Promises of improved pedestrian space as
part of Empire Station Complex take shape
BY MARK HALLUM
Empire State Development
presented a draft of the
Empire Station Complex to
the public on Thursday, cautioning
concerned New Yorkers that
it is still a rough template for what
the Cuomo administration would
like to eventually implement.
During the town hall, ESD
offi cials spoke of the progress in
developing the General Project
Plan and the environmental assessment
that will expand Penn
Station, including rights for
developers to place up to ten new
skyscrapers in the surrounding
blocks.
But they also emphasized
developing the district into a less
car-oriented district – acknowledging
that motorists dominate
the surface level infrastructure
of the nation’s largest transit hub.
“What our project will not
cover is the Penn reconstruction
itself, or the Penn expansion,
those projects are going
to undergo separate federal
environmental reviews ,” Holly
Leicht, Executive Vice President
of Real Estate Development
& Planning at ESD, said. “As
you all know, before COVID,
Penn the surrounding streets of
the station itself or hopelessly
congested. And while we know
that that level of congestion will
come back, we want as New York
recovers, to be thinking not just
about how to handle an increase
in the passengers and an increase
in vehicular traffi c that’ll do to
address the public realm, and
to better serve pedestrians and
bicycles. Right now, this area is
defi nitely prioritized for cars.”
The majority of comments by
state leaders focused largely on
expanding sidewalks, particularly
on Seventh Avenue, as well as creating
new entrances to Penn Station
and expanding the platform
capacity.Peter Matusewitch, Deputy
Program Executive at MTA
Capital Construction, however,
said the chances of expanding
capacity with the existing subway
lines is not a likely proposition as
the lines are at their signal capacity.
They include the A, C, E, 1, 2
and 3 trains.
“We’re looking to improve
access to transit and the quality
of the community, commuting
experience and that’s not just
the transit but also for bicyclists
and pedestrians, improving the
quality of the public realm and
creating world-class, high density
transit integrated development,”
Matusewitch said.
An underground gangway from
Penn Station to Herald Square,
according to Matusewitch,
would alleviate some congestion
of people milling in and out of
the station.
According to Leicht, there
could be a number of pedestrian
plazas and shared streets as part
of the plan, including one of the
latter between Sixth and Seventh
Avenues on 32nd Street as well
as 31st Street between Seventh
and Eighth Avenues. These are
currently the two sections ESD
are studying, Leicht said.
Philip Maguire, Vice President
Of Design And Construction for
ESD, said a two-way bike lane
could be built on 31st Street as
well as adequate bike parking.
Jeffrey C. LeFrancois, First
Vice Chair of Manhattan Community
Board 4, pressured ESD
to talk more about the skyscrapers
that are cleared for takeoff if the
proposal is approved, to which
Leicht said it was simply a way
for the state to fund the additional
public amenities.
“Large projects generally require
signifi cant funds, they can’t
just depend on budget appropriations
which are year-to-year. You
have to have a fi nancing strategy
to show the feds if they’re going
to contribute their 50%, you have
to show that you have a real strategy
for how you’re going to come
up with your billions of dollars.
The revenue structure would be
a combination of selling the additional
developer rights and air
rights that are being created,”
Leicht explained.
The feasibility of pedestrianizing
the east-west corridors
surrounding Penn Station was
called into question as well,
with trucks supplying Madison
Square Garden possibly cause
problems. Matusewitch and
Leicht said loading operations
may be subject to change as the
project progresses, meaning the
continued presence of MSG will
not confl ict with either agency’s
plans for the station.
Another complaint called into
question the size of the pedestrian
section of the study compared to
the vehicular impacts, to which
Leicht said that while the commitment
was to prioritize foot traffi c,
the changes may have needed a
wider examination.
The Empire Station Complex
PHOTO BY MARK HALLUM
has not been welcomed with open
arms as a small band of organizations
have argued against the
expansion Penn as potentially
destroying a number of historic
sites, including the Hotel Pennsylvania.
On the other hand,
Vornado Real Estate Trust as
well as 34th Street Partnership’s
Dan Biederman have argued that
the district requires a serious
facelift in the name of economic
development.
Governor Andrew Cuomo
originally unveiled the plan for
the Empire Station Complex
during his State of the State
address in 2020. COVID-19 hit
three months later, but public
attention around the Cuomo
administration’s plan reemerged
in early 2021 as vaccines offered
a solution to the pandemic.
Regardless of the seemingly
small group of opponents, Le-
Francois noted as the meeting
began that there were about 150
comments, the majority of which
were in “staunch” disapproval,
especially in regard to the development
of more high-rise towers.
Anthony Semancik, a special
counsel to ESD, said that acquisition
of any properties is years
away from taking shape.
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