New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said on Tuesday that Facebook did not receive any “tailored incentives” to lease out the Farley Post Office building in Manhattan, a deal that was announced last week.
The mayor has touted the project as a sign of the city’s re-emergence from the COVID-19 pandemic and that New York will remain a place for companies to do business and for people to work. It comes amid fears that the virus, increased crime, high tax rates and greater acceptance of remote working opportunities may result in an exodus of talent.
“I have a huge critique of some of the things that Facebook has done, and I have a big concern in general about companies that have such a big impact on our public discourse and our privacy, and I think a lot has to change,” de Blasio told reporters Tuesday. “But that said, we’re also trying to bring back New York City’s economy, bring back jobs from New Yorkers, and the fact that Facebook made the decision to have such a strong presence here is a vote of confidence in the future of New York City.”
Facebook will lease all 730,000 square feet of office space at the historic building, and according to The New York Times, the social media giant has secured deals to occupy more than 2.2 million square feet of space in the city in the past year.
De Blasio said he was not sure if there were any incentives offered and a message to the mayor’s press office was not returned Tuesday afternoon. Last week, he said that the project would bring Facebook’s total employment in the city to nearly 10,000 and strengthen the city’s claim as a tech hub.
New York state did not offer any incentives for the project.
The actual number of jobs that will be created through the Farley lease remains to be seen, Facebook spokeswoman Jamila Reeves told The Center Square. She said the space should be ready to open sometime late next year.
Also on Tuesday, de Blasio announced the city renewed a $1.5 million commercial lease assistance program that offers free legal support to small business owners, primarily minorities and women.
It initially had been cut from the 2021 fiscal year budget, but de Blasio credited state Assemblyman Charles Fall, D-Staten Island, for pushing for its reinsertion.
More than 900 businesses had received assistance through the program. With the economic crunch brought upon by the coronavirus pandemic, the mayor said it was important to offer services that help the “heart and soul” of the city’s neighborhoods.
“We feel for those mom and pop stores in our neighborhood that really help define the character of our neighborhoods,” he said. “We have to help them to keep going.”
