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High Line's Final Section Moves Closer to Reality

By DNAinfo Staff on July 27, 2010 6:30pm

Red-clad supporters of the High Line at Tuesday's subcommittee hearing.
Red-clad supporters of the High Line at Tuesday's subcommittee hearing.
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DNAinfo/Tara Kyle

By Tara Kyle

DNAinfo Reporter/Producer

MUNICIPAL DISTRICT — The High Line took another major step toward completion Tuesday when a City Council committee voted unanimously in favor of purchasing and developing the final section of the elevated park.

That section, which snakes from 10th to 12th avenues between 30th and 34th streets, is still owned by a rail road company, requiring that the city go through a seven-month Uniform Land Use Review Process (ULURP) — a public review — before it can acquire the land.

“Many people think the entire High Line has been preserved, but the truth is, one third has not been protected,” Joshua David, co-founder and chief development officer of Friends of the High Line, said during the hearing.

Michael Bradley, High Line Administrator for the Parks Department, testifies in front of maps showing the third section's proposed route.
Michael Bradley, High Line Administrator for the Parks Department, testifies in front of maps showing the third section's proposed route.
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DNAinfo/Tara Kyle

The 6-0 vote Tuesday by the City Council’s Subcommittee on Landmarks, Public Siting and Maritime Uses to recommend approval of the ULURP cleared the way for a full vote before the City Council on Thursday, following a Wednesday stop at the Land Use Committee. 

If the City Council approves the purchase of the land, the city will still have to negotiate a formal purchase deal with CSX Transportation, Inc. — the rail road company that owns the land — but the company is reportedly in favor of selling to the city and problems are not anticipated.

Then, if ownership is secured, the city would begin the process of gathering funds for design and construction.

The High Line’s first section, running from Gansevoort to 20th Street, opened in June 2009, has hosted two million visitors so far, according to Michael Bradley, High Line Administrator for the Parks Department. The second section, running from 20th to 30th streets, is slated to open in the spring of 2011.

About 20 High Line supporters in attendance at the meeting wore red t-shirts with “Save the High Line at the Rail Yard” and “Save the Spur” printed across the front. The spur is the portion of the final section crossing 10th Avenue at 30th Street.

Among the public supporters was Jan Levy, an Upper West Side resident and former Community Board 7 member who has been involved in High Line efforts since the earliest days, 25 years ago.

“The time has come to close the circle and make the High Line whole,” Levy said.