Hudson Yards
CITY PLANNING COMMISSION
November 22, 2004 / Calendar No. 4 N 040500(A) ZRM
IN THE MATTER OF an application submitted by the Department of City Planning pursuant to Section 201 of the New York City Charter, for an amendment of the Zoning Resolution of the City of New York, relating to Article VIII, Chapter 1, (Special Midtown District), Article IX, Chapter 6 (Special Clinton District), Article XII, Chapter 1 (Special Garment Center District), and the elimination of the Special Jacob K. Javits Convention Center District and the creation of the Special Hudson Yards District in Article IX, Chapter 3.
The application for the zoning text amendment N 040500 ZRM was filed by the Department of City Planning on June 17, 2004 with a modified application N 040500(A) ZRM filed on August 30, 2004.
RELATED ACTIONS
In addition to the amendment of the Zoning Resolution which is the subject of this report, implementation of the proposal for Hudson Yards requires action by the City Planning Commission (CPC) on the following applications which are being considered concurrently with this application:
1. C 040499(A) ZMM Zoning Map amendment to an area generally bounded by West 30th and West 41st streets and Seventh and Eighth avenues to Eleventh avenues including creation of the Special Hudson Yards District, modification of the Special Garment Center District, Special Midtown District, and elimination of the Special Jacob K. Javits Convention Center District.
2. C 040501 PCM Site selection and acquisition of property bounded by West 29th and West 30th streets and Eleventh and Twelfth avenues for use as a sanitation garage and tow pound facility.
3. C 040502 PCM Site selection and acquisition of property generally bounded by West 34th and West 36th streets and Tenth and Eleventh avenues and acquisition of an easement for use as a public parking garage.
4. C 040503 PQM Acquisition of aerial easements located midblock between Tenth and Eleventh avenues from West 39th to West 41st streets for a pedestrian bridge.
5. C 040504 PQM Acquisition of property generally bounded by Eighth and Eleventh avenues, West 25th and West 42nd streets to facilitate the construction of a subway extension; and the acquisition of easements for construction of a subway extension.
6. C 040505 PQM Acquisition of property bounded by West 30th and West 33rd streets, and Tenth and Eleventh avenues.
7. C 040506 PPM Disposition of thirty-six (36) city-owned lots in the area generally bounded by West 25th to West 41st streets and Ninth to Eleventh avenues pursuant to zoning.
8. C 040507 MMM Amendment to the City map involving the establishment of Hudson Boulevard, Parks and legal grades; the elimination, discontinuance and closing of a volume of West 35th Street; and the elimination of West 32nd Street.
9. C 040508 MMM Amendment to the City Map involving the establishment of a park above a lower limiting plane bounded by West 29th Street, Eleventh Avenue, West 30th Street and Twelfth Avenue.
BACKGROUND
The Hudson Yards project is a comprehensive long-term planning proposal designed to capitalize on the tremendous potential of Manhattan’s Far West Side. The Hudson Yards area generally extends from West 30th Street on the south, Seventh and Eighth avenues on the east, West 43rd Street on the north, and to the Hudson River on the west. The project includes a series of public actions to transform Hudson Yards into a dynamic, transit-oriented urban center, permitting medium- to high-density development and a mix of uses, including commercial, residential, open space, cultural, convention, and entertainment.
These actions are essential if the City is to secure its economic future. Over the last several decades, the City has increasingly lost its historic share of new office development as major companies locate elsewhere in the region. This is due in part to the dearth of sites in Manhattan that can accommodate new Class A office buildings and, in particular, the large floorplates demanded by major corporate tenants. With office using employment projected to grow throughout the region over the next 30 years, the City must find locations for new Class A office space or risk losing a greater share of development to other areas in the region or elsewhere. With the majority of the Hudson Yards area underused, dominated by transportation infrastructure, parking facilities and other auto-related uses, and the area’s proximity to the Midtown business district and regional transportation, the Hudson Yards area is ideal for new office development and economic expansion over the next several decades.
