FRIENDS OF THE HIGH LINE HIGH LINE AT THE RAIL YARDS COMMUNITY INPUT MEETING MARCH 12, 2012

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1 FRIENDS OF THE HIGH LINE HIGH LINE AT THE RAIL YARDS COMMUNITY INPUT MEETING MARCH 12, 2012 HIGH LINE AT THE RAIL YARDS: SUMMARY OF COMMENTS FRIENDS OF THE HIGH LINE 529 West 20th Street, Suite 8W New York, NY T (212) F (212)

2 SUMMARY OF COMMENTS AND RECOMMENDATIONS On Monday, March 12, more than 400 neighbors and supporters gathered at Public School 11 on West 21st Street to participate in the second community input meeting for the final section of the High Line at the West Side Rail Yards. Following introductions by Parks Commissioner Adrian Benepe and High Line Co-Founder Robert Hammond, James Corner and Ric Scofidio, of the High Line Design Team, presented the initial design concepts for the High Line at the rail yards. Participants were then invited to ask questions and give feedback to Friends of the High Line and the High Line Design Team. Below is a summary of participant comments, and the recurring themes and unique ideas that emerged from the evening s dialogue and in feedback provided via mail, , and social media before and after the meeting. Overall, participants were excited about the opportunity to be among the first to see and hear about the preliminary designs for the High Line at the rail yards, responding positively to the presentation. Many people expressed an appreciation that earlier comments, from the December community input meeting, had been incorporated into the designs. Bravo! Thank you for your extensive work and for including virtually all of our concerns and concepts and areas for kids, for congregating, planting, seating options, and all. REOCCURING THEMES AND RECOMMENDATIONS The interim pathway garnered praise for its authenticity and ability to give visitors access to the wild, self-seeded landscape on the High Line at the rail yards. Many people were interested in this becoming a permanent feature of this section. Love this section authentic with interim walkway. Bravo! Be prepared for New Yorkers to fall in love with the interim section. Looks great! Make it permanent. I wasn t sure about the interim walkway I felt it was a major cop-out to not design (landscape nor architecturally) the space. Yet, you sold me on focusing on the contextual views and the authenticity of the rails. Bravo! Can t wait to experience it. I love the interim walkway Great! The interim pathway is [the] most beautiful [design]. Can you create economic pressure to improve it after the development is developed?

3 Participants were split on the different designs for the 10 th Avenue Spur. Performance space had been a request at the December meeting, and some people were excited about the amphitheatre-style seating. I love the theatre in the round it combines the virtues of the other two final designs, plus additional foot space for other services yes! I like the amphitheatre. I m very much in favor of the theatre in the round. It works great at Juilliard! Theatre [in the] round would add a special element to the High Line experience. Others preferred the flexible design for the Spur, which would feature no permanent seating, but rather a transformable plane that could accommodate multiple uses. I support the idea of the 10 th Avenue [Spur] being a more flexible space that can transform into a performance space, plaza area, etc. I prefer the floating plane. The floating platform is a nice design for the Spur because it doesn t overpower the High Line. I vote for the Spur floating plane. Some participants echoed earlier suggestions from the December meeting, asking for a train on the High Line. They should put a locomotive and box car on the 10th Avenue Spur. Use a hollow engine or box car rather than the real thing. Why not toys with train theme small trains to play in, mini-station house, etc. Park one train carriage as kiosk/concession. Are there any original railroad freight cars you could display to show the original High Line? Play areas for children were a major request at the initial community input meeting. Some people were excited to see the designs addressing play spaces for children, including a peel-up seesaw, children s play feature, and new water feature. Love the playful element of the seesaw! Please do keep the tactile water feature. I love the proposals for Section 3, especially the children s play area. Crowding was still a concern, especially on the interim walkway. (See Q&A section for Friends of the High Line s response.) Is the interim walkway wide enough? It looks very narrow. Section 3 is so wide why not a 12 foot-wide walkway? On the interim walkway, is it going to be crowded?

4 In Section 2 it gets narrow. There can be a line of people walking. It can be very uncomfortable and crowded. Will this be addressed in the third section? Some people mentioned ramps as being a possibility to improve accessibility for wheelchairs and strollers, and minimize crowding at elevators. (See Q&A section for Friends of the High Line s response.) Ramps, in addition to elevators may decrease stress on elevators, decrease crowding on waiting for [the] elevator. This [could take the form of] a gradual inclining ramp for wheelchairs and strollers and pedestrians. I am concerned about changing levels some sort of ramping will be needed so that wheelchair visitors and parents pushing strollers will not be compromised. While the new design features were applauded, some people hoped to see some favorite features of the first two sections of the High Line also instituted at the rail yards. Would love more of those fabulous wooden lounge chairs (currently on Sundeck) instead of so many skinny benches. Would love another grassy area as in [Section] 2. The rolling seating is a wonderful idea. I hope the design team can maintain the idea of not over-building on the High Line. Love the idea of the water wall/fall. Please continue to use wood that is truly sustainable. People were interested in seeing visual ties to the site s railway past and present. Hudson Yards: As it is now, it is an exciting place to watch real trains enter and leave the city. Is there some way to establish an underground viewing area where one could still view the trains? Along the interim walkway, put about ten plaques on stands depicting the New York Central System on the High Line and history. Recall some of the particular history of these rail yards in designing. For example, since these yards were a prime source of fuel for the city s street transportation, namely hay could you show that somehow on the line piles of hay? Unique ideas and critiques: Perhaps tickets could be sold for special events such as the 4 th of July to generate funds for the High Line. The High Line was closed on the 4 th in It could be an amazing venue for viewing the fireworks. In response to the query about the [electrical] outlets how about solar charging stations?

