Thank you to everyone who signed the Trains Before Towers petition against the Penn Plan.
As fellow New Yorkers, we need your help to stop this plan.
This afternoon, Wednesday, July 27, the Public Authorities Control Board (PACB) will meet to vote on the Penn Plan.
We need additional public hearings on the Penn Plan. The current version of the Penn Plan does not guarantee station upgrades will be made, or who will pay for them.
Here is what you can do.
- Call Gov. Hochul’s office at 1-518-474-8390. If nobody answers, make sure to leave a message.
- Send a pre-written a message. It only takes a few seconds. All you have to do is follow the instructions at the bottom of this note. It will take less than a minute. You can edit the message to personalize it if you wish.
Please send a message and make the call. Don’t miss your chance to make your voice heard.
Best,
The Trains Before Towers Team
EMAIL MESSAGE TO SEND TO ELECTED OFFICIALS:
Send to: gov.hochul@chamber.state.ny.gov, Robert.Mujica@budget.ny.gov, Paulin@nysassembly.gov, comrie@nysenate.gov, GiglioJ@nyassembly.gov
hoylman@nysenate.gov, krueger@nysenate.gov, scousins@nysenate.gov
speaker@nysassembly.gov, GottfriedR@nysassembly.gov, info@manhattanbp.nyc.gov, District3@council.nyc.gov empirestation@esd.gov
jackson@nysenate.gov, stephen.gardner@amtrak.com
Subject Line: I Do Not Support Gov. Hochul's Penn Project.
Email:
I am writing to you because I am alarmed by the lack of financial transparency around the Penn Project, and I am urging members of the Public Authorities Control Board to vote no on the Penn Project.
There are too many unanswered questions, and the people of New York deserve to fully understand all aspects of the plan and the financial risks it poses to us as taxpayers.
I read in the New York Times that this plan is giving real estate developers an estimated $1.2 billion in tax breaks" to construct ten skyscrapers around the Penn Station area with the idea they will use the profits from those building to upgrade Penn Station.
But there doesn’t seem to be any guarantee from the developers to do so.
What if the developers don’t make a profit? What is the point of the tax break to developers if they are under no obligation to make station upgrades?
I am also unclear about how much this project will cost. I read that if developers don’t pay for upgrades then it’s going to cost $3-$6 billion dollars in New York State taxpayers’ money. Who is this plan really for?
It would be beneficial to create a public forum to give everyday New Yorkers like me the opportunity to ask questions from our elected officials directly and share our thoughts and concerns.
I understand Penn Station needs to be revitalized, but there's no guarantee of that happening with what Gov. Hochul is proposing without financially burdening the people of New York while developers reap all of the benefits.
I hope the Public Authorities Control Board will vote no to the Penn Project and work on creating a plan for Penn Station that benefits the people and is fully transparent.