the request of Governor George E. Pataki and then Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, Whitehead assumed the chairmanship and worked to form the Development Corporation in the weeks following 9/11.

Whitehead was instrumental in leading the public processes that led to the selection of the Libeskind Master Site Plan, and in allocating more than $2 billion in redevelopment grant funding which has revitalized Lower Manhattan. Whitehead will continue to serve as a founding member of the World Trade Center Memorial Foundation.

"John Whitehead has repeatedly answered the call to public service and as a city, state and nation we owe him a debt of gratitude," Governor George E. Pataki said.

"He has been an energetic and tireless advocate for the rebuilding and led the LMDC from its very inception. Chairman Whitehead should rightfully be credited with helping to put into place all the necessary elements to drive the rebuilding of the World Trade Center site through to completion."

"It's been my pleasure and an honor to serve as chairman of the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation, and despite the challenges we've faced I am proud of our accomplishments, including forging the Master Site Plan which still holds today," said Whitehead. "I appreciate the support of the governor and the mayor and the hard work and dedication of the LMDC staff, past and present, who have helped me to meet the challenges of the last four and a half years. I wish everyone the best as they continue to move forward and advance the redevelopment efforts."

In the days following Whitehead's founding of the LMDC, he immediately led efforts to create the Family Room and to honor the memories of those who were lost by working on interim memorial projects, such as the Tribute in Light, the Tribute Center and StoryCorps. Whitehead led efforts to provide residential grants to stabilize and rebuild the housing market in Lower Manhattan and joined the Empire State Development Corporation in establishing a business recovery grant program to help keep and attract new businesses to the area. As a result, Lower Manhattan is today one of the fastest growing residential communities and central business districts in the United States.

During Whitehead's tenure as chairman, the agency held more than 100 public meetings to inform the redevelopment process, including the launch of the international competition to develop a site plan and the worldwide competition to select the World Trade Center memorial design. Whitehead and the LMDC have worked with Studio Daniel Libeskind to refine the master site plan, preserving the selected plan's vision, while at the same time ensuring that it is achievable, as evidenced during recent negotiations between Silverstein Properties International and the Port Authority.

"We have faced significant challenges, but under the steady leadership of John Whitehead, we have been able to successfully navigate the terrain of the rebuilding, while preserving the Master Site Plan and providing instrumental planning and funding for the redevelopment of Lower Manhattan," said Stefan Pryor, president of the LMDC. "As we move forward with our mission, the guidance, experience, diplomacy and grace of John Whitehead will be missed. His legacy of integrity and quality in planning and action will allow us to continue along the path he laid out."

Under Whitehead's leadership, the LMDC created a plan for the World Trade Center Site's cultural facilities, and awarded funding to more than 60 Lower Manhattan cultural institutions. He negotiated numerous landmark agreements with city, state, and federal agencies and private parties. Also under his guidance, the LMDC formulated and negotiated the Environmental Impact Statement for the World Trade Center Memorial and Redevelopment Plan that includes the construction of the memorial and memorial-related improvements, as well as commercial, retail, museum and cultural facilities, new open space areas, new street configurations and infrastructure improvements at the World Trade Center Site and adjacent parcels.