Not so nice.. :)
[quote]
Bloomy's troubling W. Side story
Noise and air pollution so bad that new buildings will need sealed, double-glazed windows.
Traffic gridlock on two-thirds of midtown crosswalks.
Thousands of new residents but no planning for new schools, fire or police services.
Housing largely for the wealthy.
City Hall finally had to answer some pointed questions yesterday about the mayor's massive Hudson Yards redevelopment plan for the West Side.
But it quickly became apparent that the grandiose $5 billion plan - the one Mayor Bloomberg calls the key to the city's future - is full of more holes than a box of Dunkin' Donuts.
The occasion was a City Council hearing on a rezoning for major parts of the mayor's plan - the proposed extension of the 7 subway line and a slew of commercial office buildings and parks along 10th and 11th Aves.
Until now, Bloomberg and his economic development czar Daniel Doctoroff have done everything they could to limit the Council's involvement.
They cleverly maneuvered to prevent the 51-member body from having any direct role in the proposed new Jets stadium, even though City Hall wants to spend $300 million in subsidies for the stadium and the planned Javits Convention Center expansion.
But Bloomberg needs the Council's approval to rezone 59 square blocks ofthe West Side for his proposed commercial building district and the subway extension.
So Doctoroff and the rest of his economic team showed up to answer a few questions. And they will have to return tomorrow to explain the project's complex and risky funding scenario to another Council committee.
During yesterday's session, Doctoroff painted a rosy picture of how the project will create 230,000 permanent jobs, nearly 14,000 units of housing, 26 million square feet of office space and acres of parks.
Other Bloomberg aides extolled the 2,600 "affordable" housing units that will be part of the package.
All visionary plans for our city "attracted criticism and complaints, doubters and detractors," Doctoroff said. "The Hudson Yards plan is no different."
But as soon as the questions started, the holes began to show.
The far West Side is a traffic nightmare right now on almost any evening, when cars heading for the Lincoln Tunnel start to back up.
Imagine an additional 150,000 residents and office workers emptying from a phalanx of high-rise buildings, and all those additional cars and buses they are bound to require. And that's not even counting the thousands of fans who would drive in on Sundays to attend Jets games at the new stadium.
The city's own environmental impact study concluded new buildings in the area will need to be constructed with sealed and double-glazed windows to keep out the increased noise and pollution.
In addition, the new residents in Hudson Yards will need one or two new schools, a new firehouse, a library and more police services, noted City Councilwoman Christine Quinn (D-Manhattan). Yet the mayor's plan is virtually silent about paying for all those new services.
Then there's the housing issue.
Only 2,600 of new housing units will be "affordable," the Council was told. A family could earn up to $75,000 a year and still qualify for those units. In other words, low- and moderate-income families could be largely excluded.
Worse, the bulk of those affordable units - 1,800 of them - would remain affordable for only 30 years, at which point landlords could turn them into market-rate apartments.
The proposed rezoning will increase land values by more than $1.1 billion and drive up housing costs throughout the West Side, a Pratt Institute study recently concluded. That study urged that at least 30% of all new housing in the project be made affordable.
The closer one looks at it, the more the Hudson Yards scheme resembles a giant giveaway to big developers, to the Wall Street firms eager to finance the whole affair, and, of course, to the New York Jets.
Originally published on December 14, 2004
[/quote] http://www.nydailynews.com/news/local/story/261760p-224171c.html
jake · 2004-12-14 Slam Article -- Opinion/Not Accurate
The NY Daily News is, and has been, a good supporter of the New York Sports and Convention Center and Hudson Yards Redevelopment. While this piece is not in line with the Daily News' editorial opinion, it does reflect an aditorial opinion and is not factual. The Environmental Impact Statement did a wonderful job of explaining the impacts and the necessary mitigations. This editorial opinion does not accurately reflect the EIS findings and conclusions.
While the EIS does mention double-glazed windows, the author takes it out of context. There is no mention of air pollution with relation to sealed windows. It is merely to protect sensitive receptors, that is homes, from urban noise, which is already unnacceptable in the area.
