2

Service Diversions 07-25-11

Posted by
on July 25th, 2011 at 5:01 am

I have just updated the Service Diversions by removing all of the weekend work that wrapped up by a minute ago. The planned work for this week & beyond in some cases has been moved to the forefront.

I suggest printing out a copy before heading to your destination. If you have an internet capable handheld device, you can use it to access the mobile version of this site.

The diversions will have minor updates as scheduled ones drop off. Any minor updates will take place on the page as it is updated daily but will not be noted in an entry. The next complete update will be sometime on Thursday after I received the planned weekend diversions from the MTA directly.

While out traveling, if I notice or hear any changes, I will update them on the twitter feed so don’t forget to follow @TransitBlogger today which you can do by clicking the button in the sidebar.

As always, stay safe & have a wonderful week.

xoxo Transit Blogger

You might enjoy reading these related entries:
Service Diversions
0

MTA Must Pay Extra For Condemned Properties

Posted by
on July 25th, 2011 at 1:32 am

When the MTA created plans for the Fulton Transit Center, it included the necessary purchase of 5 buildings on Broadway. The agency felt the properties should be accessed separately even though some common ownership connections existed.

This past Thursday, New York state appellate judges anonymously agreed that the agency owed another $55M on top of what was already paid for the properties. Jennifer Golson of Thomson Reuters has more:

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority owes $55.6 million more than it already paid for the land it condemned to build a transportation hub in Lower Manhattan, a panel of New York state appellate judges ruled unanimously on Thursday.

The MTA bought the sites — five parcels on lower Broadway in Manhattan — in 2006 in connection with the Fulton Street Transit Center Project, which is currently under construction.

The court held that the measure of damages in a condemnation case is the fair-market value of the property in its “highest and best use,” Justice Rosalyn Richter wrote for the Appellate Division, First Department. This is true even if the owner may not have been using the property to its fullest potential at the time of taking, Richter wrote.

Of the five parcels, one was owned by DLR Properties, three were owned by Collegiate Church Corp, and one was owned by a joint venture between Collegiate and Brookfield Properties Corp, the decision said.

During a bench trial before Supreme Court Justice Walter Tolub, the MTA argued that each of the parcels should be valued separately. The MTA’s appraiser had valued the properties at a total of just over $100 million.

But Collegiate and the joint venture maintained that the best use for their properties would be to combine them into a condominium, and their appraiser valued those properties at $112 million. DLR’s appraiser determined the total value of its property and related rights was $60.6 million.

In affirming the trial court’s ruling, the appeals court found that there was a “reasonable probability” that Collegiate and the joint venture would have assembled the properties and acquired DLR’s site.

Click here for the complete report.

Not a surprising ruling considering the evidence. While the agency is not thrilled about paying extra, it will be worth it in the long run.

xoxo Transit Blogger

You might enjoy reading these related entries:
Fulton Transit Center, MTA Finances
1

Apple Proposes Biggest Worldwide Store In GCT

Posted by
on July 25th, 2011 at 1:11 am

When it comes to real estate, bigger is usually better & that is a stance Apple intends on showcasing if they get their way. For months on end, the never ending saga of whether Apple was coming to Grand Central Terminal or not has taken on a life of its own.

It all started back in February when a rumor leaked about the company potentially opening a store in GCT. However only weeks into March, the rumor lost steam as it seemed Apple would not be working with the MTA. Then in May, word came out that the company was interested in becoming a tenant.

Fast forward to later today where the MTA Finance Committee will vote on the company’s proposal which calls for a store of over 23,000 square feet which would make it the company’s biggest store in the world. Samantha Stamler of CNN has more:

Apple Inc. has submitted plans to New York’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority Board to open a new store in Grand Central Terminal, potentially bringing in $5 million in revenue for the MTA, officials said.

“Our four stores in Manhattan are incredibly popular with customers and we are excited to bring the Apple retail experience to this incredible location,” said Apple spokesman Nick Leahy.
The submitted proposal would allow the use of more than 23,000 square feet, and the takeover of both the north and northeast balconies, making it Apple’s largest store worldwide.

According to MTA documents, if the proposal is passed Apple will pay an initial $800,000 in rent. However, after 10 years, the annual rent will exceed $1 million.

“We have received a proposal from Apple that has the potential to bring a great new shopping destination to iconic Grand Central Terminal and significantly increase revenues for the MTA’s transportation system,” said Julie Glave, MTA spokeswoman.

The MTA finance committee will review the terms of lease and vote on the proposal Monday, according to MTA spokesman Aaron Donovan. If it passes, the MTA board will vote to authorize the proposal Wednesday.

As I mentioned in May, I could care less if the company opens a store there. While I have an I-Phone, I am not one of the millions of fan boys who swear by anything & everything Apple.

