Key points:
- Related Companies pitched a $12bn plan that would reduce housing units to create more office development
- The Manhattan Community Board 4 unanimously turned down the proposal
Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine has recently rejected zoning changes to build a large casino resort over the exposed tracks at Hudson Yards, according to a W42ST news report.
The $12bn proposal was put forward by Related Companies and “reverses a plan agreed upon by the developer and community leaders in 2009 to develop the site as a primarily residential neighborhood, replacing it with 4,000 fewer housing units in favor of more office development,” the local report said.
Last month, the Manhattan Community Board 4 rejected Related’s proposal by unanimous vote.
According to the local report, Levine is the first elected official to weigh in publicly on the project.
Levine said in a statement, “A site the size of the Western Rail Yard could help transform our borough’s housing landscape, and I am eager to see a path forward for development at the Western Rail Yard. But we need to get it right.
“I have been a fierce advocate for identifying sites for housing across our borough. And it is with our housing shortage in mind that I have grave concern for a plan that does not achieve its full housing potential.”
He added that his office received numerous phone calls, emails, petitions and letters from detractors and supporters of the proposal.
MCB4 Chair Jessica Chait expressed appreciation for Levine’s statements to W42ST by saying, “Addressing housing needs across all income bands is — and has long been — one of the top priorities within our Community Board district.
“We’re proud that Mark Levine has stood on the side of promoting housing over the push for new commercial towers built on a speculative funding scheme.”
