The 200-acre operational rail yard is the largest of six affordable housing sites that Mayor Bill de Blasio targeted for development. He hopes to build more than 11,000 units of affordable housing there, but Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo is not on board.
In addition to the complexities of building over an operating rail yard similar to what is being done in the massive Manhattan Hudson Yards development, there are two owners of the yards—one friendly to development and the other apparently hostile to it.
Consequently, "the study will, at least initially, exclude portions of the site owned by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) — an agency controlled by Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, whose office has chafed at the idea," writes Matt Flegenheimer of The New York Times.
Amtrak, which owns much of the depot, has expressed an openness to the plan, and on Friday (Feb. 20) it praised what it called the mayor’s “leadership in advancing this effort.”
MTA and the governor maintain their opposition to building over the rail yards, which turns out not entirely unexpected as Mayor de Blasio and Gov. Cuomo have engaged in "a series of high-profile rifts," notes Flegenheimer
Wiley Norvell, a spokesman for the mayor, said city officials “hope and anticipate everyone being able to come together and collaborate here.” Mr. Norvell said any eventual plan would preserve existing rail service and account for future transportation needs at the site.
The Request for Proposal by the New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) for consultancy services is to draft a feasibility study "to provide guidance as to the viability of an overbuild project at Sunnyside Yards."
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