The Hudson Yards area also has the potential to accommodate the continued growth of the residential community that has expanded in recent years in adjacent locations zoned for residential use. New housing has reinforced an older Hell’s Kitchen residential neighborhood divided many years ago by the construction of the Lincoln Tunnel and Port Authority Bus Terminal access roads. The Hudson Yards proposal would further facilitate the knitting together of this neighborhood through new residential development.
Despite its strategic location, there has been limited development in Hudson Yards over the past 40 years. Four key public sector actions have been identified as necessary to transform the area and attract private investment. These actions are to:
· Extend the subway system to provide seamless transit access to the heart of the area,
· Rezone the area for significant commercial and residential development,
· Create a new open space network to make the area attractive, and
· Create a Convention Corridor to attract more events and increase tourism.
Extend the Subway System
Although portions of the Hudson Yards area are proximate to regional transit facilities like the Port Authority Bus Terminal, Pennsylvania Station, and the West Midtown Intermodal Ferry Terminal, and subway service along the eastern edge, the area as a whole is not well served by public transportation. Successful central business districts need to be easily accessible from the City’s and region’s entire commuter shed, not just a small part of it. Providing subway access is critical to attracting development to the area as this is the primary transportation mode for most Manhattan workers. Under the Hudson Yards project, the Number 7 Subway line is proposed to be extended westward from the existing terminus at Times Square to a new station at West 41st Street and Tenth Avenue, and then southward to a new terminus at West 34th Street and Eleventh Avenue. The Number 7 Subway line crosses every north-south subway line in Manhattan and would provide access to Hudson Yards from almost every point in the City through just one transfer. It also serves Grand Central Terminal and the Port Authority Bus Terminal. The southern terminus of the Number 7 Subway line would be at the heart of the proposed commercial district and adjacent to the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center (Javits Convention Center) and the proposed New York Sports and Convention Center (NYSCC). With the proposed extension of the Number 7 Subway line, all points in Hudson Yards would be less than a 10 minute walk to a subway station and, in combination with existing transit service, the Hudson Yards area would become one of the most accessible locations in the region.
Rezone for Appropriate Uses and Densities
The majority of the Hudson Yards area is zoned for light manufacturing and commercial uses at a floor-area-ratio (FAR) of 5.0 or 6.0. The proposed rezoning recognizes the area’s strategic location and would allow for a greater range of uses and densities to accommodate space for significant commercial and residential development over the next 30 to 40 years. The proposed rezoning, as modified during the public review, would allow for the development of approximately 26 million square feet of office development and 13.6 million square feet of residential development, as well as hotel and retail uses. The rezoning would both reinforce distinct, existing neighborhoods along the eastern and northern edges of the Hudson Yards area and allow for the transformation of underused areas into a thriving mixed-use urban district.
Create a New Open Space Network
The Hudson Yards project proposes a significant new open space network that would extend through the heart of the new neighborhood, providing the area with much needed open space, and a new identity to meet the needs of the existing and future residents, workers, and visitors. The plan proposes 24-acres of open space that would offer opportunities for both passive and active recreation.
At the heart of this new open space system would be a major new public space of six-acres on the eastern portion of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s (MTA) Caemmerer Yard (Eastern Rail Yard). To the north of this space would be the proposed midblock park network between Tenth and Eleventh Avenues from West 33rd to West 39th streets which would connect via a pedestrian bridge to the proposed park at West 42nd Street. This new midblock park system bordered by a new tree-lined boulevard (Hudson Boulevard) would create blocks similar in size to those between Park Avenue and Madison Avenue, facilitating ideal footprints for office development.
