FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

January 18, 2022

CONTACT:

Kaye Dyja

212-818-0580

kdyja@council.nyc.gov

New York City Council Member Keith Powers Announces Latest Development in the

Plan to Redesign Park Avenue Malls 

The Park Avenue redesign will fundamentally transform East Midtown by creating a new, world class, active open space 

New York, NY — Today, as Chair of the East Midtown Public Realm Improvement Fund Governing Group, New York City Council Member Keith Powers announced an agreement to move forward on redesigning the Park Avenue malls in Midtown Manhattan. As part of the plan, the city will issue a Request for Proposal (RFP) to hire a landscape architect to create a master plan for replacing the existing Park Avenue malls with new, world class, active open space. With funding made possible by the East Midtown Governing Group, Department of Transportation (DOT) will contract to a landscape architect to spearhead the public greenspace restoration through the design-build model. The proposed RFP will include concept development that allows for stakeholder outreach and input, as well as a preliminary landscape design, and is expected to be issued in Spring 2022.

“With this news, we’re taking a major step forward in creating more open, accessible public space for people and businesses in the bustling area of East Midtown,” said Council Member Keith Powers, Chair of the East Midtown Governing Group. “The pandemic has already accelerated a movement towards a more pedestrian-friendly experience across the city, and this project is a great example of how shifting priorities can help shape a more enjoyable streetscape.” 

“This investment in East Midtown comes at a pivotal moment for New York’s recovery,” said Council Member and former Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer. “Now is the perfect time to re-imagine this stretch of Park Avenue as there is an opportunity to create something truly unique in one of our most important central business districts as we upgrade our critical transportation infrastructure.”

Metro-North Railroad is moving forward with a rehabilitation project on the Grand Central Terminal Train Shed directly beneath Park Avenue. As a result of this work, the Park Avenue malls will be entirely reconstructed between 46th Street and 57th Street over a 20-year period. This provides an opportunity to replace the currently closed and inactive Park Avenue malls with larger, connected open medians designed to draw people to East Midtown, spur economic growth, and provide more comfortable, accessible open space in the area.

A study conducted by HR&A advisors determined that there is 80% less open space per office worker on Park Avenue compared with similar districts in New York City. Additionally, according to a recent survey conducted by the Partnership for New York City, only 28% of Manhattan office workers are in the office on an average weekday. As we look for new ways to fill vacant real estate and attract foot traffic back into New York’s central business districts, the redesign of Park Avenue provides an opportunity to bring businesses and pedestrians back to the area.

In 2018, Fisher Brothers sponsored an open design competition called Beyond the Centerlinechallenging the design community to generate creative ideas for transforming the Park Avenue malls. Following the competition, the Grand Central Partnership led an effort to bring together the business, design, and transportation communities to advocate for transforming Park Avenue. In 2020, NYCDOT launched a public engagement process to gather feedback from the local community regarding priorities for a new open space along Park Avenue. That process garnered more than 1,700 responses from the public.

“Park Avenue has been an iconic boulevard for the past century. The opportunity to restore its grandeur and greatly enhance the public realm in East Midtown comes once in a lifetime.” said Susan Chin, former Executive Director of the Design Trust for Public Space. “I look forward to seeing some innovative design proposals that respond to the needs of the public while meeting New York’s exceedingly high standard for urban creativity.”

“Residents of East Midtown have been looking for opportunities to increase public space options, accommodating density and complementing some of New York’s most iconic public parks like Madison Square and Bryant Park,” said Community Board 5 Chair Vikki Barbero. “Harnessing the original spirit of Park Avenue’s malls will enhance the ground level experience for community members and return the area back to its people-centric design.”

“Park Avenue’s existing malls represent underutilized space in one of the most densely concentrated neighborhoods in New York,” said Community Board 6 Chair Kyle Athayde. “A neighborhood that accommodates commuters from Grand Central Terminal and tourists from all around the world must have adequate public space for pedestrians. A Park Avenue redesign will dramatically improve the quality of life for residents of East Midtown as well as commuters and tourists.”

“This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to transform Park Avenue’s malls back into the pedestrian enclaves they once were,” said Alfred Cerullo, President/CEO of the Grand Central Partnership. “Even before the pandemic, East Midtown was starved of much needed open space. By committing to hire a world-class landscape architect, the city has seized this opportunity to invest in East Midtown’s future as we look to build a lasting economic recovery.”

“Since the inception of our ‘Beyond the Centerline’ design competition, Fisher Brothers has understood the power that transforming Park Avenue has to breathe new life into East Midtown and spur economic growth,” said Winston Fisher, Partner at Fisher Brothers. “Now more than ever, we need to prioritize investments in innovative open spaces that attract companies, workers, and tourism back into our central business districts to revitalize the office, retail, restaurant, and attractions ecosystem that makes Midtown thrive.”

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