To build the second half of Hudson Yards, the Related Companies has begun to deploy its arsenal. It has produced an impressive animation of its Hudson Yards casino project, is preparing to offer the West Side affordable housing and an array of community benefits, and can call in favors from any number of powerful people.
But it will not be enough to get Related and partner Wynn Resorts the new zoning, let alone the gaming license, that they need to build the $12 billion development.
Anyone unfamiliar with the city’s rezoning process would assume it would be a breeze for a giant, experienced, New York-based firm like Related. Imagine Aaron Judge hitting in a Little League ballpark.
But, for better or worse, the rezoning process, known by the acronym Ulurp, is a great equalizer. In the case of Hudson Yards, it confers upon City Council member Erik Bottcher all the power he needs to dictate terms to Related and Wynn — or send them packing.
A decision is not expected until mid-2025, but already Related has hit a major snag. It is at an impasse with the Friends of the High Line, the creator and curator of the elevated park that has become the defining amenity of the West Side.
After 10 fruitless meetings about how the proposed development of the western rail yards could be designed to preserve the High Line experience, the two sides began blasting each other in the press to weaken the other’s position.
Friends of the High Line unleashed former Andrew Cuomo attack dog Josh Vlasto and gathered an army of 2,000 community members to support its cause. Its latest salvo was a Daily News op-ed in which its co-founders reopened an old wound, reminding the world that Related had in years past called for tearing down two sections of the High Line and building a “view-blocking wall.”
Related responded with a 187-word statement that began, “The High Line is not remotely under threat by our proposal.” It said Related had made “substantial amendments” to address the Friends group’s concerns, and added, “Since that time, they have failed to communicate any substantive concerns and instead have launched a disinformation campaign.”
The statement went on to mock the Friends group for “hand-wringing” about preserving views of a rail yard.
Friends of the High Line executive director Alan van Capelle countered that vistas to the east would be blocked, including of the Chrysler Building and Empire State Building. Related’s video “looks great,” he said, “but you have to be 30 feet tall to get those views.”
“They’ve made tweaks and gestures but no significant changes,” he said. “I just don’t think they are particularly good listeners.”
The he-said, she-said could fill a book, but the bottom line is that Bottcher is likely to favor High Line fans and his constituents, most of whom don’t want a casino or anything too imposing next to the elevated park. Note how Brooklyn’s political establishment backed the Botanic Garden over union-built, mixed-income housing proposed in Crown Heights by Ian Bruce Eichner.
Related needs enough square footage and lucrative high floors to offset the cost of financing, union labor and a deck over the rail yard. Bottcher is outwardly pro-housing and will seek a compromise that maximizes affordable apartments while minimizing the impact on the High Line.
Ulurp deals are usually reached at the 11th hour, although this one is so complex that it will take months to hammer out. Bottcher figures to have a busy spring.
In the meantime, each side will try to amass leverage with political maneuvering and PR. The Friends group can’t match Related’s resources but it has a $20 million budget and tremendous cachet from the High Line’s annual visitorship of 7 million.
It’s also experienced: Van Capelle, for example, is a veteran of New York politics who spearheaded the successful campaign to legalize same-sex marriage. Like Related, it has friends in high places. And slapping it with a NIMBY label would be difficult because the group did not fight the development boom that was accelerated by the park’s opening.
Related is right about one thing: The world has changed in the past 15 years, so the idea that the 2009 rezoning is sacrosanct is absurd, regardless of how carefully it was crafted. The city’s never-ending evolution is the very reason a rezoning process exists.
This one will be a doozy.