The Hudson Yards Development Corp. and Community Board 4 held a joint-meeting yesterday evening to outline requirements for any plans to develop the 26 acre Hudson Rail Yards, one of the largest under-developed pieces of property in Manhattan. The presentation detailed development guidelines that include a requirement that 20% of all residential housing be "affordable" and the establishment of open park space. Interested attendees included advocates for the preservation of the High Line. The state hasn't expressed an overwhelming interest in preserving the long-abandoned elevated rail line and has expressed concern that its preservation could limit the profitability of the Rail Yards development. Groups like Friends of the High Line think the section above 30th St. could provide a vital link to the area's past for businesses and new residents. They also point to how the ongoing park-ification of the High Line in Chelsea and the Meatpacking District has benefitted those neighborhoods.
Last night's meeting was not quite the beginning, but an important early milestone in the process of developing the Hudson Rail Yards. Five major developers are said to be interested in taking on the project and the site's owner, the MTA, should put the project out to bid in the next few weeks, continuing the long process of developer selection, community review, and city approval. We also anticipate lawsuits of some kind or another. No development plan worth its salt doesn't come without a good number of lawsuits attached.
