Those darn gray boxes! They represent the portion of land left out of the 2005 rezoning of the Special Hudson Yards District—the western part of the rail yards that late yesterday led to the collapse of negotiations between Hudson Yards bid winner Tishman Speyer and land owner the MTA. A while back, the High Line Blog explained the rezoning, which is where we lifted the above image from (is that the Jets Stadium in there?!). But maybe the gray boxes are just an excuse. Maybe Tishman had buyer's remorse in light of the credit crunch and was just looking for a way out. Maybe, or maybe not. Charles Bagli reports in the Times that Jerry Speyer is flying from Milan to London today to meet with Mayor Bloomberg about the Hudson Yards. It was Speyer's son Rob who broke off the six-week-old talks with the MTA. Can the old men settle this over a hot cup of Earl Grey? The MTA probably hopes so. Writes Bagli, "But if the authority reopened negotiations with another bidder, it would almost certainly mean that it would get less money for the rights to the property, real estate executives said."
· Deal to Build at Railyards on West Side Collapses [NYT]
· Yardsmania: MTA Dumps Tishman Speyer, Chaos Ensues [Curbed]
Take one last look at the Hudson Yards proposal designed for Tishman Speyer by Helmut Jahn and Peter Walker, folks, because the thing ain't happening. Late this evening, the MTA announced that it had hit an "impassé" with bid winner Tishman over the West Side rail yards, and the result is that the development rights are now back in play. The deal was supposed to be that Tishman would close on the eastern half of the property now, and the western half when it was rezoned to allow for the massive residential and commercial plans, which could take a while. Tishman balked at closing on anything until the western portion of the yards got rezoned, and the result is this doomsday mess we now find ourselves in. Look, in a city where a damn train station can't even get built, is it surprising that a multi-billion-dollar build-out of a plot of land bigger than the World Trade Center would have massive complications? A Tishman Speyer spokesman told Reuters, "We still hope to be able to complete this deal and reach an agreement that satisfies the needs of everyone." We'll see about that, but oh my, does this mean that Murdochville is suddenly alive? Will any promised megaproject get built? The world seems like a cold, dark place right about now.
· MTA, Hudson Yards developer at an impasse [Reuters]
· $1B Deal To Develop West Side Rail Yard Collapses [AP via WCBS]
· All Curbed Hudson Yards coverage [Curbed]
"I always get excited when I see new 'superbuildings' proposed, and I'm always sad when they don't get built. I couldn't understand why the board unanimously rejected the MoMa's newest skyscraper idea, and the Times' architecture critic has always seemed to be some crank stuck in the Jane Jacobs era of urbanism...He's of course right when he says the best parts of the proposal will be chipped away a la Liebskind, and the remaining carcass will be a place few want to visit." [Yardsmania: From 'Grim Referendum' to 'Damning Indictment']
Now that the Durst Organization and Vornado Realty Trust are also-rans in the Hudson Yards sweepstakes (but hey, a silver medal ain't bad), the companies' proposed anchor tenant—magazine megapublisher Condé Nast—may be looking to switch sides. In today's Women's Wear Daily (a Condé title), Amy Wicks writes that the company "possibly has a shot at office space under Tishman Speyer's plan." Also, Morgan Stanley may be back on board, even though they dumped Tishman a little while back. Oh, so now that Tishman is the hot shit in town, you want to get back together, Morgan? Yeesh! Anyway, getting back to Condé Nast, a memo was sent out to employees by COO John Bellando that read:
Last October, I informed you of our intention to consider constructing a new office tower in connection with a proposal by The Durst Organization and Vornado Realty Group to develop the West Side Rail Yard - also known as the Hudson Yards.
Yesterday, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority selected a different bidder to develop this property. However, several other promising real estate development opportunities have been brought to our attention and we intend to continue to explore all of our options for a new office tower in the 2013 - 2016 timeframe.
