Willets Point Rezoning Should Consider Green Manufacturing Alternatives
August 14, 2008
Yesterday, MAS testified at the City Planning Commission hearing regarding the Willets Point rezoning plan. First and foremost, MAS stressed that the plan, which includes an urban renewal action that will allow for the use of eminent domain, must reflect the results of an inclusive planning and monitoring process. In regards to the rezoning - from manufacturing into a mixed-used residential and commercial district - MAS suggested the City conduct a thorough examination of the plan's implication for long-term, industrial and manufacturing job growth, including a justified strategy deployment of public resources tied to agreed upon community benefits. Finally, MAS raised concerns over the purported high standards of sustainable neighborhood planning Willets Point aims to achieve.
To read the full MAS testimony on Willets Point click here.
MAS Expresses Concern Over Coney Island Plans
August 01, 2008
Last November, the City released its new plan to revitalize Coney Island, and the MAS testified at a subsequent public hearing that it strongly supporting the concept of restoring “America’s Playground” to its rightful place as New York’s premier waterfront amusement and entertainment area.
In April, the City announced a new iteration of the plan (that can be viewed here) that reduced the area set aside for open-air amusements from 16 acres to 9 acres, within the context of an overall “Amusement Area” that would include entertainment-oriented retail, enclosed amusements and hotels. Continue reading...
Municipal Art Society Names New President
July 01, 2008
In mid-June, Municipal Art Society Chairman Philip K. Howard announced that Vin Cipolla, a nationally recognized leader in the preservation, arts and business communities, has been named President of the organization. Mr. Cipolla will assume his position with MAS in early 2009. He is currently President and Chief Executive Officer of the National Park Foundation and was formerly Executive Vice President of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the country's largest historic preservation organization.
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MAS Calls for Reform of Atlantic Yards Governance
June 16, 2008
A coalition of Brooklyn elected officials and civic groups, including MAS, gathered today on the steps of City Hall in Manhattan today to launch the “Campaign to Reform Atlantic Yards,” an initiative to pass new legislation that would reform the governance of the Atlantic Yards project.
The Campaign was launched in response to the continued lack of accountability, transparency and public involvement in the governance of the Atlantic Yards project.
“I’ve been involved in Riverside South, on the Upper West Side on Manhattan. That project was begun 17 years ago and it’s only half-finished. We’ve been through four governors and three mayors, and the only glue of the project of the project has been the involvement of citizens – through a structure. We need this at Atlantic Yards,” said Kent Barwick, President of the Municipal Art Society. Continue reading.
New Video: The Struggle to Build Penn Station
May 20, 2008
On April 23, historian Jill Jonnes delivered a fascinating presentation on the construction of Penn Station and its tunnels, the subject of her recent book Conquering Gotham: A Gilded Age Epic. The event was part of MAS' spring program series Can New York Build Another Great Station?
With the aid of some amazing photographs rescued from the depths of the Pennsylvania Railroad archives, Jonnes recounted the “titanic battle with nature” that culminated in the construction of the original Penn Station.
Atlantic Yards or Atlantic Lots?
May 05, 2008 |
May 5, 2008
Today MAS released a set of renderings depicting the potential impact of interim parking lots and empty land on the Atlantic Yards site in Brooklyn. You can view the new renderings on a new slideshow at AtlanticLots.com and in the New York Post by clicking here.
Recently, Forest City Ratner (FCR) announced that key elements of the project will be delayed because of market conditions. Currently, FCR intends to begin constructing only the arena and one residential building on the Western end of the project. They plan to demolish the entire Eastern section of the site to create seven acres of "temporary" surface parking lots that could be with us for 15 or 20 years.
MAS is deeply concerned over the impact on the surrounding neighborhoods of vacant lots on the west of the project and giant parking lots on the east. In Sunday's (May 4) Daily News, FCR assured the public that the entire project will be completed by 2018, but other large-scale projects in New York – from Riverside South and Battery Park City to Queens West – have been delayed by a decade or longer.
