News

NEW YORK, NY March 26, 2008 —The Metropolitan Transportation Authority has awarded the development rights of its Hudson Rail yards to Tishman Speyer. Tishman's winning bid brings to an end the tussle over the future of the rail yards, one that began when Mayor Michael Bloomberg proposed using some of that land on the Far West Side to build a football stadium. WNYC's Matthew Schuerman reports.

Tishman Speyer, which owns Rockefeller Center, is planning to build another one over the rail yards, with enough space for 32,000 workers and 6,000 residents. The rectangular buildings, some as high as 1,000 feet, will be arrayed along the northern and southern edges.

The open space, all 12 acres of it, will be laid out in a strip down the center. In an allusion to Rome, the developers are calling the central plaza "The Forum," and a series of steps that leads up to it, "The New York Steps."

The MTA said it chose Tishman Speyer because the company offered more than the other three bidders, just over $1 billion for a 99-year-lease. The full deal, however, won't close until 2010. As for the actual building, that could take another couple of decades. For WNYC, I'm Mathew Schuerman.

Tishman Speyer's website