When the details of the five bids for the Hudson Yards were released back in November, Times architecture oracle Nicolai Ouroussoff slammed the process as "a grim referendum on the state of large-scale planning in New York City," before anointing Extell's Steven Holl-designed proposal as the only one worth a lick. Now that Tishman Speyer has been selected by the MTA as the winning developer, it's not surprising that Ouroussoff is singing the same tune, though the lyrics are slightly different. Today, he writes that the Hudson Yards are "a damning indictment of large-scale development in New York," while still singing the praises of Extell's bid. Ouroussoff's take is that the Hudson Yards will be a depressing office park cut off from the rest of the city via a wall of skyscrapers that some people will have the misfortune of living in, and it's an opinion that most people would probably agree with. Meanwhile, in a Timesnews analysis, Charles Bagli writes that the final architecture will probably look nothing like the current plans anyway, and perhaps not even Tishman Speyer can navigate the minefield that will accompany this ten- to twenty-year build-out. Folks, this is going to be a fun next couple of decades. Join us, won't you?
· Profit and Public Good Clash in Grand Plans [NYT]
· For Railyards, the Hard Part Is Still Ahead [NYT]
· Yardsmania: OK, So Now What? [Curbed]
With Tishman Speyernow in the driver's seat at the Hudson Yards (proposal images above), let's take a closer look at the West Side's new overlords. Founded in 1978 by partners Robert Tishman and Jerry Speyer, Tishman Speyer has grown to become one of the largest real estate development/investment/management firms in the country, if not—dramatic pause—the world. Signature properties in Tishman Speyer's portfolio include the Chrysler Building, Rockefeller Center and Berlin's Sony Center.
In 2006, Tishman Speyer purchased the middle-class enclave of Stuyvesant Town/Peter Cooper Village in Manhattan for a record $5.4 billion, and the company has been busy gussying it up and shifting the apartments to pricey market-rate rentals. Soon after, the company set another record, selling the office building at 666 Fifth Avenue for $1.8 billion. Phew. OK, now that that's settled, let's focus on the future of the rail yards, twice the acreage of the World Trade Center and almost as complicated. The $1.004 billion deal with the MTA for the development rights may be settles, but there are many questions left to be answered.
With megalandlord Tishman Speyer nearly in possession of the West Side Rail Yards, the other bid still in consideration—the joint proposal made by the Durst Organization and Vornado Realty Trust—is getting a late push to remain in the Hudson Yards conversation (above, a refresher on the eco-friendly, slightly insane Durst/Vornado bid, designed by FXFowle and Pelli Clarke Pelli). Charles Bagli wades into the showdown in the Times today, and here's why the Durst/Vornado bid makes sense, according to some: 1) Durst/Vornado has an anchor tenant in place for office space, Condé Nast. Morgan Stanley dropped out of Tishman's bid. 2) The Durst/Vornado proposal includes twice as much housing (7,000 units), seen as a safer bet in these troubled times than Tishman's office-heavy plan. 3) Tishman Speyer came in dead last in our Hudson Yards poll. OK, the MTA probably isn't taking that one into consideration. So why are the powers-that-be leaning toward Tishman Speyer? Because of the company's "blue-chip aura and its access to capital from around the world," Bagli writes. Well, if those are the characteristics that matter, we should feel lucky the MTA didn't enlist Bear Stearns to help out with financing.
· At 11th Hour, Rivals Vie for Deal on West Side Railyards [NYT]
· West Side Yard [durstvornado.com]
· Yardsmania Update-o-rama: Tishman Must Get Sexy? [Curbed]
· CurbedWire Special: Tishman Speyer Taking Hudson Yards? [Curbed]
After weeks of closed-door wheeling and dealing, the Hudson Yards—soon to be the biggest development project in the city, if the whole thing doesn't completely fall apart—have exploded with activity. Here, a primer on the most recent headlines:
1) The Winner: The Timesreported it over the weekend, and the Sun echoes it today: the MTA is on the verge of announcing that Tishman Speyer is the winning bidder for the rail yards, with the joint Vornado/Durst bid still in play. The board will meet on Wednesday, perhaps to approve a deal. The MTA had initially set this week as the deadline, and even though there were rumors the decision would be delayed, it looks like the MTA may actually deliver on a promise. If you want to review Tishman's bid, here you go. [Sun]
Um, about that delay. Well, it looks like it was a very brief one. The Real Estate is reporting that the MTA may choose a winning bid for the Hudson Yards as soon as tonight, with the list being whittled down to Tishman Speyer's officepalooza and the joint Durst/Vornado High Line-destroying hippie lovefest. Yes, the early favorite—The Related Companies' News Corp.-loaded Rupert Murdoch playground, is doneski, at least per these anonymous sources. The problem is that Murdochville, oddly, doesn't have a firm commitment from News Corp., though that line of thought doesn't make much sense because Tishman recently lost Morgan Stanley as its anchor tenant, but that doesn't seem to be hampering the bid. Should a West Side Rail Yards selection be made, it would need to be finalized by the MTA board, perhaps at its Wednesday meeting. In the biggest sense of the word: DEVELOPING...
