Does Herald Square need another building? Or thousands more workers scurrying about?
The answer might be yes.
A development strategy currently being considered could see both added to already congested Herald Square, a section of town that sees an estimate 92 million people each year riding on a trio of subway routes.
Now Macy’s, the epicenter of Herald Square for more than a century, wants to test the area’s limits. It plans to build an 800-foot-tall office tower atop the iconic store, part of what could be the beginning of a building spree in the district,” according to a recent piece in the New York Times. “The city is experiencing one of the greatest growth periods in its history, with a booming economy, soaring tourism and a population near a record high.
“But in an era of prosperity, cracks have emerged,” the Times report continued. “The forces of development pushing across many neighborhoods, like Herald Square, are taxing New York’s transportation infrastructure, from its strangled streets to its strained public transit. A forest of office and residential towers has risen in Lower Manhattan and around Central Park in recent years, while new neighborhoods of high rises have sprouted in Downtown Brooklyn, the South Bronx and along the Queens waterfront.”
“Anything that is good for Macy’s staying healthy and in business is good for New York,” Dan Biederman, the president of the 34th Street Partnership, a business-improvement district in Herald Square, told the New York Times in an interview. The 34th Street Partnership is a not-for-profit, private management company organized as a business improvement district. The organization is funded by assessments on property within its boundaries, fees from Herald and Greeley Squares’ concessions, and revenue generated by events in the squares.
“If the infrastructure falls behind, you are going to solve your own problem because people will leave,” Nick Sifuentes, the executive director of the Tri-State Transportation Campaign, a transportation policy and advocacy group, told the Times.
“The success of 34th Street’s exciting amenities and programs is linked to 34th Street Partnership’s ability to partner with leading brands and corporations,” says the civic group on its web site. Talking to the business community, it continues, “With millions of annual visitors, outstanding demographics and an unsurpassed ability to use the neighborhood’s assets to leverage and express a partner’s message, we are ready to work with your company to bring your offering to our patrons. Past partners include Target, H&M, Samsung, Macy’s, Mini Cooper, Ben & Jerry’s, Cracker Jack, Sports Illustrated, MasterCard, and many more.”
By: Jonas Flegmann
