MTA Approves NYSCC Plan

NEW YORK CITY-After listening to dozens of speakers, the MTA today approved the New York Jets bid for the rights to the West Side Rail Yards with proponents of the plan yelling “touchdown” after the vote. The plan still needs a number of other agency approvals and others in the running expressed the possibility of taking legal action in the matter.

After negotiating with the Jets for more than a year, the MTA opened the bidding process and had three contenders for the rail yard rights–the Jets, Cablevision and TransGas Energy. The Jets $720-million bid was actually the lowest in dollar amount. Cablevision’s $760-million plan included adding nearly 6,000 new residential units for low- to moderate-income New Yorkers, a public school, library and a 750-room hotel.