My biggest concerns are will the agency get fair market rent from the company & will they correctly handle crowding which will happen when it first opens & especially for products first going on sale. If they can properly take care of these issues, welcome aboard. If not, the agency needs to kick them to the curb & find retailers who will meet all requirements.

xoxo Transit Blogger

You might enjoy reading these related entries:
Manhattan, MTA Finances, Technology
0

Service Diversions 07-22-11

Posted by
on July 22nd, 2011 at 6:51 am

I have just updated the Service Diversions with the latest planned work for the upcoming weekend, next week, & beyond (in some cases).

For those who plan on riding the 2 Train or 5 Train in the Bronx, please be aware that service is suspended between between 149th Street-Grand Concourse & East 180th Street starting this & every following weekend in July. Click here for complete information.

Riders on the L Train, be aware that service will run in two sections including every 24 minutes between Broadway Junction & Rockaway Parkway due to a fencing upgrade at the Canarsie Yard. Click here for complete information.

Riders of the M86, please note that the route is subject to overnight detours for the rest of the month. Click here for complete information.

I suggest printing out a copy before heading to your destination. If you have an internet capable handheld device, use it to access Transit Blogger’s mobile site.

While out traveling, if I notice or hear any changes, I will update them on the twitter feed so don’t forget to follow @TransitBlogger today which you can do by clicking the button in the sidebar.

The next full update will be at 5:01 AM Monday when all weekend work will be removed. Any minor updates will take place on the page as it is updated daily but will not be noted in an entry.

Stay safe & cool during this ridiculous hot weekend!

xoxo Transit Blogger

You might enjoy reading these related entries:
Service Diversions
0

Opining On Jay’s Resignation

Posted by
on July 21st, 2011 at 6:33 pm

When I started the day, I figured it would be light on the transit news front. At most, I might post an entry or two but the main task of the day being updating the service diversions for the upcoming weekend. I never thought that plan would get blown out of the water by the shocking resignation of MTA Chairman & CEO Jay H. Walder. From everything I have been able to gather via conversations with a number of people, he was not forced out but it is still shocking nonetheless.

I can not stress enough how much of a huge loss this is for not only the MTA but the millions who use it daily. The fact of the natter is that the last 2 Chairman’s we had have unexpectedly left what truly is one of the most thankless jobs one could have.

Jay’s predecessor Elliot Sander resigned in the spring of 2008 after then Gov. Patterson announced “we are going to clean up and clean out” the MTA. At the time, I mentioned how Elliot had a good vision for the MTA’s future & was just getting started to implement it amid all the uncertainties facing the agency.

When Jay took over, I wondered if his success in London would translate to NYC & continue the job that Elliot started. Needless to say, he did a great job considering what he had to work with.

During his tenure, we saw the agency take necessary steps to improve & implement technologies long overdue for drivers & riders. Some of his successes include the introduction of bus rapid transit, gateless tolling on bridges, & subway countdown clocks.

In the future, we will have a swipeless fare card, full system bus tracking, bus driver safety partitions, & more. On the financial side of things, the agency cut nearly $1 billion annually from expenses & just announced plans to save another $2 billion. He also managed to starve off extreme service cuts while not raising the fare by an astronomical amount.

However his impact was beyond that as regardless of how much of a thankless job it is, he maintained a clear-cut vision to help make the MTA a transit agency that would be highly efficient & effective for its users while not breaking the bank. Did I agree on all of his visions or how they would be achieved? No, I did not but I did respect the fact he had them which could not always be said for past heads of the agency.

The sad part is that I have browsed around the internet & Twitter for responses. As one would expect, we have some vocal individuals failing to understand what a huge loss this is. They as usual focus on the here & now & feel nothing has improved. The truth is while Jay would admit he is nowhere near satisfied with the results, it can’t be denied that positive changes have occurred.

Let me be frank here & say this resignation could not come at a worse time for the much maligned transit agency. They are in a fight to close a nearly $10 billion gap in funding for its current Capital Program. Also let us not forget that the agency still has to negotiate with the Transport Workers Union Local 100 on a new contract.

What does the next few months hold for the MTA? Will Gov. Cuomo name an interim Chairman & CEO to start operations now or will they let Jay ride out the wave until October? While on paper, it is not that long until then, every day counts when so much is on the line for the agency.

Jay made impressive strides from what Elliot started but even with that, the truth is that the agency is still only at the beginning stages of what is a long overdue overhaul of its operations. Will his successor have the necessary background & wherewithal to continue the vision set out? Will they have their own twist that can be added into the mix to help better things for the agency & its drivers & riders?

These are all extremely important questions that need to be answered & hopefully they will be soon. The last thing we all need is for the agency to take a step backwards & ruin a lot of the progress that has been made over the past few years. The agency has no time for someone who is not ready to hit the ground running from day one. Anything less & what is now a job left undone will become a job that is no more. Let us hope for the best…..

xoxo Transit Blogger

You might enjoy reading these related entries:
Opinions