By Tara Kyle
DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
HELL'S KITCHEN — One of the city's most sought-after public high schools could be moving to the neighborhood, and Wednesday night, residents will have their chance to weigh in.
School officials want to move the Beacon High School, now located at 227 W. 61st St., to a patch of land on the northside of West 43rd St. that is currently used by the New York Public Library for document storage. That site is just south of PS 51 and a massive, three-year-long construction project.
Beacon, recently ranked by the DOE as the city's fourth most popular high school, emphasizes technology, the arts and a project-based curriculum, according to the school's website.
The public hearing, scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Wednesday at 119 Ninth Ave., actually comes after the School Construction Authority's March 24 deadline for public comment. However, the SCA can consider post-deadline comments at its discretion, and has agreed to send representatives to the meeting, according to Vice Chair Corey Johnson.
Community Board 4 quality of life committee members said last month they were blindsided by the proposal to move the school to their neighborhood.
Nearly 6,000 eighth graders applied for spots this year at the 1,150-seat Upper West Side School. The target capacity for the old facility is just 800, according to a site analysis prepared for Community School District 2.
By contrast, the proposed new home at 521 W. 43rd St. would hold 1,400 students.
Issues likely to arise during Wednesday's discussion include Hell's Kitchen's enduring need for a middle school, a dearth of public transportation in the area, and the move's potential impact on neighboring stakeholders including the Manhattan Plaza housing complex.
The public hearing will be held at the start of CB4's full board meeting at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday at Fulton Center Auditorium at 119 Ninth Avenue.
