BY SEAN EGAN | The future of Hell’s Kitchen, along with millions of commuters, is in a state of flux, as The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey continues ahead with its plan to build a new Port Authority Bus Terminal (PABT), even as residents and politicians speak out against the project and its process — which, they assert, lacks transparency and overlooks their input.
June 13’s Community Board 4 (CB4) Clinton/Hell’s Kitchen Land Use Committee (HKLU) meeting served as a prelude to the events of the following week, as they met to discuss requests for the PABT project.
The Authority’s actions had grown increasingly distressing to CB4, since the project came to light in late 2015. Most significantly, the Authority launched a design competition, and has already narrowed down the selection to five finalists. That did not sit well with the HKLU, who felt the community was being ignored — particularly worrisome, given the project’s potential use of eminent domain (a process by which the government takes control of privately owned land for public works projects), which threatens to displace residents and neighborhood institutions.
Thusly, after a spirited discussion where committee members expressed firm condemnation of the eminent domain scenario, the HKLU resolved to draft a letter stating as much (while addressing other issues) to the Authority. The letter is on the agenda of, and expected to be approved at CB4’s July 27 full board meeting.
Alan Green — longtime Hell’s Kitchen resident, deacon at Metro Baptist Church (410 W. 40th St., btw. Ninth & 10th Aves.), and Broadway actor (“School of Rock”) — was on hand at the meeting, speaking to how a land grab by the state could destroy his place of worship and residence.
“Hell’s Kitchen is a special part of the city and the thought of eminent domain scares all of us,” wrote Green in an email to Chelsea Now, echoing the sentiments of much of the community, and noting that he found the idea of expanding the PABT an “archaic” short-term solution, especially when the Lincoln Tunnel would not be able to handle increased traffic. “There are seven non profits, including my church Metro Baptist, in those few blocks that do incredible work. Where would they possibly go and have the same space and accessibility to those in the community who are most in need of help?”
On the morning of July 21, a group of electeds joined the community in placing pressure on the Authority, at a press conference calling for the immediate termination of the design competition.
Standing on the southwest corner opposite of 4 World Trade Center (where Authority offices are located), Congressmember Jerrold Nadler, Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer, State Senator Brad Hoylman, and State Assemblymembers Richard Gottfried and Linda Rosenthal lined up to deliver statements decrying the way in which the Authority has handled the project’s development thus far. A representative for City Councilmember Corey Johnson’s office was also present to deliver a statement, as was CB4 Chair Delores Rubin.
Nadler spoke first, citing a lack of community and neighborhood stakeholder engagement as a source of unease. “This is a non-starter,” Nadler declared. “Eminent domain must be off the table for this project.”
“The Port Authority has put the bus before the horse,” quipped Brewer, who highlighted the need to address quality of life concerns. Gottfried chided the Authority for encouraging plans that would require eminent domain, while allowing them to sell the land the current PABT sits on for a massive profit.
“Residents of Hell’s Kitchen should not be thrown under the bus terminal,” Hoylman said, criticizing the Authority’s lack of consideration of all its options, including the use of land in New Jersey for an additional terminal — a scenario that has been gaining traction with Manhattanites.
New Jerseyans, however, seem to roundly reject this idea. The title of a July 25 editorial from the Newark-based Star-Ledger — “New Yorkers, listen up: The Port Authority Bus Terminal belongs in Manhattan” — states the commonly held opinion succinctly.
Following the conference, the electeds headed to the Port Authority’s board meeting, armed with a jointly written letter addressed to Port Authority Chair John J. Degnan and Vice Chair Steven M. Cohen, outlining their issues in detail.
“It would be a grave disservice, not only to our constituents, but to all the people of New York and New Jersey, to proceed with the Competition for a new PABT before a thorough and public examination is conducted of all of the outstanding issues and all of the available alternatives regarding a new bus terminal,” reads the letter, which also calls on the Authority to respect current residential zoning regulations, examine how the PABT would function with other transportation hubs, and enact an environmental impact study.
No vote was made on the PABT project, as it was not on the board’s agenda that day.
Ruth Arcone, an 18-year Hell’s Kitchen resident who works at women’s homeless shelter the Dwelling Place (409 W. 40th St., btw. Ninth & Dyer Aves.), delivered remarks against the project at the meeting — fearing the loss of her job and a valuable neighborhood resource.
“The main people who are going to benefit are the commuters, and mainly from New Jersey, and it seems like they’re going to get most of the benefits and we’re going to bear the burden,” she commented to Chelsea Now after the meeting via phone. “[The Port Authority] don’t seem to be aware of the impact it would have, or they don’t care. And the other thing is it’s just not a reasonable, logical way to do things. It would be a very temporary solution. Things would be better for a while, and then it would be back to the same-old, same-old!”
In a post-board meeting press conference, Degnan maintained that the design and deliverability contest would not be called off as the electeds demanded.
“I don’t see a reason to defer a process which is simply an early step in what needs to be an inclusive process going forward,” he said. “It’s not designed to come up with a definitive concept that will be implemented exactly as represented.” He also assured that the Authority would be more “aggressive in initiating” a continued dialogue with electeds and the community.
However, Cohen also asserted that the Authority indeed plans on pursuing a new terminal in Manhattan as opposed to in Jersey.
“I’m confident that the concept that is ultimately approved by the board will minimize, if not eliminate, the concerns about taking private property having an adverse impact on the neighborhood,” Degnan asserted.
Responding in a July 26 statement, Hoylman wrote: “I’m deeply troubled by Port Authority Chairman Degnan’s stubborn refusal to hear out the legitimate concerns raised by the duly elected officials representing the west side of Manhattan. With so many fundamental questions left unanswered, we maintain it is premature to hold the design competition and believe the Port Authority should terminate the current competition and start a new process that examines a full range of options and elicits greater input from local stakeholders.”
“There’s no question that the Port Authority needs a better bus terminal, but this process cannot start from the top and trickle down to the community,” Johnson reiterated in another statement. “My colleagues in government and I are ready to work with the Port Authority, but we need to do it the right way. It’s time to make this a public process.”
