The plan to turn a 26-acre rail yard in the West 30s into a residential and commercial neighborhood won a major victory yesterday when City Council approved a rezoning for a significant portion of the property, according to the Times. The Council voted in favor of the plan after coming to a consensus with developers Related Companies and Goldman Sachs — who hope to construct more than 5,000 apartments in eight high-rises between 11th and 12th avenues and 30th and 33rd streets — about the amount of new and maintained affordable housing in and around the Hudson Yards development.
As a part of their $15 billion plan, the developers agreed to build or maintain 1,294 affordable housing units. The vote came the same day that City Council dealt a major blow to Related Companies when it overrode a veto by Mayor Bloomberg, conclusively nixing the builder's plan to convert the Kingsbridge Armory in the Bronx into a shopping mall.
Mayor Bloomberg — who has long backed the tumultuous West Side development plan — cheered the Council's vote. “With the rezoning in place and the extension of the No. 7 subway line on the way…the area is finally poised to become a vibrant new residential and commercial neighborhood with more than 10 acres of open space, new cultural amenities and a new public school," he said. The oft-delayed project is years in the making and likely many years away from construction, according to the Times. The paper reports that Related Companies and Goldman Sachs have not yet designed the residential towers, and work won't begin on the office buildings until the developers have secured an anchor tenants.
