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Hudson Yards is the area generally between West 30th
Street on the south, Seventh and Eighth avenues on the
east, West 43rd Street on the north, and Twelfth Avenue
on the west. It is bordered by Clinton to the north,
Chelsea to the south, Hudson River Park to the west,
and the Garment Center and Midtown to the east. The area,
currently, is isolated from the subway system, has few
public amenities and little open space and is primarily
characterized by large tracts of underutilized land.
The land uses in the area are mainly transportation,
commercial, industrial, parking lots, garages, and residential.
Public facilities and open space comprise very few of
the uses within the area. Several significant buildings and transportation
facilities are located in and around Hudson Yards.
Major Transportation facilities include Pennsylvania
Station, the proposed Moynihan Station to be constructed
within the Farley Post Office building, and the
Port Authority Bus Terminal. Major buildings in
the area include the Jacob K. Javits Convention
Center, Madison Square Garden, 450 West 33rd/Daily
News building, and the commercial office buildings
located at One and Two Pennsylvania Plaza.
Superblocks along
33rd Street |
Jacob K. Javits Convention Center, on 11th Avenue |
The area is predominantly organized
along Manhattan's grid of streets
and avenues creating the typical
200 foot by 800 foot blocks.
Although most of the blocks conform
to the street grid, a series
of superblocks extend from Seventh
to Twelfth avenues along the
south side of West 33rd Street.
These superblocks are a consequence
of the railroad network that
links Pennsylvania Station with
the Long Island Railroad storage
and maintenance yards. The superblocks
also extend from West 34th to
West 39th streets between Eleventh
and Twelfth avenues to accommodate
the Jacob K. Javits Convention
Center. In addition to the superblocks,
the Lincoln Tunnel and its access
ramps disrupt the regular street
grid. The Lincoln Tunnel is comprised
of three separate tunnels, two
of the entrances are between
Ninth and Tenth avenues and one
between Tenth and Eleventh avenues.
Transportation infrastructure
is the dominant feature, establishing
a gritty industrial character
and bleak pedestrian environment
in the area. The Lincoln Tunnel
and its access ramps cover approximately
15 acres between Ninth and Eleventh
avenues, the MTA Rail Yards cover
26 acres from West 30th to West
33rd streets between Tenth and
Twelfth avenues (Eleventh Avenue
bridges
over the Yards dividing the Yards
into two sites: the Eastern Yards
and Western Yards), and the open
Amtrak Empire Line railroad cut
is visible from West 36th
to West 39th streets between
Tenth and Eleventh avenues. The
infrastructure also bifurcates
the area by disrupting the development
pattern and establishing blank
walls along the street edges.
The MTA Railyards
crossed by 11th Avenue |
Light industrial uses
are scattered throughout
the rezoning area, primarily
concentrated in three areas,
between Tenth and Eleventh
avenues, across from the
Javits Convention Center,
in the Garment Center between
Eighth and Ninth avenues
north of West 35th Street,
and between Seventh and
Eighth avenues south of
West 31st Street. The light
industrial uses east of
Eighth Avenue are concentrated
in large loft buildings
and include garment and
printing uses. The area
across from the Javits
Convention Center is primarily
auto related and vehicle
storage uses.
Javits Convention
Center plaza |
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Lincoln tunnel cuts at
9th Ave. and 35th St. |
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34th Street |
Streetscape
along 38th
St. (10th & 11th Ave.) |
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Residential buildings
along 9th Avenue |
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Lincoln tunnel access
ramps at 39th Street |
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Amtrack cut at 39th
Street |
The only permanent public open space is the hard-scape
plaza across from the Javits Convention Center. Several
small community parks have been created on Port Authority
property through an agreement with the community. In
addition, privately owned public space is located at
One and Two Pennsylvania Plaza, and on the south side
of West 42nd Street between Eleventh and Twelfth avenues.
