So Hochul hates development and wants to scale down the project? That’s upsetting. The Empire Station development had the potential for something HUGE.
Let’s see if she’s even re-elected.
If you read the article it says she wants to scale back the square footage of the new development by 7%, which is not a huge number. She wants to do the renovation and expansion of Penn Station in phases which makes sense. She also wants to add more permanently affordable housing to the mix.
It all seems reasonable. We could (and probably will) end up with some substantial skyscrapers as part of this redevelopment.
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I like the pedestrian and bike-only streets part of this package. Looks like the expansion will be in 2 phases with the added capacity from the 9 extra tracks coming in phase 2.
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Did you read the article? (nvm it’s paywalled. AHHH. Never change NYT.) It just says she’s refocusing so that Penn Station will be the center of the attention. All skyscrapers will still be built. (though it’s Vornado, so don’t hope for anything quality. ) The only real “scaling down” was about a 7% cut to the sq ft of the skyscrapers, which while it doesn’t really make much sense to me it also doesn’t really matter and will be almost unnoticeable.
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Some nice details.
New, World-Class Train Facility
-Creates a single level, double-height train hall that doubles passenger circulation space on the new public level from approximately 123,000 square feet to approximately 250,000 square feet and eliminates the congested, cramped and crowded passageways in existing Penn Station.
-Includes a 450-foot long sunlit train hall that is the size of Moynihan’s and Grand Central’s halls combined
-Simplifies navigation
-Creates clear sight lines to exits and entrances
Adds 18 more escalators or stairs and 11 more elevators to platforms
Public Realm and Social Services
-Adds ~8 acres of public space, including a 30,000-square foot plaza comparable in size to Rockefeller Plaza and mandates public space set-asides on each building site
-Creates a Public Realm Task Force comprised of community leaders and stakeholders, which will develop a plan of prioritized public realm improvements, to be funded by a Public Realm Fund, with initial revenue from redevelopment being dedicated to this fund
-Requires community facility spaces that will prioritize much-needed social services for the neighborhood, with a particular focus on New Yorkers experiencing homelessness
-Creates underground loading/unloading for MSG, taking trucks off the street
Affordable Housing
-Allows up to 1,800 residential units, of which 540 would be permanently affordable
- Mandates one building as residential, which will include 162 permanently affordable units - more than the entire number of residences that would be displaced if the southern expansion of Penn Station occurs
Public Transit Access and Shared Streets
-Expands new underground corridors to the Sixth Avenue IND line, allowing users of the 34th Street Herald Square Station (B, F, M, N, R, W lines) seamless access to Penn Station
-Nearly doubles the existing entrances to Penn Station from 12 to 20, and requires developers to add additional subway entrances and exits directly to and from buildings, ultimately reducing density and congestion at over-crowded entrances
-Widens sidewalks throughout the neighborhood and recommends that 31st, 32nd and 33rd Streets become shared streets that prioritize pedestrians
-Adds protected bike lanes and greatly expands bike parking while reducing vehicular parking
Pedestrian-Friendly Streetscape
-Limits the size of new building commercial lobbies
-Requires that 40% of every building frontage is an “active use” such as retail and community facilities
And here are some renderings.
They’re kinda blurry after saving them, if you want you can go to the site listed and see them for yourself. Also don’t take the Skyscrapers in the first image too seriously. They’re just concepts made to give you a feel of what the area will be like in general, not actual proposals.
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The New York Times initially reported that Hochul’s plan would push that rail expansion further down the road, but the governor suggested otherwise Wednesday. She said rail expansion could begin soon alongside the station work.
”Gateway and Penn expansion, yes, are both projects I fully support. And we will get them done,” she said.
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None of this is all that bad, only thing I am upset about is not getting an Eighth Avenue train hall out of this reno.
I’m glad they’re taking the ESB into consideration as this development is in such close proximity. I’m all for more supertalls but not at the risk of building an out of place monstrosity with a less than stellar design that can ruin the skyline.
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That block long glass atrium thing between MSG and 2 Penn must be coming relatively soon— 2 Penn recladding and lower floors expansion are already happening which that new entrance seems to be a part of
I guess the issue is they can’t bury the loading dock with all the tracks and concourses under there already.
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No new info. But just some articles with some of the same info. Hochul unveils tweaks to long-proposed Penn Station revamp | Urbanize New York
New York Governor Cathy Hochul prunes Cuomo’s Penn Station plans
https://www.6sqft.com/hochul-wants-to-rename-penn-station-as-part-of-revised-renovation-plan/
Hochul Backs Cuomo’s Penn Station Pet Project And Midtown Mega Project, With A Twist - Gothamist
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That sounds like a stretch. It was probably just an idea to give Penn a rebranding to go along with the huge reno. It’s kinda stupid, and I don’t really see it happening but it is what it is.
As long as it’s not called Cuomo Station.
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New Yorkers really don’t like renaming landmarks. Just don’t do it. Call the whole station Penn Station and come up with names for its components like the plaza or the main concourse.
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