Mayor Bloomberg Breaks Ground on 26-Acre Development at Hudson Yards

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• published: 04 Dec 2012
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Mayor Bloomberg and Speaker Quinn Join Related Companies and Oxford Properties Group to Break Ground on 26-Acre Development at Hudson Yards Historic Development will Transform New York City's Skyline, Create a Vibrant New Neighborhood and Be Home to Renowned Global Brands Development of Hudson Yards Will Create Nearly 23,000 Construction Jobs Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and City Council Speaker Christine Quinn today joined Related Companies Chairman Stephen M. Ross and OMERS Investment Committee Chair Bill Aziz to celebrate the start of construction at the Hudson Yards -- a 26-acre site that was the single largest piece of undeveloped property in Manhattan now set to become the centerpiece of the historic expansion of midtown Manhattan's central business district to the west side. Construction commenced today on the first tower, the 1.7 million-square-foot, 47-story South Tower -- at the northeast corner of 10th Avenue and 30th Street -- the future home of Coach Inc.'s world headquarters. The anticipated LEED Gold tower, designed by Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates, will be completed in 2015. The development of the Hudson Yards is expected to create nearly 23,000 construction jobs. Eventually more than 40,000 people will work in or call Hudson Yards their home. Mayor Bloomberg, Speaker Quinn and the development team were joined by Joseph J. Lhota, Chairman of the MTA; Borough President Scott Stringer; Deputy Mayor for Economic Development Robert K. Steel; Ann Weisbrod, President of the Hudson Yards Development Corporation; Lew Frankfort, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Coach Inc; Gary LaBarbera, President of the Building and Construction Trades Council of Greater New York; and union construction workers who will be working at the site. Attendees witnessed the drilling of the first caissons that will anchor the South Tower. Related and Oxford's development of the Hudson Yards is the largest private development to be realized in New York City since Rockefeller Center and will help make the Hudson Yards neighborhood a new center of commerce, culture and community. The 26-acre site will accommodate over 13 million square feet, including over 6 million square feet of commercial space. Building on the successful retail and restaurant programming Related developed in The Shops at Columbus Circle, Hudson Yards will be home to 750,000 square feet of destination retail space with 5 floors dedicated to premier shops, cinemas, specialty destination restaurants, markets and bars. Danny Meyer's Union Square Events is expected to program a number of the spaces at Hudson Yards featuring dynamic culinary and hospitality offerings such as private dining spaces for tenants, unique signature events, catered affairs and open-air cafés. Approximately 5,000 residences, a new public school, and luxury hotel will offer unparalleled amenities for its residents, employees and visitors. The integration of the celebrated High Line, with its final phase now underway, the new Hudson Park and Boulevard -- a sweeping 4-acre thoroughfare running north from West 33rd Street, and the public space to be created by Related and Oxford at Hudson Yards will create an incomparable network of parks and public plazas that weave throughout the west side. Plans are also underway to include a new non-profit cultural facility. Sited along the High Line at 30th Street, this unique facility is being designed by Diller Scofidio and Renfro and David Rockwell to welcome a range of activities spanning the worlds of art, design and performance. Culture Shed will be a significant addition to the burgeoning arts presence that includes the Pershing Square Signature Center to the north, the new Whitney Museum of American Art to the south, and numerous other cultural organizations as well as the Chelsea art gallery district. Hudson Yards is strategically located at the center of the region with unsurpassed connections to commuter rail, the subway system, the West Side Highway, Lincoln Tunnel and even ferries along the Hudson River. The extension of the No. 7 subway line to West 34th Street and 11th Avenue, scheduled to open in 2014, will bring the subway to the heart of the Hudson Yards neighborhood and only steps away from the commercial towers. Grand Central Terminal will be 6 minutes away by subway, and Penn Station, the nation's busiest train station, is a short walk away. Midtown Manhattan Tuesday, December 4th, 2012