Transic
September 5th, 2006, 12:34 AM
http://ny.metro.us/metro/local/article/New_York_City_made_new/4280.html
New York City made new
Deputy Mayor Dan Doctoroff says it’s an historic time in our history
by michael p. ventura / metro new york
SEP 5, 2006
If it seems like there’s a new development everywhere you look in the city, well, there is. City Hall’s point man for such projects talked to Metro about how these plans will transform New York.
As we approach the fifth anniversary of 9/11, where do things stand in Lower Manhattan?
I think most people will be looking back. I prefer to look forward. I think of what is being created with billions of dollars invested in transportation, infrastructure, new parks and thousands of units of housing, with a dramatic memorial with a revitalized commercial sector. It’s something that is very different and much improved over what existed before 9/11 and will be a unique community not just in New York but anywhere in the world. Where else do you have within one square mile some of the world’s great corporations, the inspiration of the Statue of Liberty and the memorial, what will be probably 100,000 residents, great retail and plenty of recreational activities all surrounded on three sides by water?
Regarding the city’s bid to buy the Hudson Yards from the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, can you respond to reports of an MTA appraisal saying the site is worth three times what the city offered?
First of all, you’re not comparing apples to apples. The MTA appraisal said it was not taking into account the cost of the platform, which is $400 million or so; affordable housing requirements — you know, everywhere else in the Hudson Yards area, we’ve required almost 30 percent of the units to be affordable, [and] that’s a major cost. There are infrastructure requirements: How do you accommodate the High Line? How do you pay for streets through the site? Parkland? I think the assumption they used in the amount of density on that site is extreme. When you subtract those things, the value we’ve offered is fair. That said, the city isn’t in this to make money. We don’t want to lose money, but we’re much more concerned that the last remaining big chunk of [unused] space — the railyards — is planned in a way that serves the needs of the city and is consistent with the plan for the Hudson Yards already approved. The city is in a better position to do that than the MTA.
What are you hoping is built there?
We would have less density on that site. You can bet in the housing there, some will be affordable — I don’t want to commit to a specific number. My guess is that you would see a significant amount of open space.
How much say does the city have in how much affordable housing is created in the Atlantic Yards project?
We’ve been involved every step of the way. In fact, we negotiated the terms with Forest City Ratner. So, we’re comfortable — not to say that there might not be some more tweaks — and we’re confident in the commitment to affordable housing. We are providing a lot of the subsidies and other inducements to create affordable housing.
The new Yankee Stadium is being built on parkland. So would a water park on Randalls Island. Are parks open for development for the right offer?
[In the Bronx] we’ve been careful not only to replace the parkland but to add four or five acres and improve its functionality. We are in the midst of the greatest investment in parks in the Bronx ever. What you’re seeing is unprecedented in terms of government and private investment there. If you look at that area in the South Bronx — once a poster child for urban blight — and think about the billions of dollars being invested in parks, in transportation and private development under public works, it’s a staggering turnaround. One of the things that we’re most proud of.
What will the city look like 10 years from now?
It will look completely different. It will have probably another few hundred thousand people. You will see the continuing emergence of neighborhoods that were previously given up on or thought to be unattractive. You will see some of the greatest architectural landmarks anywhere in the world. You will see a new era of public facilities — like stadiums or transportation infrastructure. You will see a city that will get close to 50 million visitors with dozens of new hotels accommodating them. At the end of the 20th century we had all these old warehouse districts and rotting waterfronts and old military bases, abandoned railyards and underutilized land, and it’s being put to use to create a truly vibrant 21st century economy. This is one of the most important times from a development standpoint in New York City history.
A new MSG?
Last year, Cablevision, owners of Madison Square Garden, fought the city’s plan for a stadium over the Hudson Yards. Now, there’s talk of MSG moving across Eighth Avenue into the proposed Moynihan Station. Would that upset Doctoroff?
“We’re always going to do the right thing for the city,” he said. “And moving [MSG] so we can have a great gateway to New York and the Hudson Yards, so we can generate tens of millions of dollars a year in taxes for the MSG site, so that we create another great public space, we’re going to do that.”
Is it going to happen?
“If you can resolve all the issues — how do you find $1 billion for the train station? How do you deal with Amtrak, the Post Office and all parties involved? — then yeah, that would happen,” he said.
