FamousNYLover Posted November 24, 2012 Share #1 Posted November 24, 2012 When I was looking at TWU Local 100, I found interesting video. I didn't know using 2 Stone St was very expensive building. After carefully watching the video, I think it is good idea for both subway, railroad employees and bus operators. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jamaica Express Posted November 24, 2012 Share #2 Posted November 24, 2012 As someone who works in a Corporate Transit HQ (..which I will not name, because idk who is looking at these posts), I do believe the NYCTA Headquarters should have remained where it was in Brooklyn, I'm not exactly sure what moved them to 2 Broadway because I was still in High School at the time the move happened. However, relocating a Corporations Headquarters below ground scattered across various subway stations in the system isn't a good idea either. Could you imagine "we have a meeting with the Systems planning dept at the 67th Ave station in Queens...lets get on the subway and ride over..and then ride back."..NO thats not happening. IMHO what makes the MTA renting so expensive is they rent in MULTIPLE LOCATIONS. Other transit systems don't do such. WMATA has one HQ in downtown DC. Septa has one HQ in downtown Philadelphia, NJ Transit has one HQ in Downtown Newark (even though for some reason their HR office is out in Maplewood..its only a single level facility). The MTA has multiple office buildings scattered across Brooklyn, Queens and Manhattan, which probably just takes a toll on what it pays in rent all together, it's not just 2 Broadway. Again, IMHO being the MTA is such a large organization, operating various agencies, it would probably be better off just building one central "MTA Office Complex" similar to the World Financial Center (obviously not that big though) Buy some land, build your own property of 2 or 3 buildings and call it a day. Don't let this video fool you...2 Broadway may have "nice views" but I've been there a few times for meeting, those offices aren't all that "fancy" typical cubicle style place. If 2 stone street offices looked like 7 WTC or 3 World Financial Center then I could see how it would be an issue. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orion VII 4 Life Posted November 24, 2012 Share #3 Posted November 24, 2012 Absolutely. Not only that, but keep using the MTA/city-owned office buildings rather than privately-owned buildings like 2 Broadway that cost millions to lease space from. That deal to sell one of the Brooklyn buildings to NYU (a private organization) really pissed me off. Use those offices, the offices at 130 Livingston, the Madison Avenue buildings, underground offices, etc. and save the TAXPAYERS millions, keep the fares down, and possibly increase service rather than decreasing it because it's so necessary to lease multi-million dollar space at 2 Broadway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrooklynBus Posted November 24, 2012 Share #4 Posted November 24, 2012 As someone who works in a Corporate Transit HQ (..which I will not name, because idk who is looking at these posts), I do believe the NYCTA Headquarters should have remained where it was in Brooklyn, I'm not exactly sure what moved them to 2 Broadway because I was still in High School at the time the move happened. However, relocating a Corporations Headquarters below ground scattered across various subway stations in the system isn't a good idea either. Could you imagine "we have a meeting with the Systems planning dept at the 67th Ave station in Queens...lets get on the subway and ride over..and then ride back."..NO thats not happening. IMHO what makes the MTA renting so expensive is they rent in MULTIPLE LOCATIONS. Other transit systems don't do such. WMATA has one HQ in downtown DC. Septa has one HQ in downtown Philadelphia, NJ Transit has one HQ in Downtown Newark (even though for some reason their HR office is out in Maplewood..its only a single level facility). The MTA has multiple office buildings scattered across Brooklyn, Queens and Manhattan, which probably just takes a toll on what it pays in rent all together, it's not just 2 Broadway. Again, IMHO being the MTA is such a large organization, operating various agencies, it would probably be better off just building one central "MTA Office Complex" similar to the World Financial Center (obviously not that big though) Buy some land, build your own property of 2 or 3 buildings and call it a day. Don't let this video fool you...2 Broadway may have "nice views" but I've been there a few times for meeting, those offices aren't all that "fancy" typical cubicle style place. If 2 stone street offices looked like 7 WTC or 3 World Financial Center then I could see how it would be an issue. The original plan with 2 Broadway was to centralize all operations there. (There still would have been some field locations.) But 9-11 changed that. All of a sudden it wasn't such a good idea to be in one location. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roadcruiser1 Posted November 24, 2012 Share #5 Posted November 24, 2012 I think the again like the Port Authority should build a World Trade Center like location and centralize business there just like how the Port Authority has the World Trade Center. If they built a building and leased it out it would bring in billions of dollars worth of profit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndrewJC Posted November 25, 2012 Share #6 Posted November 25, 2012 Thousands of employees work at 2 Broadway. Is there enough available space underground for thousands of additional employees? How much would it cost to convert all of that space to offices? Some departments have hundreds of employees. They would be split up across the city, since no single station has space for hundreds of employees. How many man-hours would it take for 25 people to gather for a meeting? People don't work in a vacuum. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TwoTimer Posted November 25, 2012 Share #7 Posted November 25, 2012 There are many abandoned "floors" (many IND stations have lots) that could be used to house NYCT offices (some but not all), but don't think that all the support personnel for all the agencies can fit in NYCT stations (especially when they do not have passes to get into the system). At Bedford, half the former passenger mezzanine is the newer ATS ready master tower. The rest of it is empty, abandoned space where a few people might park their bikes every now and again. While I generally support them, but instead of talking about only management cleaning up its act, they could at the same time talk about what it could do as well (why does the union has to lease out a building when they used to own one?) