Save The High Line At The Rail Yards: Public Hearing, TOMORROW June 10

 

We need your support tomorrow at the Community Board 4 public forum on the Western Rail Yards. Even as we open the first section of the High Line as a public park today, one-third of the structure still has an uncertain future, and may be partially demolished. Come help us show the City, developer and the MTA that the preservation of the entire historic High Line must be made a priority at the Rail Yards.

Read Background on the High Line at the Rail Yards

Related, the developer working on plans for the site, will present to the Community Board their proposal for zoning changes to the Western Rail Yards. The Community Board will then make a recommendation based on public comment. The public event is part of the public review process (ULURP, the Uniform Land Use Review Procedure) that zoning text changes must go through before they are ultimately approved by the City.

You do not have to speak, but if you would like to, please let us know. For those of you who have red Save the High Line at the Rail Yards T-Shirt, please wear them. Thanks to everyone who has attended Rail Yards events in the past– throughout this long process, it remains crucial that we consistantly show how much support there is for the High Line’s preservation.

Wednesday, June 10
6:30 – 8:30 PM
Sign-in begins at 6:00
Fulton Center Auditorium
119 Ninth Avenue, between 17th and 18th Streets

RSVP

What we are asking for: There is still no legally binding requirement that the High Line be preserved at the Rail Yards, and Related’s proposed changes do not secure the High Line’s future. The Western Rail Yards ULURP provides a key opportunity for the City to take steps to preserve the High Line. Specifically, the City can and should take ownership of the High Line at the rail yards, as it did with the portion below 30th Street. City aquisition of the High Line requires ULURP, so it makes sense to include this action in the Western Rail Yards ULURP, which has already begun. We will be asking the Community Board to reject the propozed zoning changes unless City acquisition and full preservation of the historic are included.

Save the Spur Video and Rally Recap!

The turn-out of High Line supporters for Monday’s Eastern Rail Yards Public Forum was great: more than 200 people rallied at Midtown’s Red Cross in favor of preserving the entire High Line, including the Spur over 10th Avenue. Supporters wore red “Save the Spur” T-shirts and held signs during a presentation by The Related Companies, the designated developer at the rail yards.

The Spur, a portion of the High Line that crosses 10th Avenue at 30th Street, is still clearly under threat of demolition. Almost every speaker voiced strong support for preserving the entire High Line at the rail yards, including elected leaders US Representative Jerrold Nadler and New York State Assemblymember Dick Gottfried. Related gave no concrete answer as to why the spur would need to be torn down, only that the spur is “large and dark.”

On a promising note, the building on the Western Rail Yards that was previously shown blocking the High Line’s western views was not in the plans shown on Monday night.

With your help, we will continue to put pressure on the developer, the City, the MTA, and Governor Paterson. Please stay tuned to our E-mail Newsletter for updates on what you can do to help us Save the Spur.

Thanks to everyone who came out on Monday night to show that the Spur, like the rest of the historic High Line structure, must be preserved and integrated into the rail yards development.

Crain’s: MTA Should Pick Most Financially Sound Developer

Unsurprisingly in the wake of the subprime crisis and general market shakiness, much of the Rail Yards dialogue has turned away from design and towards financials.

Of course, guessing is a bit tough, given the MTA’s refusal to make the financial bids public (which the HYCAC called for as part of its summary of top community concerns).

Background on the financial situations of each of the developers has led to a lot of speculation over which one would be the surest bet for the MTA, an agency that knows its way around fiscal headache.

A Crain’s editorial recently endorsed Related and Tishman Speyer for the site, pointing to anchor tenants to add heft to the deal:

There are no more resourceful, experienced or financially solid real estate companies in New York. Their tenants—News Corp. for Related and Morgan Stanley for Tishman—offer a strong likelihood the project will get off the ground.

The Crain’s site is for subscribers only, but the complete editorial is after the jump.

The MTA still plans to announce a decision by the end of March.