New York City made new
Deputy Mayor Dan Doctoroff says it’s an historic time in our history
by michael p. ventura / metro new york
SEP 5, 2006
If it seems like there’s a new development everywhere you look in the city, well, there is. City Hall’s point man for such projects talked to Metro about how these plans will transform New York.
As we approach the fifth anniversary of 9/11, where do things stand in Lower Manhattan?
I think most people will be looking back. I prefer to look forward. I think of what is being created with billions of dollars invested in transportation, infrastructure, new parks and thousands of units of housing, with a dramatic memorial with a revitalized commercial sector. It’s something that is very different and much improved over what existed before 9/11 and will be a unique community not just in New York but anywhere in the world. Where else do you have within one square mile some of the world’s great corporations, the inspiration of the Statue of Liberty and the memorial, what will be probably 100,000 residents, great retail and plenty of recreational activities all surrounded on three sides by water?
Regarding the city’s bid to buy the Hudson Yards from the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, can you respond to reports of an MTA appraisal saying the site is worth three times what the city offered?
First of all, you’re not comparing apples to apples. The MTA appraisal said it was not taking into account the cost of the platform, which is $400 million or so; affordable housing requirements — you know, everywhere else in the Hudson Yards area, we’ve required almost 30 percent of the units to be affordable, [and] that’s a major cost. There are infrastructure requirements: How do you accommodate the High Line? How do you pay for streets through the site? Parkland? I think the assumption they used in the amount of density on that site is extreme. When you subtract those things, the value we’ve offered is fair. That said, the city isn’t in this to make money. We don’t want to lose money, but we’re much more concerned that the last remaining big chunk of [unused] space — the railyards — is planned in a way that serves the needs of the city and is consistent with the plan for the Hudson Yards already approved. The city is in a better position to do that than the MTA.
What are you hoping is built there?
We would have less density on that site. You can bet in the housing there, some will be affordable — I don’t want to commit to a specific number. My guess is that you would see a significant amount of open space.
How much say does the city have in how much affordable housing is created in the Atlantic Yards project?
We’ve been involved every step of the way. In fact, we negotiated the terms with Forest City Ratner. So, we’re comfortable — not to say that there might not be some more tweaks — and we’re confident in the commitment to affordable housing. We are providing a lot of the subsidies and other inducements to create affordable housing.
The new Yankee Stadium is being built on parkland. So would a water park on Randalls Island. Are parks open for development for the right offer?
[In the Bronx] we’ve been careful not only to replace the parkland but to add four or five acres and improve its functionality. We are in the midst of the greatest investment in parks in the Bronx ever. What you’re seeing is unprecedented in terms of government and private investment there. If you look at that area in the South Bronx — once a poster child for urban blight — and think about the billions of dollars being invested in parks, in transportation and private development under public works, it’s a staggering turnaround. One of the things that we’re most proud of.
What will the city look like 10 years from now?
It will look completely different. It will have probably another few hundred thousand people. You will see the continuing emergence of neighborhoods that were previously given up on or thought to be unattractive. You will see some of the greatest architectural landmarks anywhere in the world. You will see a new era of public facilities — like stadiums or transportation infrastructure. You will see a city that will get close to 50 million visitors with dozens of new hotels accommodating them. At the end of the 20th century we had all these old warehouse districts and rotting waterfronts and old military bases, abandoned railyards and underutilized land, and it’s being put to use to create a truly vibrant 21st century economy. This is one of the most important times from a development standpoint in New York City history.
A new MSG?
Last year, Cablevision, owners of Madison Square Garden, fought the city’s plan for a stadium over the Hudson Yards. Now, there’s talk of MSG moving across Eighth Avenue into the proposed Moynihan Station. Would that upset Doctoroff?
“We’re always going to do the right thing for the city,” he said. “And moving [MSG] so we can have a great gateway to New York and the Hudson Yards, so we can generate tens of millions of dollars a year in taxes for the MSG site, so that we create another great public space, we’re going to do that.”
Is it going to happen?
“If you can resolve all the issues — how do you find $1 billion for the train station? How do you deal with Amtrak, the Post Office and all parties involved? — then yeah, that would happen,” he said.