To the west of the Eastern Rail Yard open space, two new, full block waterfront open spaces between Eleventh and Twelfth avenues at West 34th and West 30th Streets would provide a visual and physical connection between the Hudson River and upland neighborhood. The full block waterfront open space at West 34th Street would be located between West 33rd and West 34th streets from Eleventh to Twelfth avenues, between the NYSCC and the expanded Javits Convention Center. It would connect to Hudson River Park via a pedestrian bridge crossing Route 9A at West 33rd Street. The park at West 30th Street is proposed as a full block active recreation park that would be established between Eleventh and Twelfth avenues, West 29th and West 30th streets. City sanitation and tow pound facilities, currently located within Hudson River Park, would be relocated from waterfront piers to below-grade space beneath this full block park, freeing up additional space for waterfront parkland. In addition, a proposed five-acre open space on the roof of the expanded Convention Center would be accessible by stairs and elevators and would provide passive recreation space with views of the Hudson River to the west and Hudson Yards and Midtown to the east. To the east, mandatory improvements provided in conjunction with new development would facilitate pedestrian passage towards Pennsylvania Station. To the south, the open space network would extend beyond the Hudson Yards area by providing connections to Chelsea and the Gansevoort Meat Market area on the proposed High Line public space.
Create a Convention Corridor
Since its completion in 1986, the Javits Convention Center has been inadequate in size and program to compete for dozens of events and professional assemblies. The Javits Convention Center, located between Eleventh and Twelfth avenues, West 34th and West 39th streets, is proposed to be expanded north to West 41st Street, and would connect to a new hotel on West 42nd Street. The proposed NYSCC would be located to the south of the existing Javits Convention Center on a new platform above the western portion of the MTA Caemmerer Yard (Western Rail Yard), and would be connected underground to the Javits Convention Center. The NYSCC would function as a venue for conventions, exhibitions, and special events, and for New York Jets football games. Creating a Convention Corridor along the western edge of Hudson Yards would bring about the long-needed expansion of the Javits Convention Center and increase the types of events and uses that could be held through the creation of the NYSCC. These actions would be implemented by the Empire State Development Corporation and the Convention Center Development Corporation through General Project Plans adopted pursuant to the New York State Urban Development Corporation Act.
Together, these related City and State actions are intended to catalyze the transformation of the Hudson Yards area into a vibrant and vital new area in the heart of Midtown. These initiatives are believed to be critical to the long-term economic health of the City and State in creating the opportunity for future office and residential developments while expanding the City’s convention and entertainment facilities. Private development expected to be spurred by these actions would provide jobs and homes for New Yorkers and bring in additional tax revenues for the City. The Hudson Yards plan intends to create a diverse mixture of neighborhoods, from medium-scale residential to high rise residential and office; facilitate the creation of viable development sites for future office market cycles; help the City capture its share of regional employment growth; and further strengthen New York City’s economic base by attracting new major companies and expanding its convention and tourism sector.
Area and Site Description
The area has minimal public amenities or open space and is primarily characterized by large tracts of underutilized land, although there is an existing residential neighborhood along Ninth Avenue. The land uses in the area are mainly transportation, commercial, industrial, parking lots, garages, and some residential.
The area is predominantly organized along Manhattan's grid of streets and avenues forming 200foot by 800foot blocks. Although most of the blocks conform to the street grid, a series of superblocks extend from Seventh to Twelfth avenues along the south side of West 33rd Street. These superblocks are a result of the railroad network that links Pennsylvania Station with the MTA Caemmerer Yard used for storage and maintenance of Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) trains. Another superblock also extends from West 34th to West 39th streets between Eleventh and Twelfth avenues to accommodate the Javits Convention Center. In addition to the superblocks, the Lincoln Tunnel and its access ramps disrupt the regular street grid. The Lincoln Tunnel is comprised of three separate tubes: two of the Manhattan portals are between Ninth and Tenth avenues and one is between Tenth and Eleventh avenues.
Transportation infrastructure is a dominant feature of the area, establishing a gritty industrial character and bleak pedestrian environment in many locations. The Lincoln Tunnel and its access ramps cover approximately 15 acres primarily between Ninth and Eleventh avenues, the eastern portion of the MTA Caemmerer Yard (Eastern Rail Yard) covers 13 acres from West 30th to West 33rd streets from Tenth to Eleventh avenues, and the open Amtrak Empire Line railroad cut is visible between West 36th to West 39th streets between Tenth and Eleventh avenues. The infrastructure disrupts the development pattern and establishes blank walls along the street edges.