It appears only one entity can stifle property values along the High Line. The city is moving to gain permanent control of a site directly underneath the elevated park to make room for an Emergency Medical Services station, DNAinfo reported, and nearby residents are not likely to be pleased.
The fumes emitted by ambulances idling on the site, at 512 West 23rd Street, have already caused outrage among residents of at least four new luxury residential buildings on the block that earlier this year waged war against the city and the Fire Department’s attempt to extend their month-to-month lease on the property to a longer-term one.
But city officials plan to appeal to the City Council for funding Monday to acquire the site for ambulance station use. The FDNY has said that the station, known as EMS Station 7, is critical to the neighborhood since the closure of St. Vincent’s Hospital. If not for this station ambulance crews would have to travel all the way to Bellevue Hospital to clean up and re-supply.
It’s not clear who the landlord is, or how much it would cost to buy the property. [DNAinfo] — Adam Fusfeld