City Celebrates New Plazas and More Than 28,000 Square Feet of New Pedestrian Space in the Meatpacking District

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City Celebrates New Plazas and More Than 28,000 Square Feet of New Pedestrian Space in the Meatpacking District

More than a quarter million cobblestones placed

DDC: Ian Michaels, 718-391-1589, michaelia@ddc.nyc.gov
DOT: Alana Morales, 212-839-4850, amorales4@dot.nyc.gov

(New York, NY – August 6, 2019) The NYC Department of Transportation (DOT) and NYC Department of Design and Construction (DDC) joined with the Meatpacking Business Improvement District and other local officials today to celebrate the transformation of the Meatpacking District through the creation of new pedestrian areas that have claimed an area equal to almost two-thirds of an acre for people instead of motor vehicles.

The new Gansevoort Street Plaza with new cobblestones, wider sidewalks and granite blocks to protect pedestrians from vehicles

The $28 million project has created the new Gansevoort Street Plaza on Gansevoort Street east of Ninth Avenue, plus two smaller plaza areas on Ninth Avenue on either side of 14th Street. Sidewalks on Ninth Avenue from Gansevoort Street up to 14th Street were also widened. Together, the new areas comprise 28,454 square feet of new pedestrian space. The new areas plus several of the local streets have been finished with more than 255,000 cobblestones, many of them historic stones that were preserved, restored and then placed back in the street during construction. DDC managed the project for DOT.

“Gansevoort Plaza has evolved almost as much as the dynamic Meatpacking District over the past decade,” said NYC Department of Transportation Manhattan Borough Commissioner Ed Pincar. “DOT could not be more excited about the stunning outcome of this historic reconstruction project which merges the past with the future and has the strength of the Meatpacking BID behind it, delivering quality maintenance and programming for the neighborhood and its visitors.”

“Prioritizing people over vehicles is in keeping with Mayor de Blasio’s vision for a safer and more equitable New York City,” said NYC Department of Design and Construction Commissioner Lorraine Grillo. “The City’s design and construction teams also went to great lengths to help preserve the historic nature of the neighborhood, re-using old cobblestones and granite slabs where possible, and bringing in new granite that matches the old stone in color and character.”

New planters on wider sidewalks along Ninth Avenue in the Meatpacking District

“This project marks another moment of transformation for the Meatpacking District,” said Jeffrey LeFrancois, Executive Director of the Meatpacking BID. “After an intense seven years of planning and advocacy, we are thrilled to return the neighborhood to the people who live, work, and gather here. While it’s been a lengthy, and often disruptive, project we are grateful to our businesses and residents for bearing with us as we worked with city agencies throughout to complete the project. The Meatpacking District is an economic engine for the City with world class businesses, top shelf hospitality, and flourishing art, fashion, tech and design houses - we are elated to deliver public assets that reflect this. The Meatpacking District has arrived, again, and we’re just getting started.”

In addition to the new plaza areas and expanded sidewalks, the project also preserved historic manhole covers in the area and provided new street lighting and traffic signals. New granite pedestrian ramps were installed, as were granite slabs in crosswalks and bike paths. More than 1,200-square-foot of fixed planters were placed in the area along with 40 10-foot x 5-foot moveable planters. Overall, more than 4,000 perennials and shrubs were planted along with 30 trees.

Included in the project is street furniture for use in the plaza areas, including 240 chairs, 60 tables and 60 umbrellas. Old water mains were replaced, and the project continues to install new water mains and other infrastructure in areas around Ninth Avenue and north of 14th Street.

Utility lines that are close to the surface significantly impact project work along 9th Avenue in the Gansevoort area. Click here to learn more about the project work and how DDC is working to resolve these issues.

About the NYC Department of Design and Construction
The Department of Design and Construction is the City’s primary capital construction project manager. In supporting Mayor de Blasio’s long-term vision of growth, sustainability, resiliency, equity and healthy living, DDC provides communities with new or renovated public buildings such as such as firehouses, libraries, police precincts, and new or upgraded roads, sewers and water mains in all five boroughs. To manage this $14 billion portfolio, DDC partners with other City agencies, architects and consultants, whose experience bring efficient, innovative and environmentally-conscious design and construction strategies to City projects. For more information, please visit nyc.gov/ddc.