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roadcruiser1 Posted November 25, 2012 Share #8 Posted November 25, 2012 There are many abandoned stations in the NYC Subway system that could see new life as offices too, For example the upper part of the Myrtle Avenue Station could be turned into a 1 story office building. The lower Ninth Avenue Platform could be partially turned into an office. The City Hall Loop would make a good office too if the sound of the trains turning can be blocked. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vistausss Posted November 25, 2012 Share #9 Posted November 25, 2012 There are many abandoned stations in the NYC Subway system that could see new life as offices too, For example the upper part of the Myrtle Avenue Station could be turned into a 1 story office building. The lower Ninth Avenue Platform could be partially turned into an office. The City Hall Loop would make a good office too if the sound of the trains turning can be blocked. Perhaps you forgot but Ninth Ave lower got half axed for the extension to 10th... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TwoTimer Posted November 26, 2012 Share #10 Posted November 26, 2012 Perhaps you forgot but Ninth Ave lower got half axed for the extension to 10th... 9Av LL is in Brooklyn... I doubt down there will work anyway as many trains spewing diesel smoke turn down there, and is not that healthy to breathe, even with filters. etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grand Concourse Posted November 26, 2012 Share #11 Posted November 26, 2012 Perhaps you forgot but Ninth Ave lower got half axed for the extension to 10th... You mean the 8th Av lower level stop at 42nd, but even so, that was just a platform. What can you do with that? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TwoTimer Posted November 26, 2012 Share #12 Posted November 26, 2012 The idea was fixing up all these mezzanines and platforms, adding bathrooms, utility wiring and ventilation, and hopefully capture enough office space to render most if not all of TA's leased/rented space unnecessary, saving millions a year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grand Concourse Posted November 26, 2012 Share #13 Posted November 26, 2012 I can appreciate the logic of using unused space to save on the need to rent or lease a building to use, but I'm not sure how much work can be done when people have to deal with the rumbling sounds of a train above or around them. I mean if it's more the technical stuff [a mini 'workshop'], I can see them using used space for that, but not if it's office/paper work unless that's the kind of noise that doesn't bother them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
QM1to6Ave Posted November 26, 2012 Share #14 Posted November 26, 2012 I'm sure that some deaprtments could be moved to these mezzanine locations, and it would probably even make sense to move some departments that directly deal with the actual trains to be down there. But no executive would move there just because of the presentation factor. Good luck signing a multi-million dollar deal with some fancy company in those cafeteria-like rooms. And many employees in departments like payroll would be very unhappy to work in the subways. They expect to work in an office building. They did not sign up to be a T/O or C/R and likely do not want to work down there. Another issue is one we just dealt with: in the case of another massive storm that shuts down service (and yes, there will definitely be another storm), we can't have all of the MTA "offices" close down because the subway is shut down and floods out in many places, which would ruin the network infastructure. The MTA needs normal, above ground offices to work from like any other major company. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fresh Pond Posted November 26, 2012 Share #15 Posted November 26, 2012 Wait, so what's the story with 330 Jay St? Couldn't they still use that building? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FamousNYLover Posted November 27, 2012 Author Share #16 Posted November 27, 2012 Speaking off underground spaces, how did retail shops in Rockfeller Center ended up in underground like food places or Game Stop? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
N6 Limited Posted December 2, 2012 Share #17 Posted December 2, 2012 What about windows? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kamen Rider Posted December 2, 2012 Share #18 Posted December 2, 2012 how about climate control. The idea in function is sound, I worked for a year at the transit museum and half and about half the mezzinine has been converted to office space. I was kind weird walking through a modern looking office into a staircase to nowhere full of boxes, but that was part of the job. The problem is in doing something like this on the large scale is muilti part. #1 is acess to the offices, and i don't just mean wheelchairs (though that is an important point, they would need to provie such ammenities for such persions). They'e idea is to spread them out to any large stations with mezzinies. unforintly that would spead them out all over town. Right now they're clustered in 2 key areas. #2 enviroment. The museum was barable becuase the loudest nosie we had to deal with was a crowd of small kids since the trains for all intents and purposes never move. You ever try beaing on the phone, trying to seal a deal and have the to hold on for the Express to pass? I went to school a few blocks from LGA, and even with the windows closed, anything on the Maspeth approch bascily put a 7 second halt to learning. Then they're the vibrations. #3 greed. Lets face it, the TWU only is suggesting it so they can get the money instead. and I don't mean the workers, I mean the union entity. If they're making such a suggestion, how about they drop their little club house on the UWS and move into a station also... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vistausss Posted December 2, 2012 Share #19 Posted December 2, 2012 They can secure everything these days so that almost no noise comes into the offices... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kamen Rider Posted December 2, 2012 Share #20 Posted December 2, 2012 tell you what, you do my old job for week i july and see how you feel afterwards... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TwoTimer Posted December 3, 2012 Share #21 Posted December 3, 2012 I always thought the union presence should be mostly field-based, utilizing some of the offices for local chapter space, and having only a small building for training and updating in an more affordable but central area of the city that's convenient to get to by subway (instead of a lengthy walk for older folks from the at 66th). But that's just faction talking, the union has a strong presence at bus depots. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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