Our goal in producing the renderings is to dramatize the need for New York State, which officially oversees the project, to move from the backseat role of previous administrations and take responsibility for guiding the largest development project in Brooklyn's history. Continue reading...
Video - Re-Discovering Rail: The Smart, Green Alternative
May 06, 2008
On April 9, MAS convened an expert panel titled Re-Discovering Rail: The Smart, Green Alternative focusing on the issues of expanding the capacity of rail for travel and freight purposes in the United States, with particular emphasis on the needs of New York City for an improved local rail network for commuters that would be served by the new Penn & Moynihan stations.
Panelists Don Phillips, transportation analyst and former transportation reporter, The Washington Post & International Herald Tribune; and Walter Zullig, Jr., legal and transportation consultant and counsel emeritus, MetroNorth Railroad, discussed what is happening elsewhere and considered the local and regional obstacles to improving passenger service — and how those obstacles can be overcome.
Watch the video now.
MAS Hosts DOT Launch of New Strategic Plan "Sustainable Streets"
April 29, 2008 |
Last night, New York City Department of Transportation (DOT) Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan charted a smarter and greener future for City transportation policy with the launch of the agency's ambitious plan "Sustainable Streets" at the Municipal Art Society. The plan seeks to capitalize on the opportunity presented by the City's 6,300 miles of streets and install 200 new bike lanes, including 15 miles of protected bike lanes by 2009, to create new public plazas citywide, to increase the speed of buses, to expand ferry services and HOV lanes, and to establish data-supported benchmarks for measuring these goals.
Continue reading...
61,000 New Yorkers Tune in to Watch MAS Documentary City of Water
April 21, 2008
City of Water, the documentary film from the Municipal Art Society and the Metropolitan Waterfront Alliance was aired on Channel Thirteen/WNET on Saturday, April 19 at 1.30 p.m.
Two years in the making, City of Water explores the aspirations of public officials, environmentalists, academics, community activists, recreational boaters and everyday New Yorkers for a diverse, vibrant waterfront at a time when the shoreline is changing faster than at any other time in New York's history. The documentary features interviews with Deputy Mayor Daniel Doctoroff, US Representative Nydia Velazquez, MacArthur Fellow Majora Carter, author Phillip Lopate, Sandy Hook Pilots' Captain Andrew McGovern and others, and includes footage from Jamaica Bay, the Brooklyn Navy Yard, and many other places on the waterfront.
Click on the "play" button above to watch a trailer of the movie. The film will be screened on Friday May 9, as part of the Brooklyn Arts Council International Film Festival. Click here for more details.
MAS Urges State to Keep Moynihan Station on Track
March 31, 2008
Appearing on WNYC's Morning Edition this past Friday, MAS President Kent Barwick expressed his disappointment at the recent decision by the owners of Madison Square Garden not to move the arena to the western end of the Farley Post Office building as currently proposed in the Moynihan Station project plan. This move has the potential to derail the most important project in the city, and Mr. Barwick suggested that the state ought to investigate using all of its powers to ensure the project stays on track.
Click here to listen to the interview, here to read the New York Times coverage of the news, and here to learn more about our Moynihan Station advocacy.
Major Step Forward on East Side Waterfront Park
March 12, 2008 |
MAS is pleased to announce that New York City Council Land Use Committee voted this morning to approve a proposed plan for the former Con Ed Site on the East River between 38th and 41st streets on the East River. This plan makes the East Side Waterfront Park possible, as the developer of the site, East River Realty Company, has agreed to provide an easement so that the FDR highway can be realigned when it is rebuilt in the next few years that will allow a deck — with a park on top — to be built over the highway, finally connecting the East Side to the waterfront. Additionally, the developer has agreed to provide $10 million towards the construction of this deck and has also guaranteed public access to the park along the routes of 39th and 40th streets.
We congratulate all those involved — particularly local Council Member Dan Garodnick and Speaker Christine Quinn and the developer East River Realty Company — for their hard work in reaching this agreement. We'd also like to thank Manhattan Community Board Six for their many years of tireless work on the project. If you'd like to contact Council Member Garodnick click here or you can e-mail Speaker Quinn here. Continue reading...
