BY KRISTEN ANCILLOTTI | The Hudson Yards Hell’s Kitchen Alliance (HYHK) held their annual meeting on June 4 at 555TEN in Midtown to commemorate a year of neighborhood improvements, the successful opening of Hudson Yards, and the work of local artists, as well as to give a peek at what is to come.

The Business Improvement District’s meeting was preceded by a cocktail hour on the roof deck, where community members chatted over shrimp, cheese and, of course, cocktails. When it was time to get down to business, Robert Benfatto, president of HYHK, kicked things off with the election of new board members. Benfatto then passed the mic to Kevin Singleton, the board chair of HYHK, who recapped a productive year and looked to the future.

“We’ve had an amazing year,” said Singleton. “As we look forward to the next five years, the future is friendly. We welcome the shops, and the plaza, and the Vessel, and the office buildings, and the hotel in the Eastern Rail Yards—and overnight, Hudson Yards has become a neighborhood integrated with an existing neighborhood, Hell’s Kitchen, and it is a destination for travelers from all over the world.”

Singleton noted HYHK will be partnering with Urbanspace to bring a public market to Bella Abzug Park, and at the end of spring and through the summer, on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, food vendors like Burger Supreme, Okonomi, and Red Hook Lobster will provide tasty treats to parkgoers. On Thursdays, HYHK will partner with Down to Earth, a local farmers market.

There have also been improvements made to The Canoe, which was expanded north, with new plantings and trees and the addition of tables and chairs. As part of a pilot pedestrian improvement project, over 40 planters were added on W. 37th and W. 39th Streets, between Ninth and 10th Avenues.

Keynote speaker Jay Cross, president of Related Hudson Yards, spoke of the positive reception of the opening of Hudson Yards. “Many of you were at our opening on March 14. I hope you had a good time, because it was a hell of a party. There were probably 30,000 people. Then we opened officially on March 18, and since then we’ve been overwhelmed by the response that the project has received around the world. We’ve had 5 billion Instagram hits, of which I would say 99% are photographs of the Vessel,” Cross said, and the crowd erupted in laughter.

In addition to the popularity of the Vessel, the retail portion of Hudson Yards (The Shops & Restaurants at Hudson Yards) has drawn many visitors, with around 4 million shoppers so far. “There’s so much retail that you don’t need to go anywhere else in New York,” said Cross. “You’ll go there because you can see the High Line, you can see the Vessel, you can go to The Shed, you can dine out, oh and by the way, there’s retail.”

Part of the retail at Hudson Yards includes the introduction of brick-and-mortar stores for traditionally digital brands like Rhone and Mack Weldon, which may draw in customers who have wanted to see items in person before purchasing.

Cross explained that there is still work to be done in the area, with 33rd St. expected to open soon as a through street, which should help traffic flow into the plaza and retail area. There will also be a concert on June 25 to celebrate the opening of 35 Hudson Yards, a mixed-use apartment and hotel building. Cross made it clear that the concert is a one-time event, and the plaza will not be a regularly rowdy venue, with activities in the area winding down around sunset, to be sensitive to neighbors.

Cross also said that he has been working with Benfatto to reduce the amount of street vendors on the sidewalks. He pointed out that vendors are typically drawn to construction areas, and, as construction wraps up, these vendors too should disappear. “We have micromanaged every linear foot, so that there is no room for a street vendor necessarily to be on the sidewalks,” Cross said.

Moving away from the topic of Hudson Yards, Inge Ivchenko, the chair of the Hell’s Kitchen Foundation, brought up the local artists receiving grants this year, and asked for continued support for local artists so that they can buy materials, set up websites, and get the basic things that artists need, including exhibit space.

“For the last two years, the BID has generously donated money towards the grants,” she said. “We also want to implore anyone that’s a business owner or has space, these artists are so talented. They need space to show their art.”

Artists receiving grants this year included Jonathan Glass, an artist and photographer specializing in jazz performance sketches, James Seffens, a painter and mixed media artist, and Gwyneth Leech, whose art depicts construction sites around Manhattan. Leech said she’ll be using her grant money on nice photography of her shows and a travel easel to make her job easier.

Finally, Daniel Scorse, vice president of operations for HYHK, awarded Shari Gold from the Department of Transportation with the Most Valuable Partner Award. “Many of you can probably relate to the feeling when working with the city that the city always looks for a reason to say no to something,” Score said, noting, “Shari is the opposite. She is always looking for a way to say yes.”

Benfatto closed out the meeting by thanking everyone involved and inviting them to stick around and enjoy the open bar. With the business portion of the evening complete, the room filled with the sounds of animated conversation and celebration of a year well spent.

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