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Mr. Ross' Neighborhood

By Matt Chaban 10/25/12 4:43pm

Mr. Ross' Neighborhood

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Hudson Yards Will Be Taller Than the Empire State Building, Including a Higher Observation Deck

Earlier this week, the Related Companies announced it had found backers to begin building the first tower of its Hudson Yards project (at the same time that it is trying to get a break from the MTA for payments on the entire 16-acre complex). Should the project get off the ground, it will have a long way to go.

Sure, in terms of time, as it will takes years, if not decades, for the entire 12 million square feet of office, residential, retail and cultural space to be built. But there is also a long way to go in terms of distance. As the design team puts the finishing touches on the first phase of the project, it turns out the other office tower on the site, which has yet to find an anchor tenant or an announced start date, will become the second or third tallest building in the city when it is completed, surpassing the Empire State Building. Read More

By Matt Chaban 4/18/12 12:26pm

Mr. Ross' Neighborhood

Another sellout for Stern? (Related)

More Starchitecture for Hudson Yards! Robert A.M. Stern Bringing His Throwback Magic to 30th and 10th

It may be bigger than Baltimore or Stamford, and it will probably be prettier, too. The plans for Hudson Yards continue to impress, as the office towers get refined and high-profile firms sign up to do the residential buildings. The first big news was that High Line designers Diller Scofidio + Renfro would be responsible for one of the apartment buildings, and now The Observer has learned that none other than money-minting godhead Robert A.M. Stern is designing another.

Steve Ross has actually been a regular client of Mr. Stern’s in the past. Read More

By Matt Chaban 3/30/12 2:03pm

Mr. Ross' Neighborhood

The eastern section (at right) would be exempted from the living wage bill. (Related)

Speaker Quinn Gives Steve Ross a Hug? Hudson Yards Bounced from Living Wage Bill to Help Build Commercial Towers

Steve Ross sure knows his way around City Hall (part of the reason he has become one of the most successful developers of his generation). From his start in affordable housing to megadevelopments like the Time Warner Center, Hunter’s Point South in Queens and Hudson Yards, Mr. Ross, chairman of the Related Companies, always seems to get just what he wants when the city is involved. One sore spot was the fight over the Kingsbridge Armory, in the Bronx, which was unexpectedly rejected by the City Council three years ago.

The fight centered around whether workers at the armory project, which was to receive a considerable amount of public subsidies, would have to be paid more than minimum wage, something labor unions were lobbying heavily for. That fight led to the eventual proposal of a living wage bill. In an unexpected, if unsurprising, twist, it now turns out City Council Speaker Christine Quinn has carved a portion of Hudson Yards out of the living wage bill, according to The Times. Read More

By Matt Chaban 1/12/12 11:47am

Mr. Ross' Neighborhood

Hudson Yard_Aerial from south

Danny Meyer Taking Over Hudson Yards, the World

As if there was not enough anticipation surrounding the construction of Hudson Yards, here is probably the one reason to trump any other: Danny Meyer will be setting up shop on the Far West Side.

The Related Companies and Union Square Hospitality announced a new partnership today, whereby Steve Ross and his globetrotting development company will take a stake in Union Square Events. While not encompassing all of the restauranteurs operations, USE offers more than just catering but also runs the sports venue operations for Mr. Meyers sprawling eatery empire, and now it will do even more. So no fine dining, necessarily, but Mr. Meyer will be offering a range of culinary options, from private residential dining to catering events in Hudson Yards buildings as well as operating restaurants and outdoor cafes. Read More

By Matt Chaban 12/05/11 6:02pm

Mr. Ross' Neighborhood

High_Line_Phase_3

Your Line? My Line? Help Design the High Line

That was the easy part.

Now that the High Line has become a smash success, Friends of the High Line has to decided what to do with the third and final section of the elevated park, which surround Hudson Yards. After fighting for decades to preserve and then transform the old rail line, it was not clear this section of track would be preserved or replaced by some alternative park, as the city worked to redevelop the site.

The Related Company and the Bloomberg administration both agreed it should be, and now that their work is underway in creating a new Baltimore on the West Side of Manhattan, so too is the Friends’ job of figuring out what should surround it.

That all starts tomorrow night. Read More

By Matt Chaban 11/21/11 11:54am

Mr. Ross' Neighborhood

Dance, dance evolution... of a building. (Related)

How Hudson Yards Danced Its Way to Design Glory

Despite the anticipation surrounding Hudson Yards—a new neighborhood cut from whole cloth, full of open space and affordable housing and not a few shiny new offices, and the jobs that come with it all—the truth was, it wasn’t much to look at.  Even the decade-old and not-much-to-look-at-unless-you’re-in-on-the-architectural-joke Time Warner Center was flashy by compare. Then, Related’s Steve Ross decided he could do better. It is rare for a developer to have such a change of heart, but it appears the city is better off for it. Read More