http://www.nydailynews.com/news/col/crichardson/story/468713p-394343c.html

Clem Richardson writes the City Beat and Great People columns. Prior to joining the Daily News in 1993, he worked for New York Newsday, the Miami Herald, the Chicago Sun-Times, the Atlanta Journal-Consitution and the Anderson Independent newspapers. The Duke University graduate is married and the father of two.
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42nd St. just for feet?

George Haikalis and Roxanne Warren

are promoting a plan to make 42nd St.

a pedestrian walkway.

It's hard to believe, when real estate along Manhattan's famed 42nd St. is already worth more than many entire towns, that closing the thoroughfare would make it even more valuable.
Roxanne Warren and George Haikalis are the minds behind the proposal to turn 42nd St. into a pedestrian walkway with a light rail line running its length.

Warren is an architect and author of the book "The Urban Oasis: Guideways and Greenways in the Human Environment" (McGraw-Hill, 1997). Haikalis is a civil engineer and transportation planner who for 19 years was research director of the Tri-State Regional Planning Commission.

They've spent seven years and about $500,000 in grant money pushing a plan - actually, trying to revive a plan - that would convert one of the city's most heralded streets into one of its most pedestrian-friendly.

"This would be a great thing for New York City," Warren said. "It's a win-win situation."

Haikalis is also president of the Institute for Rational Urban Mobility, a nonprofit he founded that tries to reduce traffic in New York City.

With the grant money from the New York Community Trust and other supporters, the meticulous duo conducted a raft of studies on everything from the cost of the light rail system to what utilities would have to be moved from beneath the street.

They found that the Dinkins administration had reviewed a similar proposal to close the street during its last year in office. That initiative was put on the back burner when David Dinkins lost the mayoralty to Rudy Giuliani.

Since 1999, Warren and Haikalis have given 227 presentations on their proposal to civic groups, politicians and journalists. They've also recruited a stellar group of supporters to sit on Vision42's advisory committee, including Dan Biederman, president of the Bryant Park Restoration Corp.; Douglas Durst, co-president of the Durst Corp.; Howard Milstein, chairman of Milstein Brothers Capital Partners, and the Daily News' own Sam (Gridlock Sam) Schwartz.

"I am for returning light rail to New York City streets," Schwartz said. "It would make the street far more exciting. This rail line would connect the United Nations and Tudor City with Grand Central, Times Square and the Javits Center. It would be wonderful for New York City."

"Closing" the street is not exactly accurate, since vehicles would still be allowed on avenues crossing 42nd. Trucks would have to park on the avenues while making deliveries to 42nd St. businesses.

The light rail line would be similar to those running in Houston. ("Houston is ahead of us!" Warren said.) It would stop at every corner and turn and run parallel to the FDR Drive south to E. 36th St. and the West Side Highway south to W. 39th St. to commuter ferry terminals.

Vision42's studies suggest the closure would be a boon to 42nd St. residences and businesses. Increased foot traffic would mean additional revenue for ground-floor businesses as well as mega-leaps in property values and tax revenue increases from both.

Studies suggest the first phase of the three-stage project would generate $527.4 million in annual benefits to the city in rent increases, reduced travel time and other savings. That would more than pay for the project's estimated total cost of $360 million to $510 million, Warren said.

Once complete, the project would provide annual economic and fiscal benefits of more than $1 billion, they said.

Warren and Haikalis said they have met with Bloomberg administration officials but not with the mayor or a deputy mayor. They say the administration is more focused on building the proposed Second Ave. subway and efforts to extend the No. 7 subway.

More information on the 42nd St. plan is available at the Web site www.vision42.org.

CROSSTOWN OR BUST!

Roxanne Warren began ruminating on the possibilities of a closed 42nd St. in July 1999 after her bus took a half-hour to travel from Third Ave. to Eighth Ave.

"I got back to my office and immediately called George [Haikalis]," she said.

Originally published on November 6, 2006