· Durst/Vornado and Tishman Speyer Lead as Decision Close on West Side Yards [TRE]
· The Other Big Rail Yards Thing is Also Kinda Screwed Up [Curbed]
· Full Curbed Hudson Yards Coverage [Curbed]
The good news for MTA chief Lee Sander is no matter what depressing news he reveals about the Hudson Yards today, it's going to get overshadowed by the mess in Brooklyn. So ... how's that bidding process going? You know, the one that's supposed to be wrapping up right about now, with a celebratory announcement naming the developer who will reshape the Far West Side into a vibrant residential and commercial meganeighborhood? Oh, that. Yeah, not so good, it turns out. The Sun's Peter Kiefer quotes Sander as saying a March decision "will be an aggressive time frame for us to meet." Who knows how long the decision will be delayed, but blame the changes in Albany, the changes in the credit-crunched market and the changes in the bid requirements for the troubles. Blame it all! But at least Bruce Ratner has nothing to do with it.
· MTA Chief Signals Delay on Hudson Yards Decision [Sun]
· Yardsmania Getting Cultured? [Curbed]
· Yardsmania: Morgan Stanley Dumps Tishman Speyer [Curbed]
Eliot Spitzer's dalliances will further delay the selection of a Hudson Yards developer, Crain's reports: "The Metropolitan Transportation Authority was supposed to select a developer for the Hudson Rail Yards, a 26-acre site that it owns on the far West side, by the end of the month. Real estate executives say it is highly unlikely that will happen until the new governor has had a chance to review the process and the four proposals from developers. It is unclear whether Lt. Gov. Paterson has been involved in the project at all." [Crain's]
Remember the glorious image above? Helmut Jahn and Peter Walker's vision of a "town square" surrounded by gleaming new skyscrapers, apartments and community facilities? It's the stuff dreams are made of, and in the end, a dream is precisely what it is. Charles Bagli reports in the Times today that Morgan Stanley, Tishman Speyer's anchor tenant in its bid for the development rights at the Hudson Yards, has dropped out of the plan over concerns that the company's new headquarters would not be built in time for a 2013 move-in. This comes on the heels of Brookfield Properties' departure from the Hudson Yards race, and the MTA's revised demands for the property. Tishman Speyer has not withdrawn its bid, but this could be a crushing blow. The latest series of events can be looked at in two ways: 1) The Hudson Yards are reeling due to the MTA's demands and the credit crunch, or 2) We're that much closer to Murdochville, baby! Wooooooooooo! MySpace! MySpace! MySpace!
· Morgan Stanley Retreating From Railyards Development [NYT]
· Late-Breaking CurbedWire: Brookfield Out at Hudson Yards [Curbed]
· Yardsmania Stunner: MTA Wants Bigger Piece of the Pie [Curbed]
YARDSMANIA—The MTA just sent out a statement regarding the revised bids for the West Side Rail Yards: "In January, the MTA asked each of the five development teams that submitted proposals for the Hudson Yards to submit revised proposals adhering to a deal structure preferred by the MTA. The deadline for responses was today. We received revised proposals from four teams, which we are reviewing. Brookfield Properties did not submit a revised proposal. The MTA continues to adhere to the existing schedule." This is not surprising, given Brookfield's new money-sucking mini-Hudson Yards just to the east. Relive the good ol' days by checking out Brookfield's bid. R.I.P. [CurbedWire Inbox]
In a day filled with West Side development news, the biggest piece of intel just hit the wire. Brookfield Properties, the massive commercial landlord and one of the companies bidding on the Hudson Yards, has announced it will develop the other West Side rail yards, right smack in between the Hudson Yards and Penn Station. Bloomberg reports that Brookfield will start constructing a platform over the rails in June, and three acres and 5.4 million square feet of fresh new office and mixed-use develop space will be created. The $600 million project has been dubbed Manhattan West, and the platform is expected to be completed in late 2010. The first tower could be finished by 2013. The site runs from 31st to 33rd Streets, and Ninth Avenue to the Lincoln Tunnel approach. Yardsmania!
