In July 2005, all Dan Doctoroff's dreams were a heartbeat away.Photo: Getty Images

There's a well-worn truism about investing in land: It's one thing they're not making more of. Well, Mike Bloomberg is set on overturning that adage. The Bloomberg administration is exploring ways to make more land — or, more precisely, to revamp New York City's current land use, with an eye on potentially freeing up a whopping 1,700 acres for the future generations. The seventeen-member panel, led by our old friend Dan Doctoroff, is especially interested in reclaiming polluted and toxic lands — so-called "brownfields" — through new technologies. Which lands and which technologies? We'll find out by mid-2007, when the panel's findings are made public. Somehow, however, we're sure they'll find plenty of development targets. Doctoroff is, of course, already famous for two massive rezoning projects — Manhattan's far West Side, tied to the failed 2012 Olympic bid, and the Williamsburg-Greenpoint waterfront. Which means he already has plenty of experience with toxic land.

Bloomberg Administration Is Developing Land Use Plan to Accommodate Future Populations [NYT]