Over the past year, there has been an immeasurable amount of information released publicly about the City and State plans to remake the Far West Side of Midtown Manhattan. Hundreds of newspaper stories, public forums, position papers, economic studies and paid advertisements have aimed to inform or persuade New Yorkers about these plans. While the public relations battle continues, the official public review process is underway and reaching a critical decision point. By the end of the fall, plans will have been officially reviewed by community boards, government agencies, elected officials and the public. Public hearings have already begun, and will continue through the fall.
At the heart of this review process is a document known as a Draft Environmental Impact Statement, or DEIS. The DEIS is a lengthy analysis (more than 4,000 pages) of the environmental impacts of the proposed plan on surrounding areas and the City as a whole. It defines environmental impacts very broadly, looking at everything from air quality and hazardous materials to traffic and neighborhood character. The document analyzes both immediate impacts and long-term effects, looking ahead to 2025.
The DEIS is designed to educate policy makers and the general public about the implications of the proposed plan. It is currently in draft form, but must be finalized at the end of the review process before construction may begin. While the draft and final versions will reveal negative impacts and propose mitigation measures, they are not binding documents. They are only used to guide policy makers as they finalize project plans and determine what measures will be taken to limit negative impacts. While government is required to attempt to limit negative impacts, it is not illegal for a project to have negative environmental impacts.
The goal of this Citizens Guide to the DEIS is to provide interested New Yorkers with a brief overview of some of the more significant findings in the DEIS. Each of the organizations contributing to this publication has strong opinions on aspects of the plan, and in several places we point out assumptions in the EIS that we find questionable. It is important to note, though, that the DEIS was prepared by supporters of the plan, and attempts to put the best face possible on the results.
The guide is not meant to be comprehensive. The DEIS describes many issues and details that cannot be summarized here. We hope that it will be a helpful introduction to the findings of the DEIS and a resource for public participation in the planning process this fall.
Overview: What’s Planned for the Far West Side
The Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) reviewed in this document analyzes the joint City/State plans for major redevelopment of the Far West Side of Midtown Manhattan. The plans include the following major actions:
Overhaul of the current zoning for an area that extends from West 28th Street on the south to Seventh and Eighth avenues on the east, West 43rd Street on the north, and the Hudson River on the west. The re-zoning would pave the way for a new mixed-use community featuring approximately 28 million square feet of office space, 12 million square feet of residential space, 1.5 million square feet of hotel space and 700,000 square feet of retail space. The zoning includes an open space network and a mid-block boulevard that requires some condemnation of property.
Extension of the #7 subway line west and south, with stations at Tenth Avenue and 41st Street, and Eleventh Avenue and 34th Street.
Expansion of the Jacob Javits Convention Center to add one million square feet of new exhibition space, as well as additional space for meeting rooms, banquet halls and a new 1,500 room hotel.
Construction of a new football stadium and convention facility, referred to as a Multi-Use Facility, with capacity for 75,000 seat stadium events and 180,000 square feet of exhibition space. This space could also be configured as meeting rooms or a 40,000 seat plenary hall.
Siting of infrastructure facilities, including garages for the Department of Sanitation and the NYPD tow pound.
Impacts
The Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) includes 28 chapters analyzing a wide range of impacts, both positive and negative, that the proposed plans will have on the Far West Side. Any plan of this magnitude will inevitably have a major effect on the economy as well as create significant environmental issues that need to be addressed. For the purpose of this guide, we focus on six key areas: traffic and transit, noise, waste, air quality and hazardous materials, socioeconomic conditions and alternative plans. While the guide (and the DEIS itself) concentrates on potential environmental problems that the actions could create, it is important to also weigh these in the context of the new services, jobs and tax revenues that could result from the plan.