· Brookfield Properties Reports Strong Performance and Growth in 2007 [Yahoo! Finance]
· Yardsmania #1: Brookfield Properties Goes Splittsville [Curbed]
With a decision on the Hudson Yards bids supposedly one month away, the MTA has chucked a curveball right at the groins of competing developers Extell, Related, Tishman Speyer, Vornado/Durst and Brookfield Properties. Over the weekend, Charles Bagli reported in the Times that the MTA has cold feet about selling the 26 acres of prime waterfront land currently serving as the West Side rail yards. Now, the MTA has two new requests: the winning developer gets a 99-year lease, and the MTA gets an "equity-type interest" in any project built on the land. Whoa now! It's like the cash-strapped MTA woke up one day and was like, "Oh crap, we forgot about the billions more we could be making off this one piece of land!" But how will the developers react to these new demands? As Bagli points out, the move comes right when commercial developers are growing uneasy about the market and the economy. One anonymous bidder told the Times, "I think these people don't realize what the financial climate is like." Another classic case of the unpredictable MTA doing its thing, or an awesome muscle move because—in the end—the winner will pay whatever it takes to get the deal done?
· New Bids Are Sought for Building on Railyards [NYT]
· Yardsmania Nonshocker: Underdogs Still Underdogs [Curbed]
· Yardsmania: Is Related's Murdochville Inevitable? [Curbed]
· Curbed Poll Reminder: The Hudson Yards Winner Is... [Curbed]
When the Hudson Yards bidding process kicked off, Extell and Brookfield were branded as the long shots. The two companies are the small fries compared to the other developers, and they are the only proposals without an anchor tenant already announced. Now, Crain's is reporting that three of the five builders have each bid $1 billion for the rail yards, giving them the inside track. Guess which two are left out in the cold again? Yep, Extell and Brookfield. But the MTA will most likely end up combining elements from several bids into a grand master plan, so who knows, maybe the Hudson Yards will end up having some of Gary Barnett's DNA in it. Ew.
· MTA eyes 3 for W. Side job: report [NYDN]
· Yardsmania: Huge Crowd Packs Cooper Union [Curbed]
· Curbed Poll Reminder: The Hudson Yards Winner Is... [Curbed]
It's official: the public can't get enough of the Hudson Yards! Either that, or they just love slideshows. Atlantic Yards Report's Norman Oder was at Cooper Union last night for the public presentation of the Yards proposals by the competing developers, and he says that the Great Hall was standing room only. Over one thousand people lined up to hear landscape architects talk? Yardsmania! Writes Oder, "Each of the design teams last night acknowledged that the buildings, and the architects behind them, might change, but the strength in each project starts with the designs—and they differ." Indeed they do. Oder then goes on to fulfill the AYR's raison d'être, comparing the Hudson Yards to the Atlantic Yards and thoughtfully deconstructing everything Ratner.
· Lessons from the West Side yards: it's the master plan, not the starchitect [AYR]
· Yardsmania: Is Related's Murdochville Inevitable? [Curbed]
· Today in Yardsmania: Nattering Nabobs of Negativism [Curbed]
The Hudson Yards. Moynihan Station. Big, confusing urban planning topics, but New York magazine's Anthony Weiss and Alec Appelbaum do the Lord's work this week and tackle both of them. Over at the Yards, the two handicap the race even though their assumption is that the redevelopment will fall into the lap of more than one company. They agree with the experts and Curbed HQ and annoint Related's proposal as the favorite (much to the chagrin of the Times' architecture critic). They write:
The plan is the front-runner—though it will almost certainly be rejiggered to incorporate aspects of the other bids. With Kohn Pederson Fox as lead architect, its strength lies in having lined up News Corp. and established a financing partnership with Goldman Sachs as well as Ross’s chummy relationship with city planning czar Dan Doctoroff (they both once owned pieces of the Islanders).