5 Please stay open later, even in the winter. It is beautiful after dark and people need a place to walk at night in the winter months! The playground design needs to be rethought. Not a good design for safety and parents. Floating plane seems to be more of the same. Perhaps subsequent multiple meetings could be available on or below the High Line itself, so [the] public isn t limited to the confines of an auditorium. I would like to see pets allowed to enjoy the High Line with their owners. It would be great if someone created interactive panoramas that could be viewed on cell phones (before construction). Bring back Florent and its world class French cuisine. I see the restaurant reborn as a French café. Regarding the Spur: The way that the line runs into the building at the end the Spur. It s a perfect place for a trompe l oeil evoking a mystery tunnel a trail entering a tunnel to who knows where. Build a runway and invite Fashion Week to this exciting new venue. High Line Academy children will learn about plants, trees, and grass. Thank you High Line! QUESTION AND ANSWER Could the interim pathway be permanent? In order to create permanent public access to the the High Line at the rail yards, we will need to do the same site remediation that was necessary in the first two sections of the park. This means that the soil ballast must be removed, a new concrete base laid, and the metalwork must be cleaned of any lead paint. The simplicity of the interim walkway may influence the final design for that space, however the walkway itself cannot be permanent. Will the High Line at the rail yards be wheelchair accessible? Yes, the final section of the High Line will be wheelchair accessible just like the first two sections are. How can ramps be included in the design to create stroller and wheelchair-friendly ways of accessing the High Line at the rail yards? The interim walkway on the Eastern Rail Yards slowly declines to street-level at West 34 th Street, providing an excellent ramp for wheelchair and stroller access to the third and final section of the High Line. Adding additional ramps along the High Line can be challenging given the necessary length of a ramp needed to be ADA compliant. The interim pathway is an elegant solution for accessibility for all of the High Line s visitors, and will allow for an enjoyable stroll up to the full height of the High Line. How will potential crowding be addressed in the design of the High Line at the rail yards?

6 As we work with the design team to refine the concepts for the rail yards, we will aim to create a delicate balance between pathways and plantings. Many people have expressed their preference for the new section of the High Line, between West 20th and West 30th Streets, because of its higher ratio of plantings to pathway. At the same time, we appreciate concerns of congestion at narrow points along the park s pathway. Along the Western Rail Yards, the interim pathway will feature wider points, where visitors can stop to sit, relax, or take photos. In the Eastern Rail Yards, there will be ample seating and, in some areas, parallel paths that separate foot traffic. When will construction begin? The timeline for construction is subject to fundraising and the timing of capital funding required by zoning. Friends of the High Line and the City of New York are working to open the High Line at the rail yards as quickly as possible, with a goal of substantially completing capital construction by the end of 2013, with a full public opening in The High Line at the rail yards wraps around an incredibly complex development site, and construction of portions of the park must be closely coordinated with construction at Hudson Yards. Specifically, construction of the 10th Avenue Spur will need to be closely coordinated with construction of the adjacent tower at the corner of West 30th Street and 10th Avenue. The 10th Avenue Spur will open to the public 12 to 18 months after the opening of the rest of the rail yards section of the High Line. How much will it cost to develop the High Line at the rail yards? The estimated total cost of capital construction of the High Line at the rail yards is $90 million. The City of New York has launched the public review process for a zoning text amendment that would set a framework for critical funding from the Related Companies for the portion of the High Line on the Eastern Rail Yards. The funding would cover approximately 30% of the estimated total cost of building the High Line s final section, and would pave the way for construction to begin later this year. How will the design and the construction of the High Line at the rail yards be funded? Friends of the High Line is actively raising funds for the Campaign for the High Line, which supports the capital construction of the rail yards, as well as other capital projects, and the endowment for the park s future maintenance and operations. Last summer, The Tiffany & Co. Foundation generously made a $5 million challenge grant to the Campaign, and two long-time supporters of the High Line, Donald Pels and Wendy Keys, stepped forward with a $5 million grant of their own. Then in the fall, the Diller von Furstenberg Family Foundation made a $20 million pledge the largest pledge to a public park in New York City s history. To date, Friends of the High Line has raised $38 million toward this phase of the Campaign for the High Line.