The Magic Math of the High Line

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high line phase2 The Magic Math of the High LineWell, technically train tracks are still train tracks:

“Normally, the farther you get from the subway the less expensive the housing is,” said [Friends of the High Line co-founder Robert] Hammond, who confessed that he rents an apartment in the West Village. “But the closer you are to the High Line, the farther you are from the subway, and still, the closer the apartments are to the High Line, the more expensive they get.”

More remarkably, The Times notes that, on the eve of the opening of the park’s second phase this Tuesday, it has created $2 billion of economic activity. All that from a $115 million investment in the park itself and a rezoning of the property surrounding it. So maybe cutting the city’s capital budget is not the wisest thing.  

Meanwhile, the Post reports that a few new condos does not a neighborhood make:

Some residents say the wave of tourists keeps them from being able to enjoy the park. “It’s bringing a lot of business,” said Andrea Norlander, 45. “But there’s no community there,” she said. “It’s not a neighborhood.”

So, despite all its successes, there’s no room to stop and smell the roses on the High Line. Though these kids might beg to differ.

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mchaban [at] observer.com | @mc_nyo