BY SALLY GREENSPAN (President, Council of Chelsea Block Associations) | Recently published articles have unveiled new renderings for the Related/Wynn Western Rail Yards (WRY) Development Plan and provided rationales for why these new plans offer the best possible use to serve the community and the city of New York. (To read about it, click here and click here). My response to what I have read follows:

Jobs | Both the 2009 plan that includes over 5,700 new units of housing (approved by this community when proposed) and the “new” rapidly evolving current WRY plan that includes only approximately 1,500 units of housing, will create jobs. True, the original residential plan will possibly create less permanent jobs than a commercial plan—but I don’t know if the difference would be significant when you take into account other infrastructure that goes along with housing, like supermarkets and other retail establishments that create jobs to support residential communities. With regard to the unionized construction jobs, it would be interesting to know how, and if, that number would change if the project were to proceed with the 2009 plan vs. the current plan.

Housing | That said, the “new plan” eliminates approximately 4,200 units of housing. So, while the current plan may indeed create more permanent jobs, here is the real question: “Where will the people employed in those new jobs live?” Housing is the challenge that faces all of NYC at this moment in time. Those already employed in this great city cannot find housing, and guess what? With nowhere to live, workers are leaving NYC. The rationale that the new WRY plan will create more jobs simply does not hold water when the number one problem facing this city, indeed much of the country, is housing. It does not make much sense to continue to create jobs that people can’t get to unless they commute two hours each way to get there…and we all know what dire straits our NYC transportation system is in.

The Related team argues that there is no way to cover the cost of the platform over the train tracks on which this project would be constructed without building a casino. Building a casino would require that the 2009 residential plan be rezoned to a commercial zone. If the platform cost truly stands in the way of the residential property plan, it is time for the city and/or the state to step up and assist in providing the financing for the platform in exchange for Related and its partners providing the maximum new housing that the city so desperately needs built.

Our local elected officials, city fathers, and our Governor continually stress the need for more housing. Affordable for middle-income, and affordable for low-income. The city does not lack housing for multi-millionaires. It’s time for our government to put their support and money where their mouths are and get behind the plan that provides maximum new housing.

And Then There is the High Line | Equally distressing is the impact this new plan will have on our iconic elevated park, the High Line. Three supertall buildings, one of them almost as tall as the World Trade Center, will forever diminish the High Line experience. Sight lines will be drastically impacted by the towering structures; views of the New York City skyline and the Hudson River will be blocked.

Javits Center Roof, the Sustainable and Unique Ecosystem | I have not noticed it discussed elsewhere, but it would seem that while the sun from the eastern sky will not be affected, the proposed supertalls could potentially block the southern sky sun from reaching the roof of the Javits Center. Surely this could threaten the unique Farm, Green Roof, Bee Colony, and the habitat of the NYC Bird Alliance that has witnessed 65 bird species, 5 bat species, and hundreds of arthropod species using the roof.

What Next | The new proposed WRY plan will go through the ULURP (Uniform Land Use Review Procedure) process. This is mandated because the originally approved 2009 plan was based upon a residential centered plan. The new WRY proposal has changed to a commercial-centered plan. In order to change from residential to commercial, the new proposal will need to go through another ULURP.

If the new commercial plan is not approved by ULURP, there is no opportunity for the proposed commercial development of WRY to move forward and the 2009 plan would remain in place. If the rezoning to commercial at WRY is approved by ULURP, then the Community Advisory Committee (CAC) will actively continue an investigation and scrutinize all aspects of the WRY proposal that includes a casino and 3 supertall buildings.

Our community and all of New York would be adversely affected by the current WRY plan being promoted by the Related/Wynn team. We approved and need the 2009 plan, already long overdue. We need housing, not a casino, not supertall commercial spaces. Each and every one of us must continue to make our voices heard.

NOTE: Sally Greenspan is the President of The Council of Chelsea Block Associations (CCBA). This Guest Opinion piece is based  on her September 3 email message sent to the CCBA Membership.