A plan to transform about 66,000 sq. ft. in the heart of New York City’s Meatpacking District into a community and cultural hub was released this week. Known as Gansevoort Square, the vision includes mixed-income housing, new public space, and expanding the Whitney Museum of American Art and the High Line.

“Today, we’re thrilled to unveil our next big project — transforming 66,000 square feet at Gansevoort Square into 600 mixed-income housing units, a massive new open pavilion, and the city’s next cultural and artistic hub,” said Mayor Eric Adams. “The potential we have here is endless, and we’re excited to take the next steps towards turning our vision into a reality.

“I’m grateful to our partners at the Gansevoort Meat Market, Councilmember Bottcher, the Whitney, the High Line, and more with whom we’re embarking on this next chapter in Gansevoort Square’s history together.”

Gansevoort Square — located on Little West 12th Street between Washington Street and 10th Avenue in Manhattan — will be partially built on the lot of the Gansevoort Market Co-op. In August, the Gansevoort Meat Market — the site’s current tenant — elected to leave the site early in cooperation with NYCEDC and the City of New York. The initial proposal for this new project includes:

• Up to 600 mixed-income housing units to further the city’s ambitious housing policy goals and deliver needed affordable units. The city anticipates that this will include as many as 300 affordable units, without the need for any public subsidy.
• A new, 11,200-sq. ft. public open space.
• The opportunity for additional development on a 45,000 sq. ft. space, including a potential expansion of the Whitney Museum of American Art — which has a Right of First Offer on the former Meat Market site — with new gallery, education, and learning spaces, as well as potential new High Line facilities.

“The Meatpacking District is an iconic neighborhood, steeped with the city’s social, economic, and cultural history,” said New York City Executive Director for Housing Leila Bozorg. “Reimagining Gansevoort Square provides an exciting opportunity to build on that history, while introducing critical new housing, public open space, and expansion opportunities for important cultural institutions.”

Gansevoort Square stems from the set of recommendations made in the ‘New’ New York panel’s Making New York Work for Everyone action plan, a set of 40 proposals to reimagine New York City’s commercial districts as vibrant 24/7 destinations. The action plan focuses on creating business districts that are vibrant, resilient, healthy, and globally competitive in attracting and retaining businesses.

“As New York City continues to reinvigorate its economy, we must invest in development projects that will help expand our housing stock and generate family-sustaining careers in our local communities,” said Gary LaBarbera, president, Building and Construction Trades Council of Greater New York. “This administration’s continued commitment to driving forward bold initiatives that are built with labor standards and pave accessible pathways to the middle class for hard working New Yorkers is crucial to the future of our city.”

Credits: New York Construction Report