On October 28, 2024, New York City Mayor Eric Adams announced the initial proposal for the Gansevoort Square project. The project includes utilizing Gansevoort Square, a City-owned site located on Little West 12th Street between Washington Street and 10th Avenue in Manhattan, for mixed-income housing, new public space, and expanding the Whitney Museum of American Art and the High Line.
This proposal was announced due to the new availability of the 66,000-square-foot space after the current Gansevoort meat market tenant elected to leave the site early. The initial proposal for this project includes utilizing the space for housing, public open space, and development that will be dedicated toward the expansion of the Whitney Museum of American Art. The goal is to build 600 mixed-income housing units and include up to 300 affordable units. There will be an 11,200-square-foot space dedicated to public space.
The project can potentially expand the Whitney Museum of American Art, including a new gallery, educational opportunities, and spaces dedicated to learning, and new High Line facilities. To gain community input, there will be conversations between the community members, Councilmember Bottcher, Community Board 2, and local partners.
The Gansevoort Square project is building on the vision New York Governor Kathy Hochul and Mayor Eric Adams have outlined in the Making New York Work for Everyone action plan. This action plan includes 40 proposals to transform New York City’s commercial districts to attract tourists.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams said, “We’re tackling generational, city-changing projects in all five boroughs, because our administration doesn’t shy away from challenges — we embrace them as opportunities to deliver for New Yorkers. Today, we’re thrilled to unveil our next big project — transforming 66,000 square feet at Gansevoort Square into 600 mixed-income housing units, a massive new open pavilion, and the city’s next cultural and artistic hub. The potential we have here is endless, and we’re excited to take the next steps towards turning our vision into a reality. I’m grateful to our partners at the Gansevoort Meat Market, Councilmember Bottcher, the Whitney, the High Line, and more with whom we’re embarking on this next chapter in Gansevoort Square’s history together.”
First Deputy Mayor Maria Torres-Springer said. “The new vision for Gansevoort Square is the type of exciting, forward-looking project our administration is known for and the exact kind of project we want our city to continue to dream up and deliver. In one area, we are delivering on much-needed affordable housing, creating more public space, and offering opportunities for two cultural icons to expand. This endeavor requires strong partnership amongst many stakeholders and is a multi-agency collaboration that shows government’s capacity to reinvent.”
By: Chelsea Ramjeawan (Chelsea is the CityLaw intern and a New York Law School student, Class of 2025.)