http://www.planNYC.org/ PlanNYC | New York City Planning Information Portal en-us ja3n@earthlink.net http://www.plannyc.org/modules.php?op=modload&name=Issues&file=index&catid=1&issueid=7#4690 Today the City Council will vote to approve the Whitney Museum of American Art’s plan for a 185,000-square-foot building on Gansevoort Street next to the High Line. The Council's Land Use Committee, the City Planning Commission, Manhattan borough president Scott Stringer and the local community board have already approved the plan. The Council is expect to approve it as well, but the Whitney has not yet reached its $680 million fundraising goal for the project. $435 million is needed for new construction and last week's economic crisis has made the likelihood of reaching these goals uncertain. Whitney spokesman Jeffrey Levine stated that not all of the money must be raised by the time construction starts in 2009. 2008-09-24 09:00:00 http://www.plannyc.org/modules.php?op=modload&name=Issues&file=index&catid=1&issueid=7#4639 Although many supporters of the High Line project initially praised the selection of the Related Companies to develop the Hudson Yards because of the developer's commitment to preserve sections of the elevated rail line, there is now some concern that a plan by Related presented to a community group in August did not show the "spur" portion of the High Line on the eastern half of the yard intact. The presentation showed one of Related's towers obscuring the view of the Hudson River. Rezoning documents said that parts of High Line may be dismantled during the building process but will be reconstructed, and many are worried these areas will not be restored. 2008-09-12 00:00:00 http://www.plannyc.org/modules.php?op=modload&name=Issues&file=index&catid=1&issueid=7#4584 With the first segment of the High Line set to open by the end of this year, those that have fought for the park’s existence hope that it demonstrates a commitment to the wilderness that developed on the elevated railroad tracks during the two decades that it sat unused. The designers have attempted to keep the natural feel of the area while also creating a space that can be used my members of the community. The project is largely funded by the city. 2008-09-04 00:00:00 http://www.plannyc.org/modules.php?op=modload&name=Issues&file=index&catid=1&issueid=7#4564 The High Line, the elevated railway that will open as a park in early winter of this year, is helping the West Chelsea neighborhood grow. $900 million in new real estate development is being built in the neighborhood according to the city’s Mayor of Economic Development and the price per real estate has increased between 2006 and 2007 according to the Real Estate Board of New York. The area was rezoned in 2005 for the High Line. 2008-08-25 00:00:00 http://www.plannyc.org/modules.php?op=modload&name=Issues&file=index&catid=1&issueid=7#4536 The City Planning Commission (CPC) voted in favor of the Whitney Museum’s plans to open a new site near the High Line in downtown Manhattan. The proposal received unanimous approval from the CPC because commissioners felt that the project had a “creative design” and could successfully be incorporated into the neighborhood. The proposal will now go before a City Council subcommittee before being presented to the entire City Council for the final approval. If the project receives endorsement from the City Council, it will likely open in 2012 or 2013. 2008-08-12 00:00:00 http://www.plannyc.org/modules.php?op=modload&name=Issues&file=index&catid=1&issueid=7#4516 The Whitney Museum of American Art has decided to sell townhouses adjacent to its current location on the Upper East Side in order to help finance its expansion plan for a new museum on Gansevoort St. downtown. The goal is to raise $60 million from the sales. The Museum decided to relocate its expansion because of disagreements with local preservationists. The opportunities for development at the townhouse sites are complicated by the buildings' inclusion in an historic district. 2008-08-01 00:00:00 http://www.plannyc.org/modules.php?op=modload&name=Issues&file=index&catid=1&issueid=7#4384 Two architectural firms and Friends of the High Line presented the final design plans for the new High Line park. The renderings can be seen online and the park is said to be completed in 2009. 2008-06-25 00:00:00 http://www.plannyc.org/modules.php?op=modload&name=Issues&file=index&catid=1&issueid=7#4204 NY1 recently reported that former City Council Speaker Gifford Miller repeatedly contacted Speaker Christine Quinn several times through her personal email address to advocate the High Line development. It has been confirmed that Miller is acting only as a volunteer and not a lobbyist, but the group leading the High Line park received over $200,000 in council funding in 2007. 2008-05-08 00:00:00 http://www.plannyc.org/modules.php?op=modload&name=Issues&file=index&catid=1&issueid=7#4176 Design plans for a new Whitney Museum in the Meatpacking District received early support from the Community Board and the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation although both groups have said they want additional information to make final judgments on the project. The new museum must go through the city’s public review process, the Uniform Land Use Review Procedure (ULURP). Construction of the Whitney is anticipated to begin in Spring 2009 with a possible opening date in 2012. 2008-05-02 00:00:00 http://www.plannyc.org/modules.php?op=modload&name=Issues&file=index&catid=1&issueid=7#4170 Plans for the new Whitney Museum of American Art, expected to open in 2012 on Gansevoort Street, have been released. Designed by famed architect Renzo Piano, the downtown branch will add an additional 50,000 square feet to the Whitney’s existing 32,000 square feet of exhibit space. The museum will be six floors and will include space for educational purposes, a theatre, and multiple rooftop galleries. Construction is set to begin in spring 2009 and the museum hopes to raise $680 million to cover the construction as well as add to the museum’s endowment. 2008-05-01 00:00:00 http://www.plannyc.org/modules.php?op=modload&name=Issues&file=index&catid=1&issueid=7#4181 Renzo Piano’s design for the new Whitney Museum to be built at the southern end of the planned High Line Park was unveiled at a community meeting last week; reactions at the meeting and in the press have been overall very positive. This Curbed report notes that the presented design plans do not detail the “nitty-gritty of the museum.” 2008-05-01 00:00:00 http://www.plannyc.org/modules.php?op=modload&name=Issues&file=index&catid=1&issueid=7#3887 Construction work continues on Section 1 of the Highline, stretching from Gansevoort to 20th Street. Horticulturists are expected to begin planting later this spring in anticipation of the opening by the end of this year. While work progresses on the southern portions of the Highline, including Section 2 which runs from 20th to 30th Streets, there is some concern that the northern portions may not be built because it runs through the Western Rail yards. 2008-03-05 00:00:00 http://www.plannyc.org/modules.php?op=modload&name=Issues&file=index&catid=1&issueid=7#3775 The Real Estate Board of New York (REBNY) has asked the city to consider changing the zoning regulations in the area surrounding the High Line. The area, which was rezoned in 2005, has seen booming development, but some developers have struggled to find transferable air rights to purchase because many landowners are holding on to them. The City Planning Commission has agreed to look at REBNY’s request, but believes that the current zoning is working as was intended 2008-02-12 00:00:00 http://www.plannyc.org/modules.php?op=modload&name=Issues&file=index&catid=1&issueid=7#3502 West 19th Street between 10th and 11th Avenues will soon be home to many buildings designed by renowned architects including Frank Gehry, Annabelle Selldorf, Shigeru Ban, and Jean Nouvel. Redevelopment of the Highline into a public amenity is one reason for such growth in the neighborhood. 2007-12-17 00:00:00 http://www.plannyc.org/modules.php?op=modload&name=Issues&file=index&catid=1&issueid=7#3316 Redevelopment of an old elevated train track is partially credited with spurring new economic growth in the surrounding neighborhoods of Chelsea and the Meatpacking District. Roughly $900 million in new commercial and residential space is planned for the area around the Highline. In addition to the Highline, rezoning of the traditionally manufacturing area has increased new development. Some are beginning to call sections near the Highline “Architects Row” because of the high profile architects that have been drawn to the area. 2007-11-12 00:00:00