Coney Island on the Cusp of Change
March 06, 2008
People the world over have a nostalgic attraction to Coney Island. Even today, after years of decline, its boardwalk attracts literally millions of visitors. But, as the city and private developers embark on a plan to remake “Sodom by the Sea”, the world’s playground is likely to change greatly.
The city’s rezoning plan aims to retain and improve the area’s amusement character, and promote Coney Island’s growth into a year-round, vibrant and affordable entertainment destination — allowing for the construction of hotels, water parks, entertainment retail, and restaurants. Read MAS comments on the Draft Scope of Analysis for the Coney Island Rezoning Project Environmental Impact Statement here.
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MAS-Led Coalition Launches Campaign for East Side Waterfront Park
February 21, 2008
The Municipal Art Society, City Council Member Daniel R. Garodnick, Manhattan Community Board Six and a coalition of civic organizations and local legislators today launched a campaign for a new four acre park that would create much needed open space on the east side of Midtown Manhattan while also providing access to the East River.
The coalition is calling for the City and State to coordinate major projects in the area – including the redevelopment of the former Con Ed site and the reconstruction of the FDR highway - to create a dynamic park in a neighborhood that has the least per-capita open space in Manhattan. The coalition is also calling for the City and State to ensure that the redevelopment plan for the former Con Ed site, which will be voted on by the City Council next month, facilitates the creation of a waterfront park in the future. For more details on the vision and the opportunity to build a new park on the east side waterfront, visit www.eastsidewaterfrontpark.org.
For more on the press conference, Continue reading...
125th Street Rezoning Still Needs Work
April 03, 2008
On April 1st 2008, the Municipal Art Society testified at the Land-use and Franchise subcommittee hearing regarding the 125th Street rezoning plan. City Planning has been working for almost four years on this plan. It first emerged as the “River to River Study,” a promise to create a vibrant Harlem Main Street, buttressed on either side by access to two of New York’s Waterfronts. The current plan does not, however, extend from “River to River” but covers the area from Second Avenue to Broadway and from 124th Street to 126th Street with 125th Street as the spine.
The rezoning initiative held the promise to revitalize 125th Street as Harlem’s vibrant mixed-use corridor, maintaining a specific emphasis on the arts and entertainment industry to support Harlem’s unique position as a local, national, and international destination. The proposed plan under review, unfortunately, still falls short of its commendable vision. Continue reading...
MAS Urges Greenhouse Gas Disclosure
February 13, 2008
In announcing his PlaNYC 2030 sustainability goals for the city on Earth Day last year, Mayor Bloomberg committed to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 30% by 2030, placing New York at the vanguard of the fight to combat climate change. In his statement, the mayor said:
“…you can’t formulate a land use plan… without thinking about global warming.”
But, almost one year later, development projects are still going ahead in New York with little analysis of how they impact climate change.
To help address this problem, MAS is drafting guidelines that would require developers to analyze and disclose their impacts on climate change — including a project’s greenhouse gas emissions and vulnerability to the effects of climate change — in environmental impact statements (EIS) under the state and city Environmental Quality Review Acts (SEQRA and CEQR). Continue reading...
MAS Files Supporting Brief Over P.S. 64
February 01, 2008
Late last year, the City denied a work permit for the development of a community dormitory facility at P.S. 64 in the East Village. The proposed building would be almost twice the size of other residential buildings in the zoning district. MAS recently filed an Amicus Brief supporting the City's decision to demand that the applicant provide satisfactory evidence that the building will be owned by, or leased to, an educational institution prior to receiving permission to begin construction. Read brief.
For more information about P.S. 64, click here.
Mom and Pop Among the Chains
January 21, 2008
Click on the play icon on the image at right to watch video.
In mid-November 2007, MAS hosted a Continuing Legal Education (CLE) panel discussion on law policy and urban retail diversity, titled Mom and Pop Among the Chains, which investigated the legal mechanisms available that could be used to help maintain diversity - large and small retailers, national chains, and mom and pop shops - in the city's retail that has witnessed a noticeable growth in national chain stores in certain areas.
