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11/19/2007 11:01 AM

Designs Unveiled For Future Of The West Side Rail Yards

By: NY1 News

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With the designs unveiled Sunday, New Yorkers will now be able to give their opinions about what could eventually happen to the West Side Rail Yards. NY1’s Candace Kelley filed the following report on what's being proposed for the site.

For MTA Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer Elliot “Lee” Sander, deciding the future of the Yards will not be easy.

"The proposals are terrific,” said Sander. “We have five of the best developers in the world. I think each of them are terrific and will represent a tremendous addition to the West Side."

Five development teams are each making a case that their design should be the chosen one.

"You'll notice that we have the highline on the south, leading along the west," said one designer.

After Sunday's preview, the exhibit will be open to the public and New Yorkers are invited to take a look and make comments on cards and online.

"We're going to have a strong public engagement process,” said Sander. “This is going to be open to the public for the next two weeks."

The developers said as they designed each and every building, there was one thing that they kept in mind — keeping New Yorkers happy. Moreover, the developers took great measures to see how every angle of every building fit into the city's landscape.

"[One issue was] how do you create an environment that meets the needs of the residents and office tenants while at the same time respecting the community?" said Jerry Speyer of the development team Tishman Speyer & Morgan Stanley.

The exhibit will be open to the public from 8 a.m. until 8 p.m., starting Monday and continuing through December 3. It's at 355 Madison Avenue across from Grand Central Terminal.

The proposals will go to the MTA Board for consideration by April.

- Candace Kelly