The last pieces of the High Line are nearly under city control.
A City Council subcommittee today voted to allow the city to acquire the portion of the High Line—the former rail viaduct planned as parkland—north of 30th Street. This is the third of three segments of the High Line, which spans from the Meatpacking District north through Chelsea to West 34th Street. Owned for years by freight railroad company CSX Transportation, it was unclear for a while who might own the final segment, which runs through the West Side rail yards (and is supposed to be part of any development that may happen there). But earlier this year, the Bloomberg administration began the aquisiton process, which requires consent of the Council.
In the short run, this doesn’t mean much will change. The segment will still be abandoned and off limits, and no designs have been done. (The second segment is still under construction, scheduled to open next spring, and there is still no long-term funding model to maintain the park.) Taking the longer view, however, the move makes it easier to build it out.
