When the New York City Council voted Thursday to extend the arena's special contract for another five years, Madison Square Garden will remain in place for another five years, with the understanding that MSG will increase its efforts to improve Penn Station. .
The council voted 48-0 to extend the special permit, originally granted in 1963, for 50 years and for another 10 years in 2013.
The garden applied for an indefinite extension of the permit.
The approval, which allows MSG to host events of more than 2,500 people, comes as New York state and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority show progress on an $8 billion renovation of Penn Station beneath the arena. The MTA pressured the MCA to cooperate with Penn State's redevelopment plans and asked the city legislature for approval.
As a condition of renewing the permit, the CG must now prepare a “traffic management plan” that outlines how charging operations will disrupt pedestrian and vehicular traffic in the arena.
And in 2028, MSG will have to prove to the City Council again why it can stay at its current location between 31st and 33rd Streets and 7th and 8th Streets.
“Today, the City Council represents the voice of millions of New Yorkers who are dissatisfied with the current state of Penn Station,” said Councilman Eric Boettcher before the vote. “By granting a five-year special permit for Madison Square Garden, we are now setting a timeline that will help engage all stakeholders in the renewal of Penn Station.”
CG representatives did not immediately respond to a request for comment. When the city council announced plans for a five-year extension last month, a CHG spokesman called it a “short-term move that will further fuel the city’s decline.”
“Short-term special permits serve no one and undermine the redevelopment of Penn Station and the surrounding area,” a CHG spokesperson said.
Alfonso Castillo has written for Newsday since 1999 and has covered transportation since 2008. He grew up in the Bronx and Queens and currently lives in Valley Stream with his wife and two sons.