The character of the proposed rezoning area differs significantly
from one area to another. Along Ninth Avenue from West
35th Street to West 40th Street, the area is primarily
residential buildings with five to six story walk-up
apartment buildings with ground floor retail. Though
there is a strong built context of residential buildings,
there are several parking and underbuilt lots.
West of Ninth Avenue between West 35th and 40th streets,
the area is primarily low scale, with one to three
story commercial and industrial buildings, some walk-up
apartment buildings, and larger loft buildings. The
area is dominated by the presence of infrastructure,
primarily the Lincoln Tunnel approaches between Ninth
and Tenth avenues and the open Amtrak railroad cut
between Tenth and Eleventh avenues. Much of the land
that isn’t utilized for infrastructure uses are
auto related uses or surface level bus and automobile
parking. The lots west of Ninth Avenue are generally
larger, the street walls are not continuous, and there
are fewer ground floor retail uses.
West 34th Street from Eighth Avenue to Eleventh Avenue is a mixed-use corridor
of commercial and residential uses. The level of development, including size
and heights of buildings, is greatest near Eighth Avenue. Commercial and residential
buildings include pre-war apartment buildings and converted loft buildings.
West of Tenth Avenue, the level of development is lower scale and the uses
more commercial and industrial.
West 31st to West 33rd streets from Eighth Avenue to Eleventh Avenue is primarily
the open rail cuts that serve Pennsylvania Station. There are several large
buildings that have been developed above these cuts, including the 450 West
33rd/Daily News building on Tenth Avenue, the Farley Post Office Building,
and Madison Square Garden.
The area south of Pennsylvania Station is characterized by large loft structures
of twelve to sixteen stories interspersed with low rise buildings and parking
lots. Many of these buildings have been converted to commercial uses.
West 42nd Street to the west of Eighth Avenue is a mixture of high rise residential,
theaters and entertainment uses, and low scale commercial uses. West 42nd Street
has experienced a significant number of new, high-rise residential developments
over the past several years. There are still several parking lots and low-scale
buildings with entertainment, community facility, or industrial uses within this
portion of West 42nd Street.
High-rise
residential
development along
42nd Street |
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The Garment Center between Eighth and Ninth avenues is comprised of loft
buildings of twelve to sixteen stories interspersed with low-rise buildings
and parking lots. There is still garment related uses in these larger loft
buildings, however, commercial uses are becoming more common. There are a few
residential uses within the area.
Existing Zoning
TThere have been few zoning changes in the area since the adoption of the 1961
Zoning Resolution, which mapped manufacturing districts in much of the area.
The area - particularly west of Ninth Avenue - continues to remain zoned
predominantly for low- and medium-density manufacturing. Several small areas
have been rezoned to commercial districts, primarily along West 42nd Street,
Ninth Avenue, and across from the Javits Convention Center on Eleventh Avenue.
Currently, the majority of the lot area within the rezoning area is zoned
for manufacturing with the remaining area zoned commercially. The major manufacturing
designation is M1-5 with a floor area ratio (FAR) 5.0. Commercial designations
vary, with C6-2 and C6-4 districts with FARs of 6.0 and 10.0 respectively being
the most common.
The allowable FARs within the rezoning area are generally 5.0 and 6.0 FAR
with scattered areas of higher density. Areas of higher density include the
West 42nd Street corridor, the Special Jacob K. Javits Convention Center District
along Eleventh Avenue, and the superblock between Ninth and Tenth avenues and
West 31st and West 33rd streets.
There are four special zoning districts that are wholly or partially within
the area. The Special Jacob K. Javits Convention Center District was adopted
in 1986 to promote development across from the Javits Convention Center between
West 34th and West 39th streets. A portion of the Special Garment Center District
is located between Eighth and Ninth avenues from West 35th to West 40th streets.
The district includes preservation requirements for garment-related manufacturing
uses in the midblocks. The other two special districts, the Special Clinton
District and the Special Midtown District, are located at the periphery of
the rezoning area.
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