MAYOR ADAMS COMMITS TO BROADWAY VISION PLAN IN ‘STATE OF THE CITY’ ADDRESS

On January 26, New York City Mayor Eric Adams outlined a “Working People’s Agenda” in his second State of the City address, delivered at the Queens Theatre in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park. Mayor Adams’ agenda is built on four pillars that are essential to building a city that meets the needs of working New Yorkers and represents the focus of his administration’s work in 2023: jobs, safety, housing, and care.

Building on the “Making New York Work for Everyone” action plan released in December, Mayor Adams will make a game-changing $375 million investment to create extraordinary new public spaces and permanent Open Streets in all five boroughs which include the Broadway Vision plan to connect Madison Square to Greeley Square between 21st and 33rd Streets.

“We applaud Mayor Adams’ investment in the long-awaited reconstruction of the Flatiron Public Plazas and Worth Square and the Broadway Vision Plan in NoMad,” said James Mettham, President of the Flatiron NoMad Partnership. “These kinds of investments, as well as the Mayor’s plan to appoint a Director of the Public Realm, are critical to creating vibrant public spaces that support New Yorkers’ well-being and enhance our city’s economic and cultural vitality. We look forward to working with our public and private partners on advancing these projects that will firmly position Flatiron and NoMad as a model mixed-use, live-work, and resilient neighborhood at the heart of a better New York City.”

Broadway improvements, from 25th Street to 32nd Street, are planned for this year. These include public plazas, shared streets with pedestrian extensions and seating areas, and two-way bicycling connections through NoMad to Greeley and Herald Square. 

This also includes the capital reconstruction of the Flatiron North Plaza, which first opened in 2008, and Worth Square. The Flatiron Public Plazas were transformed from lanes of traffic into public space in September 2008. However, they are still constructed of interim materials (planters, paint, and epoxy gravel). Since 2015, the Flatiron NoMad Partnership and MSPC have been collaborating with DOT, NYC Dept. of Design & Construction (DDC), NYPD, FDNY, NYC Dept. of Environmental Protection (DEP), and members of the community, on the design of the permanent version of the Plazas and the adjacent Worth Square (between 24th and 25th Streets). DOT recently presented draft plans to the NYC Public Design Commission. We all look forward to furthering the permanent design and advocating for a swift permanent reconstruction upon design approval.

“The reimagining of Worth Square and the Flatiron Plazas will reclaim this long underutilized public land for people rather than cars,” said Holly Leicht, Executive Director of the Madison Square Park Conservancy. “Live-work neighborhoods that emphasize the importance of the public realm – which includes not just beautiful parks like ours, but also shared streets and pedestrian-and bike-friendly infrastructure – are increasingly not only what New Yorkers want, but what they demand. We are grateful to the Adams administration for championing the public realm, and we look forward to making our shared vision a reality.”

To read more on Mayor Adam’s Second State of the City Address, click here.