NEW YORK—A pair of well-known civic groups have come out in favor of moving Madison Square Garden from atop Penn Station to reconfigure the bustling Midtown hub.
Regional Plan Association and the Municipal Art Society are calling on city officials “to seize a unique opportunity this year to envision substantial changes to Penn Station, where overcrowded and grim public areas have plagued hundreds of thousands of daily commuters for nearly five decades,” according to an announcement.
More than 165,000 people come into and out of Penn Station every day, and that only accounts for the subway lines. State officials say it’s the busiest train station in the country.
Madison Square Garden received a special permit in 1963 for 50 years; the permit has expired. A land-use process has been triggered, in which the proposed renewal will go before Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer and the City Planning Commission, and ultimately the City Council. The permit renewal would likely give Madison Square Garden permanent rights to the area.
