Mayor Adams’ funding of over $150 million in the direction of a plan to pedestrianize round a dozen blocks of Fifth Avenue from Bryant Park to Central Park would increase sidewalks by nearly half, reduce visitors lanes from 5 to a few and add bushes, planters and lighting, based on Metropolis Corridor.
The undertaking was first introduced in December 2022 in a plan by the mayor and Gov. Hochul to revive New York Metropolis’s post-pandemic financial system. The road redesign is projected to spice up the world’s property and gross sales tax income in a key hall for the town, based on a launch.
“Fifth Avenue has and will always be the economic engine of our city for the past 200 years,” Adams stated at a press convention asserting the funds on Sunday, the 2 hundredth anniversary of Fifth Avenue. “And today, we’re putting high-octane fuel in that engine to take us the next 200 years.”
Mayor’s Workplace
A rendering of the proposed Fifth Avenue redesign reveals wider sidewalks and fewer automobile lanes. (Mayor’s Workplace)
The $152.7 million will cowl the design and development, together with sewer enhancements, for the undertaking, Adams stated, including that the undertaking is anticipated to “pay for itself” in 5 years with the elevated tax income.
The undertaking, a partnership between metropolis businesses and enterprise enchancment districts, seeks to present extra space to customers, commuters and passers-by.
“By increasing sidewalk space and beautifying this incredibly important economic engine, Fifth Avenue will return to its place as the number one shopping street in the world and the crown jewel of New York City,” Madelyn Wils of the Fifth Avenue Affiliation stated on the press convention.
The plan builds on a well-liked program to close down Fifth Avenue to automobile visitors for a number of Sundays throughout the busy vacation season. This 12 months, the town minimize that program all the way down to only one weekend.
The redesign would double the width of the sidewalks to 33.5 toes and cut back crossing size by a few third, in addition to add 230 new bushes and 20,000 sq. toes of planters and seating, based on Metropolis Corridor.