The program touched on a wide range of issues, some of which were also raised at a Jane Jacobs and the Future of New York panel discussion, titled "The Oversuccessful City: Neighborhood Character in the Face of Change", a short video of which can be viewed here.
For more on the changing nature of retail in New York, click here.
Update on the East River Waterfront
January 02, 2008
For most of the last century, Midtown East has been cut off from its waterfront and starved of open space, but now the stars are aligned to address this. The future of three major projects -- the redevelopment of the former Con Ed site, the rebuilding of the FDR Drve and the potential UN campus expansion -- is in the balance, and, if planned together, these projects could be designed to create a glorious waterfront park between 38th and 42nd streets that descends to the East River.
Continue reading...
Moynihan Station: on the Right Track?
January 02, 2008
For the first time in a decade, real progress is being made to fulfill Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan’s vision for a grand new train station worthy of New York. In the 1980s, Senator Moynihan proposed building a new station within the Farley Post Office, across the street from the dismal Penn Station — a proposal the Municipal Art Society has been championing for more than a decade.
Continue reading...
MAS Urges City Council to Examine Columbia Expansion Thoroughly Before Voting
December 19, 2007 |
Today, MAS urged the City Council through testimony and individual letters to take the full extent of the time for review of the Columbia University expansion allowed under ULURP in order to fully examine the complexities of the plan.
MAS’ effort comes as the City Council scheduled a vote that appeared to cut short a full public approval process. The announcement of the vote was made without ample notice to the public and with time still available for review of the project under ULURP. To read the full press release, click here.
Watch the New Audio-Visual Slideshow of Principles for a Great New Penn Station
December 06, 2007MAS President Kent Barwick offers a brief history of the Moynihan Station project and explains how principles for the development of a great new Penn Station would put the public interest first, would ensure an efficient transportation portal and a great new work of contemporary civic architecture; would protect the character of the historic Farley Post Office; and make the station the fulcrum of a great new Moynihan Station district.
MAS has signed on to the Friends of Moynihan Station Principles, which consider even more planning, preservation and transportation issues. You can read those principles in full by clicking here.| Click on the "play" icon to start the slideshow. [Headphones are recommended for optimal audio quality.] |
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For more details on MAS advocacy on Moynihan Station, visit www.newpennstation.org.
One Neighborhood, Two Plans
November 01, 2007
On October 3, the City Planning Commission held a hearing on two plans for the expansion of Columbia University into Manhattanville. One was the university’s plan, the other was Manhattan Community District 9’s 197-a plan — a community-based plan for the same area (see 197-a Planning article on page 3). The challenge is that the plans contain, in some part, contradictory visions.
Continue reading...
MAS Testifies before Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer
September 21, 2007
On Wednesday, September 19, Borough President Stringer held a joint hearing to receive public comment on three separate but critically linked proposals: Manhattan Community Board 9’s district-wide land use plan (the 197-a plan); Columbia University’s Expansion Plan for Manhattanville (a 197-c action); and the BP’s proposed West Harlem Special Zoning District. In an historic and commendable first, the Department of City Planning opted to submit both the 197-a plan and Columbia’s proposal through simultaneous public review, allowing a side-by-side comparison of the two visions. Read the MAS testimony here.
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MAS Poll Reveals Desire For Public Voice in Moynihan Station
September 01, 2007
The Municipal Art Society recently released new poll results revealing that commuters and mass transit riders overwhelmingly favor a whole-scale renovation, redevelopment and expansion of Midtown’s Penn Station that enhances pedestrian access and accommodates increased rail traffic. Though the results show respondents believe they are not fully informed about plans to expand the station into the Farley Post Office building, they make it clear that the public wants to have a voice in its development.
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Jane Jacobs and the Future of New York
August 28, 2007
On September 25, the Municipal Art Society’s exciting new exhibition Jane Jacobs and the Future of New York opened in Urban Center Galleries. Sponsored by the Rockefeller Foundation, this innovative show reevaluates the legacy and values of renowned New York activist Jane Jacobs through the lens of the city of today and tomorrow using images, text and multimedia. It is the centerpiece of a major MAS campaign aiming to energize a new generation of New Yorkers to observe and recognize the best of their city and become citizen activists advocating for positive change.
