"Anchored to the south by Penn Station, the nation's largest transportation hub with over 600,000 daily users, and to the north by the Port Authority Bus Terminal, serving another 200,000 a day, this stretch of Eighth Avenue sees some of the highest pedestrian traffic in New York. Yet few places offer a more discouraging first impression. The corridor between 34th and 42nd Street is visibly downtrodden, unsafe, and stands in stark contrast to the energy and ambition that define the rest of Midtown."
"As a result, it lags far behind neighboring districts in office tenancy and residential growth. Quality of life on Eighth Avenue is further compromised by a lack of sustained public investment, open drug use and dealing, and acute mental illness crises playing out daily in the public realm. These conditions stem from restrictive, outdated zoning that prohibited residential and other stabilizing uses for generations. In turn, the area became oversaturated with social service facilities, attracting a vulnerable population."
Eighth Avenue between 34th and 42nd Street links Penn Station and the Port Authority Bus Terminal and carries exceptionally high pedestrian traffic. The corridor is visibly downtrodden, unsafe, and contrasts sharply with Midtown's broader vitality. The Garment District experienced decades of apparel industry decline and now lags in office tenancy and residential growth. Quality of life is undermined by limited public investment, open drug use and acute mental illness visible in public spaces. Restrictive, outdated zoning banned residential and other stabilizing uses, prompting an oversupply of social service facilities and rising vacancy rates of 25-40% on many side streets. Recent measures including City of Yes for Housing and the MSMX rezoning plan open new redevelopment possibilities.
Read at www.amny.com
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