http://www.planNYC.org/ PlanNYC | New York City Planning Information Portal en-us ja3n@earthlink.net http://www.plannyc.org/modules.php?op=modload&name=Issues&file=index&catid=1&issueid=7#4384 Two architectural firms and Friends of the High Line presented the final design plans for the new High Line park. The renderings can be seen online and the park is said to be completed in 2009. 2008-06-25 00:00:00 http://www.plannyc.org/modules.php?op=modload&name=Issues&file=index&catid=1&issueid=7#4204 NY1 recently reported that former City Council Speaker Gifford Miller repeatedly contacted Speaker Christine Quinn several times through her personal email address to advocate the High Line development. It has been confirmed that Miller is acting only as a volunteer and not a lobbyist, but the group leading the High Line park received over $200,000 in council funding in 2007. 2008-05-08 00:00:00 http://www.plannyc.org/modules.php?op=modload&name=Issues&file=index&catid=1&issueid=7#4176 Design plans for a new Whitney Museum in the Meatpacking District received early support from the Community Board and the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation although both groups have said they want additional information to make final judgments on the project. The new museum must go through the city’s public review process, the Uniform Land Use Review Procedure (ULURP). Construction of the Whitney is anticipated to begin in Spring 2009 with a possible opening date in 2012. 2008-05-02 00:00:00 http://www.plannyc.org/modules.php?op=modload&name=Issues&file=index&catid=1&issueid=7#4170 Plans for the new Whitney Museum of American Art, expected to open in 2012 on Gansevoort Street, have been released. Designed by famed architect Renzo Piano, the downtown branch will add an additional 50,000 square feet to the Whitney’s existing 32,000 square feet of exhibit space. The museum will be six floors and will include space for educational purposes, a theatre, and multiple rooftop galleries. Construction is set to begin in spring 2009 and the museum hopes to raise $680 million to cover the construction as well as add to the museum’s endowment. 2008-05-01 00:00:00 http://www.plannyc.org/modules.php?op=modload&name=Issues&file=index&catid=1&issueid=7#4181 Renzo Piano’s design for the new Whitney Museum to be built at the southern end of the planned High Line Park was unveiled at a community meeting last week; reactions at the meeting and in the press have been overall very positive. This Curbed report notes that the presented design plans do not detail the “nitty-gritty of the museum.” 2008-05-01 00:00:00 http://www.plannyc.org/modules.php?op=modload&name=Issues&file=index&catid=1&issueid=7#3887 Construction work continues on Section 1 of the Highline, stretching from Gansevoort to 20th Street. Horticulturists are expected to begin planting later this spring in anticipation of the opening by the end of this year. While work progresses on the southern portions of the Highline, including Section 2 which runs from 20th to 30th Streets, there is some concern that the northern portions may not be built because it runs through the Western Rail yards. 2008-03-05 00:00:00 http://www.plannyc.org/modules.php?op=modload&name=Issues&file=index&catid=1&issueid=7#3775 The Real Estate Board of New York (REBNY) has asked the city to consider changing the zoning regulations in the area surrounding the High Line. The area, which was rezoned in 2005, has seen booming development, but some developers have struggled to find transferable air rights to purchase because many landowners are holding on to them. The City Planning Commission has agreed to look at REBNY’s request, but believes that the current zoning is working as was intended 2008-02-12 00:00:00 http://www.plannyc.org/modules.php?op=modload&name=Issues&file=index&catid=1&issueid=7#3502 West 19th Street between 10th and 11th Avenues will soon be home to many buildings designed by renowned architects including Frank Gehry, Annabelle Selldorf, Shigeru Ban, and Jean Nouvel. Redevelopment of the Highline into a public amenity is one reason for such growth in the neighborhood. 2007-12-17 00:00:00 http://www.plannyc.org/modules.php?op=modload&name=Issues&file=index&catid=1&issueid=7#3316 Redevelopment of an old elevated train track is partially credited with spurring new economic growth in the surrounding neighborhoods of Chelsea and the Meatpacking District. Roughly $900 million in new commercial and residential space is planned for the area around the Highline. In addition to the Highline, rezoning of the traditionally manufacturing area has increased new development. Some are beginning to call sections near the Highline “Architects Row” because of the high profile architects that have been drawn to the area. 2007-11-12 00:00:00 http://www.plannyc.org/modules.php?op=modload&name=Issues&file=index&catid=1&issueid=7#3118 Developer Durst Organization has proposed a “people mover” that would run between the West Side rail yards and Pennsylvania Station. Officials have criticized the “monorail-like” train as being too costly and the MTA believes the proposal is impractical. In addition, the plan may conflict with the community’s desire to maintain parkland. Bidders for the project recognize the expensive costs and realize that assistance from the city, state, or outside sources would need to be sought. 2007-10-04 00:00:00 http://www.plannyc.org/modules.php?op=modload&name=Issues&file=index&catid=1&issueid=7#2714 The price of restoring the northern part of the High Line, which runs along Manhattan’s far West Side, is estimated at $117 million, according to a report prepared by Tishman Construction for developer The Durst Organization. The Metropolitan Transit Authority, which owns the 13-acre swath of waterfront rail yard, is expected to begin soliciting development proposals starting Monday, June 11. 2007-06-08 00:00:00 http://www.plannyc.org/modules.php?op=modload&name=Issues&file=index&catid=1&issueid=7#2600 While the current plans to transform Highline into a park were spearheaded by Friends of the High Line, Peter Obletz had earlier vision of preserving the High Line as a functioning rail line. Mr. Obletz attempted to purchase the High Line to preserve it as a functioning freight rail when Conair was considering abandoning the section. Among many in the community, Obletz’s efforts are viewed as the catalyst which kept the High Line intact, making current plans for the elevated park possible. 2007-05-13 00:00:00 http://www.plannyc.org/modules.php?op=modload&name=Issues&file=index&catid=1&issueid=7#2601 As plans for the Hudson Yards progress, two major issues face city officials: what to do with the remainder of the High Line and how to provide proper financing for affordable housing. Hudson Yards is one of the last remaining expanses available for development within Manhattan, and preservation of the High Line could make development more expensive or limit the available land. In addition, the city does not have sufficient tax-exempt bonds to finance the desired ratio of 20% of affordable housing in the area. However, given that construction is not scheduled until 2010, officials believe they have time to find feasible solutions. 2007-05-13 00:00:00 http://www.plannyc.org/modules.php?op=modload&name=Issues&file=index&catid=1&issueid=7#2597 The MTA will request two separate proposals from developers bidding on the western rail yards. One proposal will include preservation of the northernmost end of the High Line while the second bids cost will reflecting removing it and creating a narrow raised park in its place. Redeveloping the railyards without preserving the High Line would be cheaper as construction would not have to be arranged without it. The MTA will then decide whether or not the lost profit is worth preserving the track. 2007-05-09 00:00:00 http://www.plannyc.org/modules.php?op=modload&name=Issues&file=index&catid=1&issueid=7#2556 This article by New York Magazine summarizes the creation of the ideas behind the High Line, and reviews the impact on the neighborhood surrounding it, including a whole new level of “High Line” brand creation. The article also discusses the benefits to property owners that are accruing from the project, after long-resistance by those same owners to the idea, and the continuing danger of demolition to some 30% of structure. 2007-04-30 00:00:00