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City Begins Environmental Review for Domino Site
August 21, 2007
The developer CPC Resources proposes to redevelop the former Domino Sugar Refinery site on the Brooklyn waterfront and an upland parcel by constructing new residential buildings containing 2200 apartments (of which 660 would be affordable) while adaptively reusing the main refinery buildings. The City Planning Commission recently held a hearing for the scope of the forthcoming environmental review, and the MAS submitted comments focusing on the need to explore reusing more of the historic resources on the site, building shorter and less dense buildings, retaining industrial jobs in the surrounding area, greater use of sustainability strategies in light of the Mayor's PlaNYC initiative, and maximizing the public quality of the open space and waterfront access in the proposal while maintaining the commitment to the project’s affordable housing component. Click here to read the MAS comments and here for more details about the Domino Sugar Refinery site.
MAS Program Focuses on How NYC Can Adapt to Climate Change
July 30, 2007
On June 11, 2007, MAS in conjunction with the Metropolitan Waterfront Alliance hosted a groundbreaking expert panel focusing on the measure New York City should undertake in order to adapt to global climate change.
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A Vision for Midtown's East River Waterfront is Unveiled
June 11, 2007
A group of six leading landscape architects united for a day of brainstorming and collaborative synergy in early June to develop a bold vision for Midtown’s inaccessible East River waterfront, and three days later they presented the resulting concepts and images to a crowd of more than 200 interested New Yorkers. The intensive day-long design workshop, known as a charrette, was organized by the MAS, City Council member Dan Garodnick and Manhattan’s Community Board 6 Continue reading...
The Iron Triangle: Magnet for New Development
June 04, 2007
The MAS submitted comments on the Economic Development Corporation’s draft scope of work for Willets Point in Queens on May 14. The draft scope is the first step in the city’s environmental review process. The comments urged the city to be more specific about the costs and benefits of the EDC proposal, analyze the number of existing jobs and the impact of their loss on surrounding communities, consider the impact of the decentralization of automotive uses, and to consider alternative development scenarios that would result in the city’s first business incubator for sustainable automotive care and alternative fuel development. The EDC anticipates that the ULURP process will begin sometime in December 2007. Click here to read the comments.
PlaNYC 2030: A Fine Start
April 23, 2007
The Municipal Art Society congratulates Mayor Bloomberg for his bold leadership and the unprecedented creativity he invested in PlaNYC 2030. Forward-looking proposals like congestion pricing, planting a million new trees in the city and the development of a public plaza in each community district are among the many thoughtful goals to begin planning for now.
The plan touches on an elaborate range of issues sure to fire imaginations and passions from all quarters. His ambitious agenda deserves careful scrutiny, but also a fair hearing in the City Council and in Albany. Many of the 127 recommendations in his plan mirror objectives the MAS has pursued for the past century. In the weeks and months ahead, through public programming, advocacy and other means, we intend to be supportive when possible and critical when necessary.
The mayor has opened an important chapter in the city’s history. It is up to all of us to make the most of it.
Exhibit and Programs to Honor Jane Jacobs This Fall
April 23, 2007MAS will unveil a major public education and civic engagement project in September to honor the legacy and relevance of author and activist Jacobs Jane. It comes at a time of unprecedented growth and redevelopment in the city, and on the heels of a reassessment of the legacy of city planner Robert Moses. Details will be announced during the summer. Continue reading...
Javits Expansion Plan: Wrong for the West Side
April 23, 2007
It is clear that the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center on the Far West Side needs to be expanded and reconfigured. The question is, how best to do it? A recent editorial in The New York Times wisely urges Governor Spitzer and the Empire State Development Corporation to “take a step back and assess the needs of the city and the exhibitors who use the center” and to “make some accommodation to the waterfront.” Continue reading...