MIDTOWN EAST—At right are the Hudson Yards comment cards and official Hudson Yards shoebox, seen in happier times at the HY storefront on 43rd Street and Vanderbilt Avenue. Reports a Curbed tipster: "One of my coworkers was up at the MTA exhibition this morning and there were no comment cards left to drop in the comment shoe box. When she asked a security guard about it, he said they had been out since Saturday and he wasn't sure when they would be getting more. So if people go up there before December 3, they should probably bring their own golf pencil and index card." Yeesh, MTA, can you at least pretend to give a shit about the whole "public input" thing? [CurbedWire Inbox]
LAND OF DESTRUCTION—And from a friend of the house, a request: "I've been asked by a magazine to aid in collecting names and photos of buildings that the city has lost in the past year (a frankly depressing and distressing task). As the mind has no memory for pain, I am asking friends and colleagues for help on this - since I know that I will forget something. The rules are...
The Times' chief architecture critic slammed them, New Yorkfound it a "comforting thought" that the end result will look nothing like them, and now, the Hudson Yards proposals are the victims of even more libelous attacks. Today's shot-taker is the Sun's James Gardner, who writes that the "dispiriting" Hudson Yards are destined to fail as a 24-hour community, due to its crap location and mixed-use hodgepodge. Yep, another Hudson hater, and it has the Post's Steve Cuozzo fired up. Very fired up.
Now that all the instant reaction to the Hudson Yards proposals clustereff has died down, it's time for the propaganda war to begin. In the end, the unpredictable MTA possesses the only opinion that matters, but that won't stop the developers from scoring every press mention as either a win or loss for their cause. Extell already took home a huge victory in securing the Ouroussoff seal of approval, and here are some other Hudson Yards odds and ends:
2) Related's bid, while somewhat warmly received, was peppered with negative feedback regarding the lack of building details. Apparently Stephen Ross & Co. were listening, as a Curbed reader alerts us to some changes over at the Yards displays on 43rd Street and Vanderbilt Ave.: "Related has revamped its presentation, adding a very detailed video and another scale model, big improvement." Well played, Related. Well played.
3)New York's Intelligencer, after dissing the bids altogether a la Ouroussoff, also appears to be veering toward the Extell camp, giving project architect Steven Holl a forum to spout off about how terror-proof the Extell design is. So if you're looking to side with Osama bin Laden's preferred Hudson Yards design, look elsewhere. Like, maybe to Tishman, with that whole Morgan Stanley headquarters thing. Just saying!
· Curbed Poll Reminder: The Hudson Yards Winner Is... [Curbed]
1)New York Times architecture critic Nicolai Ouroussoff finally got around to checking out the Hudson Yards plans, and woo boy, he is not happy. Ouroussoff drops the hammer on the whole process, writing that the proposals are "not just a disappointment for their lack of imagination, they are also a grim referendum on the state of large-scale planning in New York City." Wham! The Related bid is "disturbing," the Vornado/Durst bid is "slightly less disturbing." The "only one worth serious consideration" is Extell's proposal (right), which didn't fare so well in the people's vote. Interesting. ['In Plans for Railyards, a Mix of Towers and Parks'/Nicolai Ouroussoff]
2) The latest regarding One Madison Park and its increasingly notorious $45 million penthouse. A "European Pritzker Prize-winning architect" will be brought in to design just the 22nd Street entrance (because 23rd Street is yucky) and the penthouse will come with a private butler, paid for by the condominium, who will live in a one-bedroom unit on a lower floor. There is a debate going on about whether or not that is possible, however. You know Tim Robbins ain't gonna be pleased about paying for somebody else's manservant. [Big Deal/Josh Barbanel]
3) Joyce Cohen finally figured out who would buy in the Simone in Windsor Terrace, a building that immediately puts you one foot in the grave upon purchase: people whose only other option is the Bronx. Makes sense. [The Hunt/Joyce Cohen]
If Brookfield Properties has a dream team of architects lined up to design the 16 buildings and lush green spaces of its West Side Rail Yards vision—including High Line masterminds Diller Scofidio + Renfro and Field Operations—then why is the company's bid seen as an underdog? For three big reasons. 1) Unlike Related or Vornado/Durst or Tishman Speyer, Brookfield has no major tenant already lined up. 2) Brookfield is not as outrageously wealthy as some of the other developers, which is seen as a sign of weakness for a project that will take over a decade and many billions of dollars to build out. 3) Brookfield's proposal—which opens up the grid and forgoes one huge park in the middle—violates the city's strict guidelines for the Hudson Yards. Despite all these hurdles, Brookfield's bid may be emerging as the fan favorite.
