Trade Center Site May Be Swapped for Airport Land

A proposal to swap ownership of the World Trade Center property for the land at La Guardia and John F. Kennedy International airports deserves “serious examination,” the chairman of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey said Saturday.

“In concept, it would be consistent with the Port Authority’s core mission of transportation,” said agency Chairman Jack G. Sinagra. “If the city is serious about pursuing this idea, we would welcome such a discussion.”

The Port Authority owns the 16-acre trade center site, and the city owns the New York airports. A swap would cut the Port Authority out of the rebuilding process at ground zero, eliminating its need to maximize revenues by building and leasing a large amount of commercial space.

Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg “agrees that the idea has merit and deserves further exploration,” his spokesman, Ed Skyler, said Saturday. The trade between the city and the bistate agency was described in several published reports.

Six initial rebuilding plans for the World Trade Center site were heavily criticized when they were made public last month.

Each plan includes a sprawling memorial to victims of the Sept. 11 terrorist attack, 11 million square feet of office space and 600,000 square feet each of retail and hotel space to replace what was lost after the twin towers collapsed.

Some family members of victims opposed commercial development on the site. About 2,800 people were killed in the attack.

The Port Authority pays $3 million annually for the land leases at the two airports. Negotiations are underway to extend the airport leases, which will end in 2015.

It derives $130 million in annual revenue from the lease at the World Trade Center site.

Gov. George Pataki has suggested that planners look at areas beyond the World Trade Center site for development.

Through his appointees, the governor has considerable sway over the two agencies guiding the proposed rebuilding effort: the Lower Manhattan Development Corp. and the Port Authority.