MANHATTAN — A lot of activity goes on around Penn Station — and it’s not only commuters.
It is one of the city’s business centers, and construction is happening in and around the transit hub.
More projects are planned, including a major one by the state of New York.
But some neighbors say it’s going to erase pieces of New York City history.
Neighbors and preservationists fear demolition of buildings and a skybridge along West 32nd Street between Sixth and Seventh avenues. They held a rally on Tuesday after meeting at the new train hall.
Touring the area, a coalition of neighborhood groups, city planners, and preservationists continue their protest.
Sam Turvey is head of ReThinkNYC and a co-coordinator of the Empire Station Coalition.
“What we are advocating for is a transit plan that expands the region’s core, so there is not pressure on real estate that you have no choice to destroy everything in its sights,” he said.
In November, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced A new plan that is billed as a scaled-down version of what had been proposed by former Gov. Andrew Cuomo.
It trims 1.4 million square feet from new development plans, decreases new building heights, doubles areas for passenger circulation, adds 8 acres of public space and requires at least one residential building and 540 permanently affordable units.
Officials have said a task force of stakeholders and community members will continue to help shape the project.
The protestors want concerned citizens to contact their elected leaders as the plans progress.