Phew! Now that the five Hudson Yards bid are in, it's time for the swift, cruel hammer of judgment to come down. But given that the MTA won't say how much the developers are bidding (pissing off some), and since the building designs will surely change as the winning bid navigates various approval stages, how can the proposals be accurately assessed by the public? Simple: by Curbed poll! So, the first task is to read up on the Brookfield Properties, Extell, Related, Vornado/Durst and Tishman Speyer bids. The second is to forget all about what will win (Related, most likely), and what has no chance of winning (Extell). The third is to simply ask yourself...
Developer: Tishman Speyer Architects: Helmut Jahn and Peter Walker Biggest building: Three million square feet Housing: 3,000 units Public space: 13 acres High Line?: Saved! Online?: Nope!
Tishman Speyer's Hudson Yards bid may be the most jarring on impact, but a closer look reveals it to be somewhat less oppressive than originally thought. Sure, 13 million square feet spread over 13 new buildings is a lot, but there are really only four megabuildings—including a new headquarters for Morgan Stanley—and the Empire State Building would still be visible from the Hudson River. There are some very interesting things going on in this proposal, but we're not sure that Tishman's heart is truly in it. They have the smallest model (by far!) on display, and they just bought Stuy Town and tore down our favorite old gay porn spot. Surely that has taken something out of them.
Developer: Vornado Realty Trust/Durst Organizatin Architects: FXFowle and Pelli Clarke Pelli Biggest building: 80 stories, 1,205 feet tall Housing: 7,000 units Public space: 12 acre park in the middle, assorted green space mixed in High Line?: Saved and destroyed! The 30th Street chunk would remain, but the portion curving north up Twelfth Avenue toward the Javits Center would be removed. Online?: Nope!
Eco-friendly developer Douglas Durst and deep-pocketed Vornado have teamed up for this proposal (and Condé Nast would anchor one of the four commercial buildings), which we've dubbed Dr. Feelgood. It's all about sustainable development, water conservation, efficient energy, blah blah blah. It's also more dedicated to residential development than the others, a move that should rally support among housing advocates. But, there's controversy here. Durst/Vornado wants to tear down the wooden portion of the High Line along the Hudson. The space-age elevated walkway cutting through the development and over the West Side Highway to Hudson River Park is called the "Skyline." Oh, and FXFowle's Daniel Kaplan told the Sun today that the Skyline would be "21st century version of the High Line." Now that's ballsy. Friends of the High Line already emailed us to say, "Isn't the High Line the 21st century version of the High Line?" They have a point.
[All renderings courtesy of dbox; Click to expand.]
Developer: The Related Companies Architects: Robert A.M. Stern, Kohn Pederson Fox, Arquitectonica Biggest building: A 1,080, two-million-square-foot News Corp headquarters Housing: 5,300 units (2,000 rentals) Public space: Nine acres High Line?: Saved! Online?: Nope!
Heading into the tiny storefront where these suckers are on display, we had Related—with its Goldman Sachs financial backing and Rupert Murdoch/News Corporation partnership—pegged as the favorite. But we were underwhelmed. Maybe it was the unfinished model that just showed the bases of all the buildings, but maybe it was also the realization that this thing would be Murdochville through and through. Just take a look at the rendering above. Is MySpace figuring prominently into a multi-billion-dollar, city-changing development deal supposed to be a confidence-boosting move on Related's part? Will MySpace even be around when the Hudson Yards are completed? A focus group of teenagers we keep locked in the basement to answer such questions told us MySpace is lame now.
Developer: Extell Architect: Steven Holl Architects Biggest building: A 1,238-foot-tall, three-million-square-foot triple-headed super tower thingy Housing: Basically half of the 11.3 million square feet that would be built Public space: 19 acres High Line?: Saved! Online?: Yup!
