A coalition of community groups claims that current plans are designed to benefit developers and don’t guarantee improvements for transit riders.
Penn Station’s long-awaited redevelopment hit another snag as several citizen groups filed a lawsuit against Empire State Development and the New York State Public Authorities Control Board, claiming that the agencies did not conduct a proper environmental review and “improperly” entered a revenue-sharing agreement with the city. Colleen Wilson reports on the case for NorthJersey.com.
“At issue is the more than 18 million square feet of commercial, residential and hotel space proposed on properties in the immediate vicinity of Penn Station.” Revenue from these projects is meant to fund other improvements to the station area, such as additional tracks, new entrances and elevators, and a new pedestrian corridor, but the plaintiffs in the suit say “there's "no basis" for ESD's claim that it would generate the revenue needed to fund New York's share of station projects.”
As Wilson explains, the historic station has become a notorious choke point in New York’s public transportation system. “The now-54-year-old structure was designed to handle 200,000 people a day, but for at least two decades it has operated over capacity, with as many as 650,000 people using the station daily in 2019.”
See the source article for more details on the lawsuit and how it could affect the redevelopment plans.
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