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The new Gansevoort Plaza in the Meatpacking District.
Meatpacking District
plazas are ‘well done’
BY GABE HERMAN
A ribbon cutting was held by the
Meatpacking Business Improvement
District on Aug. 6 to celebrate
the opening of new public plazas
after a seven-year construction project.
The initiative included 20,000 square
feet of plaza space, a new bike lane and
large fl ower beds and planters.
The project stretched from Gansevoort
St. and Ninth Ave. up to W.
16th St. It included the Chelsea Triangle,
at Ninth Ave. between W. 14th and
15th Sts.; the 14th St. Square, at Ninth
Ave. and the south side of W. 14th St.;
and the new Gansevoort Plaza, at Gansevoort
St. between Ninth Ave. and
Hudson St.
The new bike lane is on Ninth Ave.
between Gansevoort and 14th Sts.
Thirty trees were also added to the
area, along with 2,600 shrubs and perennials
in large planters. The work
also included infrastructure improvements,
such as repairing and replacing
water mains, catch basins, sidewalks
and streets.
The $20 million overall initiative was
managed by the Department of Transportation
and implemented by the Department
of Design and Construction.
Funding came from the city, state and
federal government.
The new plazas were constructed
through D.O.T.’s Plaza Program.
“As someone who owns a small business
along the plazas in the Meatpacking
District, the positive impact that
well-maintained public space brings to
the business community is invaluable,”
said Scott Kobrick, owner of Kobrick
Coffee, at 24 Ninth Ave., between W.
13th and 14th Sts. “We look forward to
working with the BID and our neighbors
to further enliven the gorgeous
new plazas that complement the aesthetic
of the neighborhood’s history
PHOTO BY IRI GRECO/BRAKETHROUGH MEDIA
while adding a sense of tranquility to
the bustling magic of the Meatpacking
District.”
Local politicians at the ribbon cutting
included Congressmember Jerrold
Nadler, Assemblymember Richard
Gottfried and Council Speaker Corey
Johnson.
“We know open space and welldesigned
streetscapes improve pedestrian
safety, beautify neighborhoods
and boost our economy,” Johnson said,
“and I am so excited to watch this area
become an even better place to live,
work and play as a result of these improvements.”
D.D.C. Commissioner Lorraine Grillo
also lauded the project’s emphasis on
pedestrians.
“Prioritizing people over vehicles is
in keeping with Mayor de Blasio’s vision
for a safer and more equitable New
York City,” Grillo said. “The city’s design
and construction teams also went
to great lengths to help preserve the
historic nature of the neighborhood,
reusing old cobblestones and granite
slabs where possible, and bringing in
new granite that matches the old stone
in color and character.”
The project included the laying of
more than 255,000 cobblestones, 980
square feet of granite slabs for accessible
crosswalks and 555 cubic yards of
concrete sidewalk.
Other recent construction in the
district included street restorations at
Little W. 12th, 13th and 14th Sts. from
Ninth Ave. to Washington St. This
summer, the Meatpacking BID plans to
add 11 trees and 21 planters to 14th St.
between Ninth and Tenth Aves. Even
more public space is being created near
the Meatpacking District, with projects
currently under construction at Piers
55 and 57, while a new park is being
planned at Gansevoort Peninsula.
8 August 22 - September 4, 2019 DEX Schneps Media
/ItsTimeNewYork.com