Empire State Development Corporation
[7] In 1995, the functions of the DED and the UDC were consolidated, along with the Job Development Authority (JDA) and the Science and Technology Foundation (STF).[7] Some functions of JDA and STF were folded into ESDC and DED, respectively, and the collective entity was branded as Empire State Development (ESD).In the first years of the UDC, its aim was to facilitate large-scale low-income housing developments in urban neighborhoods that had traditionally been white and middle-class.In 1970, Business Week claimed that the UDC was "emerging as the most powerful state agency in the country for coping with urban growth.The move away from a housing mission began in the late 1970s and early 1980s with such projects as the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center and improvements to the Apollo Theater.[11] George Pataki used the corporation to distribute $20 billion in federal aid following the September 11, 2001 attacks to help rebuild lower Manhattan and build the 9/11 memorial.[12] In 2007, under Governor Eliot Spitzer, an Upstate ESD headquarters opened in Buffalo in recognition of the different economic challenges posed in the upper and lower (NYC region) parts of the State.The former Upstate and Downstate offices now work together to ensure that New York's economic development strategy benefits the entire State, while being mindful of the specific resources and special challenges of each region.As an example, the UDC's construction of the Harlem State Office Building in 1969 aroused intense opposition from the neighborhood which wanted the resources applied in other ways.[20] Avi Schick, former President of ESDC (2007–2009), criticized the corporation as acting beyond its purview in determining what constitutes essential activities, particularly as it relates to religious practice.