NYC’s Kathy Hochul is silent on $306 billion Pennsylvania Station redevelopment plan in Statement

Gov. Kathy Hochul has left her $306 billion redevelopment proposal for the Pennsylvania Station area out of her appeal to the state, emboldening critics who want a less costly and less disruptive way to build the new station.

Penn’s scheme also did not appear on the governor’s 267-page “Achieving the New York Dream” agenda, which included “147 Bold Initiatives,” which was released with the speech.

The Dream List included many transportation and MTA-related projects, such as the Metro-North Penn Station Access project to build new stations in the Bronx. Since the whole point of the so-called “Empire Station Complex” is ostensibly to create a better Penn Station, its absence from Hohul’s agenda was curious.

Lawyer Chuck Weinstock, who represents local groups and other organizations opposed to the proposal, joked: “She might be the only person in the state who doesn’t talk about it. Maybe she’s starting to realize that no one needs this thing.

Hochul spokesperson Justine Henry did not explain why she did not mention the project in her speech or in the Dream report. He said, “The renovation of Pennsylvania Station has been a priority for the Hole administration, as reflected in the tough renovation schedule and the ongoing, steady progress on this project since Governor Hochul took office.”

The plan, which she inherited from her predecessor Andrew Cuomo, called for the demolition of several blocks of allegedly “dilapidated” property in the Penn Station/Madison Square Garden area, including occupied apartment buildings and historic churches, to make way for eight giant office towers. , most of which will be demolished. built by Vornado Realty Trust.

But his outlook has been dimmed after Vornado chairman and Pennsylvania developer Steven Roth recently remarked that now is not the right time for greenfield development.

The last black eye was Crain’s report that Empire State Development approved it without even looking at the cost and revenue estimates of Ernst & Young, who ESD hired to tally the numbers.

Weinstock called the state’s admission that it ignored the data “terrible.”

Meanwhile, a trio of distinguished architects will present alternative plans on January 26 at Cooper Union. These are PAU CEO Vishaan Chakrabarti, independent architect Alexandros Washburn and head of Atelier and Co. Richard Cameron.

Washburn’s proposal was first published in The Post in December.

On a lighter note, another Crane story about a project-related court case unearthed emails between ESD, Vornado, and their PR people at two different PR firms about how to tone down The Post’s “negative” coverage.

“We think we have [Steve Cuozzo] positioned” to report one story I was working on as simply “laying the front line,” an unknown person from PR firm Berlin Rosen gloated over Vornado suits and former ESD employee Holly Leucht in August 2021.

My position since then: I have described the Hohul plan as “useless”, “terrible”, “corrupt”, “fraudulent” and “nightmare”.