Cooper Robertson prepared the urban design framework and a zoning plan for Hudson Yards, a forty-block new business district that is now New York City’s largest construction project with decking being built over 30 acres of rail yards. New York City has tried to expand Midtown westward to the Hudson River for over fifty years.

Four interconnected public components comprised the plan. First is the proposed expansion of the #7 subway to the center of the area, an essential ingredient to attract office uses. Second, an open space network throughout the forty blocks includes a mid-block street with developable parcels, two full-block parks adjacent to the Yards, and the elevated High Line to the south—all connected to Hudson River Park along the river. Third, the proposed Convention Center/Jets Stadium complex over the Yards. And fourth, new zoning which encourages more density and taller buildings towards the river. These public actions will create an expansive public realm and stimulate adjacent private development.

Cooper Robertson drafted the district zoning modifications to accommodate the plan’s components and attract private development. The City adopted the new zoning and and implementation, including the subway extension, is underway.