Yes you're iconic, yes you bring in huge money, yes it seems you have always been Penn Station's hat but you uh, might wanna pack your bags and find a new place to call home some regional planners and politicians are now saying. Despite the The Madison Square Garden Co. spending a billion dollars on the renovation of MSG the Regional Plan Association and Municipal Art Society are saying MSG should only get a ten year renewal lease and then find a new home.
NJ Transit, Amtrak and Long Island Rail Road wrote in a letter to the planning commission in part:
"Despite significant subsequent investments by the station’s rail carriers to better accommodate these passengers," the letter continued, "travelers have for decades been confined to functionally inadequate accommodations in the makeshift underground station, and have been hampered by severely limited street-level access at a handful of poorly marked and architecturally flawed entrances that are in some cases all but hidden from the street."
MSG said, and we quoteth:
"Adding an arbitrary expiration for reasons unrelated to the special permit process or requirements would not only set a dangerous and questionable precedent, but would also hinder our ability to make MSG and New York City the long-term home of even more world-class events, and would harm a business that has served as a significant economic driver for the city for generations."
We liked this quote from Drew Galloway, assistant vice president of policy and development at Amtrak:
"It’s like the Oklahoma Land Rush at 5 p.m. at 34th Street and 7th Avenue."
Suggestions on changes or improvements at olde Madison Square Garden?
No comments:
Post a Comment