Penn Community Led Improvement Plan is a comprehensive planning initiative of Manhattan’s Community Board 5, to envision the future of the Penn Station neighborhood.
About
What is the PennCLIP?
The Penn Community Led Improvement Plan (PennCLIP) is a community led comprehensive planning initiative to reimagine the future of the Penn Station area. The planning process, being led by Manhattan CB5 will result in a shared Community Vision and Supporting Goals representative of the people who live, work, and visit the neighborhood. Over the coming months, CB5 will build on existing and planned projects and initiatives through active stakeholder and community input. Our initial outreach has highlighted three broad themes and desires that need immediate attention. We invite you to review these and share more in the community survey.
A 24-Hour Neighborhood
As a transportation hub for the entire region, the Penn Station neighborhood is an active place, bustling with commercial activity and commuters from 9 to 5. However, after work hours, most neighborhood streets are empty and offer little to its users. There is a strong desire for the neighborhood to remain vibrant, inviting, and safe beyond the 9 to 5 work hours. What are your ideas for a mixed-use neighborhood that can accommodate all income groups and promote a lively and inclusive atmosphere?
A Well-Managed Public Realm
Public Realm Trucks, cars, bikes, pedestrians, vendors, deliveries, volumes of event crowd and so much more! The Penn Station area streets are packed with much more than what an average street can hold and also double up as public spaces. But are the current needs in the neighborhood managed well? What would need to happen for the truck traffic and loading at Madison Square Garden, commuter traffic at Penn Station, crowd from the office towers, residents, visitors, and municipal functions such as sanitation to all co-exist?
History and Preservation
Not only does the neighborhood have many buildings of historic significance, being a gateway into New York City, it has many memorable places frequented by visitors and New Yorkers alike. Its streets, a doorway offering a peek at one of the world’s most iconic buildings – the Empire State – and doubling up as public plazas – Greeley and Herald Square – by the historic Macy’s building. How can new development enhance the experience of these places, both big and small, that have given the neighborhood its identity since its early years?
An aerial view of Pennsylvania Station with the Post Office building. New York, New York c. 1933 / Image Courtesy: Underwood Archives
Highlights
Nov – Dec 2023
Initial Stakeholder Outreach
The consultant team retained by CB5 engaged in conversations with civic groups, City and State agencies, and not-for-profits to gather their views on existing and planned projects + initiatives related to public realm, historic preservation, and land use.
Feb – Mar 2024
Community Survey
Manhattan CB5 has launched a community survey to gather feedback from a range of stakeholders who visit and live in the PennCLIP area. These include commuters, residents, workers, property or business owners, representatives of community organizations, tourists, and citizens. Please take the survey and help us frame key priorities and challenges facing the Penn Station Area today and in the coming years.
03/08/2024 & April/May 2024
Steering Committee Meetings
Manhattan CB5 has invited representatives from City and State agencies, not-for-profits, offices of elected officials, neighborhood associations, civic groups, and private property owners to join a Steering Committee for the PennCLIP Study. The Steering Committee will come together in two working sessions to reflect on consultants’ work and findings from the community survey, and brainstorm strategies to advance neighborhood planning for the PennCLIP area.
Plan & Resources
10/13/2023
PennCLIP Study Kick-Off
Manhattan CB5 retained a group of urban design and planning consultants including MUD Workshop, David Burney (Ex Commissioner, NYC Department of Design and Construction) and Geoffrey Wiener (Ex AVP of Planning, Columbia University) to conduct a neighborhood planning study for Penn Station neighborhood. The study will focus on developing strategies for a 24X7 neighborhood, public realm, and historic preservation.
Nov – Dec 2023
Stakeholder Outreach and Engagement
The consultant team retained by CB5 engaged in conversations with civic groups, City and State agencies, and not-for-profits to gather their views on existing and planned projects + initiatives related to public realm, historic preservation, and land use.
Feb – Mar 2024
Community Survey
Manhattan CB5 has launched a community survey to gather feedback from a range of stakeholders who visit and live in the PennCLIP area. These include commuters, residents, workers, property or business owners, representatives of community organizations, tourists, and citizens. Please take the survey and help us frame key priorities and challenges facing the Penn Station Area today and in the coming years.
03 / 08 / 2024
Steering Committee Meeting 1
Manhattan CB5 has invited representatives from City and State agencies, not-for-profits, offices of elected officials, neighborhood associations, civic groups, and private property owners to join a Steering Committee for the PennCLIP Study. The Steering Committee will come together in two working sessions to reflect on consultants’ work and findings from the community survey, and brainstorm strategies to advance neighborhood planning for the PennCLIP area.
April / May 2024
Steering Committee Meeting 2
Manhattan CB5 has invited representatives from City and State agencies, not-for-profits, offices of elected officials, neighborhood associations, civic groups, and private property owners to join a Steering Committee for the PennCLIP Study. The Steering Committee will come together in two working sessions to reflect on consultants’ work and findings from the community survey, and brainstorm strategies to advance neighborhood planning for the PennCLIP area.
Contact
Email office@cb5.org
Address
Manhattan Community Board 5,
450 Seventh Avenue, Suite 2109, New York, NY 10123