Meatpacking BID Appoints Former Corey Johnson Aide As Director

MEATPACKING DISTRICT — The business improvement district for the area has a new executive director: Jeffrey LeFrancois, a former aide for then-Councilmember Corey Johnson and Assemblymember Richard Gottfried.

LeFrancois has worked for the Meatpacking District BID since 2015, overseeing myriad projects including sanitation, public plazas, and an ongoing push for ferry service on Manhattan's west side. He is also a Community Board 4 member and previously served as Johnson's chief-of-staff for a period in 2014 and Gottfried's deputy chief-of-staff.

The neighborhood is a "place that is near and dear to my heart," LeFrancois said.

"You can have lunch here, and you can shop here," he said. "You can go to galleries and museums here. You can work in tech here, and you can go out in a New York nightlife kind of way here."

The neighborhood has seen a surge of changes and growth — from the Whitney Museum of American Art's return to Downtown Manhattan back in 2015 to thousands of square feet of public plaza space to open this year. It includes attractions such as Chelsea Market and the High Line and is home to Google's headquarters at 111 Eighth Ave.

The changes in the neighborhood, which runs from Horatio to 17th Sts. and from Eighth Ave. to the west side, has become somewhat of a "reset moment" for the Meatpacking District, LeFrancois said.

He looks forward to the expected 20,000 square feet of public space along Ninth Ave. and Gansevoort St., which will open this year, according to the BID. The space has been embattled with construction for nearly four years, LeFrancois said. Managing the plazas and how the expected increased foot traffic will impact the neighborhood will be a challenge LeFrancois welcomes, he said.

The BID and LeFrancois will also continue to ask the city to bring ferry service to Pier 57 on the Hudson River to add to its ferry plans for the west side at Battery Park City and Midtown West announced earlier this year.

The mayor's announcement earlier this year was a step forward, but he said, "I don't intend to stop advocating for service to Pier 57 because we still [have] a good reason as to why it should be there," he said.

Public transit is good for the city, business, and people who live and work in the neighborhood, he added.

LeFrancois plans to continue serving as second vice-chair of CB 4 as well, where he will continue to vote as "present-not-eligible" on matters dealing with the Meatpacking District.

"I'm somebody who enjoys civic-involvement," he said, adding he's lucky to do it as a job and in his free time. He added he's "hyper-cognizant" of the possible perceived conflict of interest.

LeFrancois previously served as the BID's director of operations and community affairs. The board voted to replace Lauren Danziger by the BID's board in February and was announced by the BID on Tues., March 5.

"The District is entering a new phase of economic development and growth while maintaining its position as the pre-eminent neighborhood in the City," Jonathan Iger, chair of the BID's board and chief executive officer of William Kaufman Organization/Sage Realty Corporation, said in a statement. "We believe that Jeffrey has the leadership and advocacy skills to realize the Board's vision as we enter into this next phase."