Convention Corridor Plans Move Along

NEW YORK CITY-Negotiation efforts designed to bring a “Convention Corridor” to the West Side are ongoing, according to officials who spoke during a fall season luncheon sponsored by the New York Chapter of CoreNet Global. New York Jets president Jay Cross touted the proposed stadium for his team as an economic benefit to the city and state through increased tax revenue, while Robert Boyle, president and board chair of the Javits Center, said if the proposal doesn’t go through, “West Side development will still be an issue for our grandchildren.”

Cross said the Jets are negotiating with the MTA over the pricing for air rights and that the Jets organization has commissioned Cushman & Wakefield to appraise those rights. “If you want economic activity, economic activity brings people. The economics of football are extraordinary.”

The refurbishment of the Jacob Javits Convention Center and the proposed New York Sports and Convention Center will “dovetail” with each other, Cross said. The plan for the corridor is part of the larger 40-year initiative for the Hudson Yards area, which extends from West 28th Street on the south, Eighth Avenue on the east, West 42nd Street on the north and the Hudson River on the west. A key element of the plan call for the expansion of the No. 7 subway line. Cross said the area could not be valued until the infrastructure is in place, while Boyle said if the West Side plan does not go through, the number of riders on the No. 7 line will be “puny.”