Madison Square Garden is getting evicted

[BreeddekalbL]

That's right, "The World's Most Famous Arena," the site of Ali-Frazier I and II, the Knicks and Rangers' first professional championship victories, the Big East tournament and numerous other famous and historic sporting events, has been told to pack up and move out.

Luckily, James Dolan, the owner of the Garden, along with the Knicks and Rangers, will have ten years to find a new place to move into.

According to the New York Times, The New York City Council notified the arena that it has 10 years to vacate its 45-year-old premises and find a new home, the Garden’s fifth since it opened in 1879.

Officials believe the ten-year window should provide enough time for the Garden to o find a new location and for the city to devise plans for an expanded Pennsylvania Station, which is located below the arena.

This comes at an interesting time, as the Garden expects to finish a $968-million renovation project this fall.

http://www.sportingnews.com/sport/story/2013-07-24/madison-square-garden-eviction-notice-letter-msg-new-york-knicks-rangers

 

Madison Square Garden, home to the Knicks, the Rangers, the Ice Capades, the circus and the “Fight of the Century” between Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier in 1971, received an eviction notice of sorts on Wednesday.

 

The New York City Council notified the arena that it has 10 years to vacate its 45-year-old premises and find a new home, the Garden’s fifth since it opened in 1879.

By a vote of 47 to 1, the Council voted to extend the Garden’s special operating permit for merely a decade — not in perpetuity, as the owners of the Garden had requested, or 15 years, as the Bloomberg administration had intended.

Ten years should be enough time, officials said, for the Garden to find a new location and for the city to devise plans for an expanded Pennsylvania Station, which currently sits below the Garden, and the redevelopment of the surrounding neighborhood.

“This is the first step in finding a new home for Madison Square Garden and building a new Penn Station that is as great as New York and suitable for the 21st century,” said Christine C. Quinn, the City Council speaker. “This is an opportunity to reimagine and redevelop Penn Station as a world-class transportation destination.”

Ms. Quinn renewed her call for the creation of a commission to devise the plans.

Civic leaders and some developers have long sought to rebuild Penn Station, a cramped and crowded maze for the more than 500,000 people a day who traverse it. But doing so would be an enormously complicated, multibillion-dollar undertaking that has foiled officials in the past. And anything can happen in the next 10 years, including several elections for mayor and governor.

James L. Dolan, who controls the Garden, the Knicks and the Rangers, offered a low-key response to the news that barely acknowledged the 10-year deadline. Mr. Dolan expects to complete this fall a $968 million overhaul of the Garden, which has been closing in its off-seasons to accommodate the work.

“Madison Square Garden has operated at its current site for generations, and has been proud to bring New Yorkers some of the greatest and most iconic moments in sports and entertainment,” Mr. Dolan’s company said in a statement issued Wednesday afternoon. “We now look forward to the reopening of the arena in the fall of 2013.”

Mr. Dolan announced the latest renovation of the Garden in 2008, just after the last $14 billion effort to move the Garden and transform the train station collapsed amid a severe recession, insufficient financing, an absence of political leadership and overreaching by the developers selected for the job.

Late last year, the Regional Plan Association and the Municipal Art Society used the Garden’s application for an extension of its permit to resurrect the idea. The Bloomberg administration recommended a 15-year extension. But that city proposal also allowed the city’s Planning Department to further extend the permit if officials failed to come up with plans for a new station, and the Garden and the transit operators agreed on a plan for improved access to the station.

“Our goal from the outset was to improve Penn Station. In fact, our proposal would have required government leaders to come together and develop a plan to do just that,” said Julie Wood, a spokeswoman for Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg.

Critics derided the Bloomberg administration for including what they described as a loophole. Ms. Quinn, who is a Democratic candidate for mayor, called instead for a firm 10-year extension. Bill de Blasio and John C. Liu, two other candidates, also called on the Garden to move. Joseph J. Lhota, a Republican candidate and a former executive at the Garden, and William C. Thompson Jr., a Democrat, backed the Garden.

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/25/nyregion/madison-square-garden-is-told-to-move.html?_r=1&

 

 

Here we go... for the sake of restoring penn station to it's former glory...   