MAS Weighs in on 125th Street Rezoning
March 05, 2007
In response to the city's effort to spur new development along 125th Street in Manhattan, from Second Avenue to Broadway, the MAS has submitted comments on the scope for the required environmental review. The city's rezoning proposal aims to strengthen the street's identity as an entertainment and arts district, and encourage the development of affordable housing — goals that the MAS supports strongly. Continue reading...
The Year of Moynihan Station
January 04, 2007
With an unspoiled new year ahead, and a new, reform-minded governor in Albany, there is fresh hope that a grand new train station will be realized in Midtown Manhattan. Now more than ever, the pressure is on to ensure that the public will benefit from what will also be an extraordinary real estate deal for the private sector partners. When construction finally ends, we must be left with a train station we can be proud of. Continue reading...
What's So Grand About Grand Central Terminal?
December 12, 2006
Despite a recent push to move forward quickly on plans to build Moynihan Station within the Farley Post Office on Eighth Avenue in Midtown, this dream deferred will have to wait a while longer. The good news is this delay gives the public a chance to weigh in on how the state should spend what could add up to $1.5 billion of public money. The time to speak up is now.
What makes Grand Central so grand? Take this survey and let us know what lessons Moynihan Station should learn from the success of Grand Central. Also, take a few minutes to read our newest position statement on Moynihan Station. Send your comments to info@mas.org and add your name to our growing list of Moynihan Station advocates. Continue reading...
Chain Store Creep
October 27, 2006
Has your local deli or bodega &mdash that friendly neighborhood place where you grab your morning coffee and newspaper &mdash been replaced by a chain drug store? Or is that new building under construction down the block going to displace the small local shops you depend on with two more bank branches?
This phenomenon is not happening to you alone. It is occurring all over New York City. Continue reading...
Moynihan Station: Second Chances
Pat Moynihan believed that America is the land of second chances. He saw the idea to build a new Penn Station in the landmark Farley Post Office across Eighth Avenue from the current "stygian chamber" (hell hole) of a station as New York[s golden opportunity to redeem itself for tearing down the original Pennsylvania Station. He persuaded Congress to allocate the funding so that New York would regain a grand gateway with room to grow.
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Atlantic Yards: Brooklyn Deserves A Better Plan
On a slender, 22-acre strip of land between Prospect Heights and Fort Greene, the developer Forest City Ratner is proposing one of the largest building projects in Brooklyn's history. Known as Atlantic Yards, it proposes 16 new skyscrapers and an 18,000-seat sports arena - more than eight and a half million square feet of new development. Brooklyn is, of course, a big and ever-changing place with plenty of room to grow. With its prime transit connections &mdash 10 subway lines and a Long Island Rail Road terminal &mdash the Atlantic Yards site is a logical one for new development, including an arena and badly needed affordable housing. Continue reading...
Making Space for Manufacturing
Sustainable cities are those that are able to maintain a healthy mix of jobs, housing and community services. New York's ability to achieve this balance has recently been bolstered by the creation of the Mayor's Office of Industrial and Manufacturing Businesses, which pursues innovative land use policies and supports the retention and expansion of manufacturing jobs. The MAS first called for the establishment of such an office in 2001.
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Build Brooklyn's Green Crescent Now
If you're from Brooklyn and want your waterfront back, the time to speak up is now. Read on to learn how you can make your voice heard.
Last year, the city rezoned 180 blocks in the Brooklyn neighborhoods of Greenpoint and Williamsburg. Much of the rezoning was along the borough's East River waterfront &mdash a distance equivalent to that from Canal Street to 34th Street in Manhattan. The city's vision is already transforming a historically industrial area with new high-rise housing and the beginnings of a 1.6 mile waterfront esplanade.
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MAS to City: Study Community's Plan for the Former Con Ed Site
May 05, 2005
The city has a unique opportunity to demonstrate its commitment to community-based planning by officially studying the alternative plan for the former Con Ed site that Manhattan's Community Board Six produced. The community's plan - which, unlike the developer's plan, calls for real waterfront access, meaningful public open space and reasonably scaled buildings - has been endorsed by all the elected officials who represent the area. Continue reading...