Progress Report
Square deal: Tech Hub, hospital, new shops
BY JENNIFER FALK
Union Square-14th St. is a destination
like none other in New
York City or anywhere in the
world. Here the city’s most vibrant and
historic site of activism and protest sits
shoulder to shoulder alongside one of
its most peaceful public refuges. The
Union Square Partnership (USP) is
proud to serve as the organization that
advocates for, beautifi es and catalyzes
change in ways that make this great
neighborhood a true success story.
Here in Union Square, signifi cant development
projects are well underway
that together represent investments valued
at more than $450 million. These
projects will bring hundreds of jobs,
leading-edge tech, expanded healthcare
services, and distinctive mixed-use commercial
and residential developments to
our ever-evolving community.
With all this activity, USP always sets
our sights on the district’s future. We’re
working with community stakeholders
and design experts to examine ways to
meet the area’s evolving needs in the
short term, while making smart capital
investments to positively transform our
community for decades to come.
To map out a plan, we have engaged
Marvel Architects — a noted architecture
and design fi rm based in New
York and San Juan, Puerto Rico — and
immersed ourselves in a unique visioning
process. This initiative has included
unprecedented engagement with 1,000
Union Square residents, businesspeople,
local politicians, visitors and others at
more than a dozen outreach events and
two large-scale community forums.
Community members shared their
desire for more outdoor seating, additional
healthy eateries, and new amenities
that would activate underutilized
spaces throughout the district. Stay
tuned for news about the results of
this effort later this year, when we will
present a fi nal report that spells out the
community’s core vision for the future
— and the steps we’ll need to take to
realize it.
Very much in the present, one of the
district’s most anticipated projects is a
world-class tech-training center at 124
E. 14th St., at Irving Place. This exciting
new asset is well on its way to being
realized, with demolition of the former
on-site building almost complete. The
new 22-story structure will house a
large-scale digital training facility run
by the nonprofi t Civic Hall. It will offer
a full slate of community events and
workshops, and lease fl exible-term offi
ce space designed to meet the changing
needs of early-stage tech startups.
With the vigorous backing of City Hall,
Jennifer Falk, executive director of the Union Square Partnership.
this $250-million, public-private project
promises to add 600 good-paying jobs
to New York’s innovation economy.
Union Square Park, the beating heart
at the center of our district, is all about
bringing people together. We’re particularly
excited about work focused on sustainability
this past year. We conducted
our fi rst-ever waste-characterization
study in partnership with Columbia
University’s Earth Institute and Sustainability
Management program. USP
also hosted our inaugural “Getting to
Zero Waste” forum to help local small
businesses and organizations reduce
waste and improve recycling. We also
issued a “Zero Waste Resource Guide”
for businesses — and we recruited
fi ve area businesses to undergo waste
audits. We’ll be presenting the results
of those audits at our follow-up event,
called “Waste Warrior Training,” later
this year.
Union Square Park has been abuzz
over the past year with more than 200
high-profi le community events — a
record-setting number — that together
drew many thousands of participants.
This spring, our “It’s My Park! Day”
celebration on Sat., June 1, kicked off
our summer programming and highlighted
ways to reduce waste, eat local,
appreciate nature and live sustainably.
“Citi Summer in the Square” — which
began June 13 and runs through Aug. 8
COURTESY UNION SQUARE PARTNERSHIP
— includes more than 135 free events
with 30 community partners, including
heart-pumping cardio classes from
some of the neighborhood’s hottest instructors,
and tai chi led by instructors
from the 14th Street Y, to lunchtime
jazz and dance performances. We hope
you’ll join us on Aug. 8 for summer’s
grand fi nale — a spectacular movie
night on the North Plaza, and then on
Thurs., Sept. 19, for our fall fundraiser,
Harvest in the Square, which funds our
beautifi cation work and community
programming throughout the year.
One of USP’s many functions is to
drive foot traffi c and interest to the
area by creating and highlighting Union
Square’s unique attributes and sense of
place.
This work pays off in many critical
ways, including showcasing the area’s
thriving retail scene — a fl ourishing
sector boasting a 6.5 percent storefront
vacancy rate as of the beginning of the
third quarter of 2019, one of the city’s
lowest. Our incredible transportation
options, the tireless work of our Clean
Team, the unmatched amenity of the
park, and the sheer number of visitors
— nearly 344,000 a day on a busy summer
Friday — all helped attract more
than 40 new businesses last year.
Among the newcomers are several
chocolate and treats purveyors providing
yet another reason to visit our
area. They include Blue Stripes Cacao
Shop, Venchi and the Nutella Cafe, the
brand’s fi rst stand-alone restaurant in
New York City. Milk Bar, the nostalgic
dessert chain, opened inside CAMP, a
new experiential store with a summer
camp theme that offers many free and
paid family-friendly activities. CAMP
is one of several new concepts that are
thinking about the retail experience in
fresh new ways — and infusing life back
into previously vacant spaces. Another
great example is the tech startup Spacious,
a co-working company that took
occupancy at 34 Union Square East,
while brokers continue to market the
space for sale.
Our area is also a place where more
and more New Yorkers want to live.
Two large-scale residential and retail
projects that will together bring close to
100 more residences to the district are
transforming the intersection of 14th
St. and Sixth Ave.
At the northeast corner, DNA Development
and Landsea are leading a
63,400-square-foot project slated to
include 50 residential units, along with
retail space. Directly across the street at
101 W. 14th St., developer Gemini Rosemont
has started work on a 13-fl oor,
45-unit condo project, with plans to include
21 duplexes. Featuring a facade of
glass boxes, the mixed-use project was
designed by ODA New York.
Amid all this activity, on the district’s
east side, our healthcare hub is growing.
On Second Ave. at 14th St., adjacent to
the New York Eye and Ear Infi rmary,
Mount Sinai Downtown is set to build a
70-bed mini-hospital that will feature a
state-of-the-art emergency room.
Working strategically — and often
in tandem — with a long list of neighborhood
partners, the USP team raised
more than $1.5 million in 2018. This
funding, along with our assessment of
$2.6 million, supports our “clean and
safe” programs, as well as our beautifi -
cation and capital work.
It’s our honor and pleasure to serve
this vibrant, dynamic community. With
its amazing history, location, character
and amenities, Union Square is one of
New York’s most sought-after neighborhoods.
We want you to be a part of this remarkable
district’s continued success
and growth. Please reach out to us at
any time via e-mail or through our social
media channels @UnionSquareNY.
The USP team and I Iook forward to
welcoming you to the Square.
Falk is executive director, Union
Square Partnership.
Schneps Media TVG August 22, 2019 17