[Tokkemon]

About time. Please, for the sake of all of Manhattan, demolish that stupid circle and build a real train station (none of this Post Office crap). Maybe they can relocate the arena to the West Side Yards? Or (lord forbid) the Meadowlands?! 

[Orion VII 4 Life]

Now this makes me wonder if NJ Transit will continue with their project for their new station in the Post Office, or continue as a tenant in the new Penn Station.

About time. Please, for the sake of all of Manhattan, demolish that stupid circle and build a real train station (none of this Post Office crap). Maybe they can relocate the arena to the West Side Yards? Or (lord forbid) the Meadowlands?! 

The Post Office project is being overseen and will be owned and operated exclusively by NJ Transit. Amtrak and the LIRR would continue to share Penn if the project goes through.

[GojiMet86]

So they spent that much money to rehab it, only for them to get kicked out. What a waste.

[drumz0rz]

Unfortunately, there is always the option to extend, and you bet that after spending almost $1,000,000,000 in renovations, their lawyers will be fighting hard to extend that.

 

I can't wait for that eye score to disappear. I think it's the ugliest structure in the city. Worse than that enormous Verizon building on the east side.

[bobtehpanda]

It's not getting "kicked out". It's getting a temporary permit instead of a permanent one. There's a difference.

 

They can get this permit renewed, and if they don't, they still own the property, they just can't do anything with the arena. The City or whatever agency looking to rebuild Penn would have to still buy the land. Nothing has changed.

 

 

So they spent that much money to rehab it, only for them to get kicked out. What a waste.

 

To be quite honest, it'll be outdated once again within ten years, especially against competition like Barclays and Prudential.

[MHV9218]

So they spent that much money to rehab it, only for them to get kicked out. What a waste.

 

The owners are a**holes, and one of the reasons they rehabbed it was to use the work as a bargaining chip; "can't kick us out, we just fixed it."

 

Personally can't wait until they're out of there and maybe one day we can just demolish Penn Station as we know it...hopefully in my lifetime.

[mfs NJT459]

WOW... Penn Station is so convenient for concert-goers and sports fans by subway and rail... Wonder which subway lines will the new MSG be near

[tun]

Demolish the Javits Center, build MSG there, and put the convention center somewhere in Queens.

 

The Dolans can redevelop a beautiful water front property along with their new arena.

 

The new arena can be served by the 7 train extension which will be more convenient for Metro-North riders as well as people using the Lexington Ave Line.

 

Fans using Penn Station can just walk the 3 blocks to and from Penn.

[LIRR 154]

The worst mistake Dolan did was fighting against the West Side Stadium. The city really wants to redo Penn just in time for the Hudson Yard project.If the stadium was built I don't think they would of have to move. Penn would have not only would of been a transportation hub for commuters but also a major sports and recreation hub as well.

[Minato ku]

Good news, it is time to have a bright and majestic Penn station again.

[aemoreira81]

The owners are a**holes, and one of the reasons they rehabbed it was to use the work as a bargaining chip; "can't kick us out, we just fixed it."

 

Personally can't wait until they're out of there and maybe one day we can just demolish Penn Station as we know it...hopefully in my lifetime.

 

The real reason for renovation was to keep the tax break...MSG has not paid property taxes since 1982.

[Grand Concourse]

I don't like the Dolans either, but there is no way they are going to just get evicted after a $1billion renovation. Maybe after 30 years like with the old Yankees stadium, but not 10 years... As for moving MSG to where the Javits center is, that sounds interesting, but I'm still not too sold on having the convention center in Queens. Sure that is close to the airport and has the space, but the whole point of a convention center in NY is to be in NY and Manhattan is where most of the attractions are. Otherwise it is nothing special over having it in some other city, imo.

[drumz0rz]

I agree. I actually think keeping the Javits Center where it is, is important. Let's not forget we just spent $463,000,000 of our Tax-payer dollars to fix it up. Who cares how much Mr. Dolan loses, giving him the Javits center is like robbing all of us. And we'd still have to pay him! (for Penn's air-rights). I say toss the garden out to queens like all the other sports complexes. The Yankees, Mets, Nets, horse racing, Tennis, (Jets and Giants, Red Bulls, Devils, Islanders), tennis all seem to do fine out there.