Extell's bid is absolutely crazy, but is it crazy enough to win? Whether intentional or not, the company leaked its full proposal on Friday, so we've had time to brace, but wow. Extell may have taken its underdog status and just decided to go balls to the wall with it. A 90-story mixed-use triple tower with a sky lobby and gigantic observation deck? Boom. A high-tech suspension deck built over the rails with a huge undulating park on top? You're damn right. A bridge over the West Side Highway, connected to the High Line, extending to a new floating pier and ferry terminal? Yes, yes, YES! In some weird way, Extell's bid is the minimalist's choice, given the fact Gary Barnett & Co. want to do the least amount building and include the most green space. But this minimalist's choice still includes six back-to-back 62-story "Sun Slice" apartment buildings lined up on 30th Street. Subtle, it ain't.
Developer: Brookfield Properties Architects: Skidmore Owings & Merrill, Field Operations, Thomas Phifer & Partners, ShoP Archiects, Diller Scofidio + Renfro, SANAA, Handel Architects Biggest building: 1.9 million total square feet and ~1,300 feet tall Housing: 3,300 units Public space: 15.4 acres High Line?: Saved! Online?: Yup!
Brookfield's bid is seen as one of the long shots, because the company has no major corporate partner to tout. Brookfield knew this going in, so they piled on the starchitects like they were going out of style. Like most of these bids, the end result would most likely look far different than the proposals, but that's especially true with Brookfield, given the preliminary stage of the design as well as all the firms involved. Brookfield's plan divides the Yards into two chunks separated by Eleventh Avenue, the more residential Western Rail Yards ("Hudson Green") and the more commercial Eastern Rail Yards ("Hudson Place"). Cultural and community facilities (like a new Children's Museum) are sprinkled throughout, and two big hotels are planned right smack in the middle.
[Extell's Gary Barnett, who arrived late and in an Extell baseball cap. He rulez.]
It's amazing that the Hudson Yardsredevelopment plan is still flying under the radar. The 26-acre site is bigger than the World Trade Center, will have 15,000 apartments to go along with the millions upon millions of commercial square feet, and will contain oodles of green space. Still, most people have never heard of it. But yesterday, in a tiny storefront near Grand Central packed to the gills with billionaires, millionaires and the reporters who love them, some building models were the biggest show in town. Aside from the bids themselves, here's the headline: the display is open to the public starting today, and until December 3. The space (on 43rd Street and Vanderbilt Avenue) is open from 8-8 every day, excluding Thanksgiving. There will be comment cards, because the MTA is pretending that public opinion actually matters. Fact: if you don't go check it out, you are dead inside. As for the bids, they will all get their time to shine today. Stay tuned.
· Hudson Yards: Bankers vs. Hotties (& Three Other Bids) [Curbed]
On Sunday, the MTA will reveal the Hudson Yards redevelopment bids to the press. But Extell, which stands zero chance of winning this megadeveloper pageant but it's always nice to pretend, has—perhaps accidentally, perhaps not—leaked some renderings on their website a little early. First noticed by the boys over at The Real Estate, the grim (so grim! A little blue sky may increase your chances, Extell!) look of the future Far West Side is accompanied by this bit of copy:
Extell's proposed deck (Provisional Patent Application Serial No. 60/978,622 for a Method Of Building Over An Opening Via Incremental Launching) design maximizes public space and creates a porosity and openness for the site from all sides and approaches, connecting Midtown, the Chelsea Arts District, and the convention center with a grand public park open to the Hudson River; and its innovative structural system for spanning over the Rail Yards will minimize the impacts of development on the Caemmerer Yards and allow it to offer more for the right to develop.
Comments
Now that the Durst Organization and Vornado Realty Trust are also-rans in the Hudson Yards sweepstakes (but hey, a silver medal ain't bad), the companies' proposed anchor tenant—magazine megapublisher Condé Nast—may be looking to switch sides. In today's 
When the details of the five bids for the Hudson Yards were released back in November, Times architecture oracle Nicolai Ouroussoff 
It's official: the public can't get enough of the Hudson Yards! Either that, or they just love slideshows. 
1) New York Times architecture critic Nicolai Ouroussoff finally got around to checking out the Hudson Yards plans, and woo boy, he is not happy. Ouroussoff drops the hammer on the whole process, writing that the proposals are "not just a disappointment for their lack of imagination, they are also a grim referendum on the state of large-scale planning in New York City." Wham! The Related bid is "disturbing," the Vornado/Durst bid is "slightly less disturbing." The "only one worth serious consideration" is 
