NEW YORK CITY-Tutor Perini Corp., a California-based contractor, has been tapped by the Related Cos. and Oxford Properties Group as the contractor for the Hudson Yards development.

Along with the recent JV restaurateur Danny Meyer’s Union Square Events formed with Related, momentum seems to be pointing to the project getting off of the ground this year as scheduled.

Construction is set to start later this year on Coach, Inc.’s tower at the site. The retailer announced this past fall it will open its global headquarters at the sprawling 26-acre mixed use site.

Jay Cross, president of Related Oxford Hudson Yards, tells GlobeSt.com that the choice of Tutor Perini Corp. reflected factors beyond competitive pricing. “It was a combination of price, competition and more importantly construction means and methods and new technologies,” Cross wrote in an email. “They have an impressive track record building large scale complex projects and bring tremendous in-house resources to the table and that made them a perfect fit for the Hudson Yards.”

Related had also some familiarity with the firm, having worked on the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, a luxury resort casino and hotel, with Tutor Perini Corp. Together, they were able to bring the 6.5-million-square-foot mixed-use development “in on time and budget,” Cross says.

Cross adds that the Hudson Yards project is moving full steam ahead to start construction later this year and deliver its first building in 2015. Additional leases are also in the works.

“We are in advanced discussions with numerous additional large scale tenants,” he says. “The partnership with Danny Meyer and Union Square Events will add even further excitement and vitality to the Hudson Yards as we work together to create private dining spaces for tenants, signature events and new eateries and open-air cafes.”

Tutor Perini chairman and CEO Ronald N. Tutor said in a prepared statement that the company is “thrilled to be playing a role in the historic Hudson Yards development and partnering with Related Cos. and Oxford Properties.” He added that the firm’s “experience and expertise in significant mixed-use developments makes us an ideal fit for the creation of New York’s next great neighborhood.”

When asked about the implications of hiring a California-based firm for such a high-profile New York development, Cross points out that Tutor Perini Corp. has a long history of building in New York, having worked on the World Trade Center, the Airtrain and JFK Airport. “Tutor Perini is a national contractor with offices across the country,” he says. “They also own WDF Inc. and Five Star Electric Corp., New York-based subcontractors.”