New York City officials have launched a call for designers to help restore a lost pedestrian zone on a stretch of Park Avenue just north of Grand Central Terminal.
The city Ministry of Transport Bids of up to $1.5 million were sought Tuesday to design a new linear park that would cut through a stretch of Park Avenue in the heart of Midtown. The plan calls for expanding the median of Park Avenue and filling it with bucolic elements, starting at East 46th Street and extending 11 blocks north past some of the city’s most iconic office towers.
The project will restore Park Avenue to its former glory before city planners In 1927, the median strip was scraped to add a new laneRestoring the median will create a new green strip – including a bike path – and make the area safer for pedestrians by separating them from traffic, the mayor said.
“High-quality public spaces are not a luxury, but a necessity,” said Mayor Eric Adams he said in a statement on Tuesday. “They are an integral part of our vision to revitalize commercial streets like Midtown and create a safer, more affordable and better city for all New Yorkers.”
The city has recently begun to rethink the fateful decision to give part of the Park Avenue median to cars, with the idea of bringing the “Park” back to Park Avenue in progress since 2019.
But the pandemic’s impact on central business districts pushed the issue to the top of the mayor’s agenda, along with a similar redesign is underway on Fifth Avenueas part of the Adams laid out the restructuring plan in 2022 to stimulate economic development and improve public spaces.
The Park Avenue corridor undergoing redevelopment includes several distressed office properties such as RXR‘S Helmsley Building — a candidate for possible conversion into residential space — and others that are almost fully leased, including LLhas recently been completed 425 Park Avenue. Some of the city’s tallest buildings are also located on the Strip, such as JPMorgan ChaseThe future 1,388 feet 270 Park Avenue and the 62-story office tower, which is 350 Park Avenue. RXR CEO and Chairman Scott Rechler was excited about the upcoming changes to the parkway that borders several RXR properties.
“The redevelopment of Park Avenue is a forward-thinking program that will benefit not only businesses large and small, but most importantly, the general public,” Rechler said in a statement.
In fact, the Helmsley building may not be the only office building in Midtown slated for redevelopment. Adams wants to rezone part of the neighborhood to make it easier – therefore, welcoming new residents is part of the Mayor’s mission in redeveloping Park Avenue.
“The investment in the redevelopment of Park Avenue and Fifth Avenue continues to demonstrate the progress of our commitment to improving the connectivity and atmosphere of the neighborhoods where we live, work and play,” Ya-Ting Liuwho was appointed by the mayor to the newly created position of Chief Public Realm Officer, said in a statement.
According to the mayor’s announcement, city officials will look for proposals that combine green space, park-like amenities and a bike path.
All this comes after the Municipal Transport Authority completes a major renovation of Grand Central Terminal’s underground platform, located in the same area, replacing the facility’s leaky roof and fixing other infrastructure issues.
The MTA recently began ripping up the road at the corner of East 47th Street and Park Avenue and expects to complete the project next year, according to City Hall.
The above-ground work will be financed with the proceeds from the East Midtown Public Realm Improvement Fund Management Groupan urban planning working group to deal with the transfer of development rights for several properties along the corridor, including 270 Park Avenue And 415 Madison Avenue.
Jamie Torres-SpringerMTA construction manager said in a statement that the two projects are “a great example of collaboration across levels of government that results in a more efficient process and a better outcome for the public.”
According to a spokesman for the city’s transport authority, officials sent the tender to “all eligible companies” and did not publish it publicly. The planning firms have four weeks to respond. Crain’s New York store reported.
You can reach Abigail Nehring at [email protected].