Please read from the EIS below:
Page 22-2 of the EIS states:
"The Proposed Action would introduce new sensitive receptors – i.e., residences and community
facilities – to an area that currently contains noise levels classified as 'marginally' and 'clearly
unacceptable.'"
Page 22-31 of the EIS states:
"In addition, the City is proposing to make available double-glazed windows and alternative means of
ventilation (e.g., air conditioning) to existing residential and community facility buildings that would
remain in the Project Area that would experience perceptible increases in noise levels as a result of
the Proposed Action. With these measures, the significant adverse noise impacts on existing
residential and community facility buildings that may result from the Proposed Action would be fully
mitigated." http://www.nyc.gov/html/dcp/pdf/hyards/hy_chap22_t.pdf
jake · 2004-12-14
Not so nice.. :) [quote] Bloomy's troubling W. Side story Noise and air pollution so bad that new buildings will need sealed, double-glazed windows. Traffic gridlock on two-thirds of midtown crosswalks. Thousands of new residents but no planning for new schools, fire or police services. Housing largely for the wealthy. City Hall finally had to answer some pointed questions yesterday about the mayor's massive Hudson Yards redevelopment plan for the West Side. But it quickly became apparent that the grandiose $5 billion plan - the one Mayor Bloomberg calls the key to the city's future - is full of more holes than a box of Dunkin' Donuts. The occasion was a City Council hearing on a rezoning for major parts of the mayor's plan - the proposed extension of the 7 subway line and a slew of commercial office buildings and parks along 10th and 11th Aves. Until now, Bloomberg and his economic development czar Daniel Doctoroff have done everything they could to limit the Council's involvement. They cleverly maneuvered to prevent the 51-member body from having any direct role in the proposed new Jets stadium, even though City Hall wants to spend $300 million in subsidies for the stadium and the planned Javits Convention Center expansion. But Bloomberg needs the Council's approval to rezone 59 square blocks ofthe West Side for his proposed commercial building district and the subway extension. So Doctoroff and the rest of his economic team showed up to answer a few questions. And they will have to return tomorrow to explain the project's complex and risky funding scenario to another Council committee. During yesterday's session, Doctoroff painted a rosy picture of how the project will create 230,000 permanent jobs, nearly 14,000 units of housing, 26 million square feet of office space and acres of parks. Other Bloomberg aides extolled the 2,600 "affordable" housing units that will be part of the package. All visionary plans for our city "attracted criticism and complaints, doubters and detractors," Doctoroff said. "The Hudson Yards plan is no different." But as soon as the questions started, the holes began to show. The far West Side is a traffic nightmare right now on almost any evening, when cars heading for the Lincoln Tunnel start to back up. Imagine an additional 150,000 residents and office workers emptying from a phalanx of high-rise buildings, and all those additional cars and buses they are bound to require. And that's not even counting the thousands of fans who would drive in on Sundays to attend Jets games at the new stadium. The city's own environmental impact study concluded new buildings in the area will need to be constructed with sealed and double-glazed windows to keep out the increased noise and pollution. In addition, the new residents in Hudson Yards will need one or two new schools, a new firehouse, a library and more police services, noted City Councilwoman Christine Quinn (D-Manhattan). Yet the mayor's plan is virtually silent about paying for all those new services. Then there's the housing issue. Only 2,600 of new housing units will be "affordable," the Council was told. A family could earn up to $75,000 a year and still qualify for those units. In other words, low- and moderate-income families could be largely excluded. Worse, the bulk of those affordable units - 1,800 of them - would remain affordable for only 30 years, at which point landlords could turn them into market-rate apartments. The proposed rezoning will increase land values by more than $1.1 billion and drive up housing costs throughout the West Side, a Pratt Institute study recently concluded. That study urged that at least 30% of all new housing in the project be made affordable. The closer one looks at it, the more the Hudson Yards scheme resembles a giant giveaway to big developers, to the Wall Street firms eager to finance the whole affair, and, of course, to the New York Jets. Originally published on December 14, 2004 [/quote]Slam Article
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/local/story/261760p-224171c.html