Penn Station vs Madison Square Garden [View all]

Nearly half a century after Madison Square Garden was built atop Pennsylvania Station, time may be running out for "the world's most famous arena." On Wednesday, the Garden's operators go before the City Planning Commission to renew the special permit that allows them to run the facility in the heart of Manhattan. MSG executives fully expect the permit to be renewed in perpetuity. But suddenly, it looks like that might not happen.

After decades of complaints about increasingly cramped conditions in Penn Station, a loose coalition of civic groups, transit advocates and political leaders is gaining traction in its efforts to force the Garden to move so that the station down in its basement can expand. In recent weeks, an effort to limit the permit to 10 years has been embraced by a group snowballing in size, ranging from The New York Times editorial page to Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer and some powerful builders.

"It is an extraordinarily critical site in the city, and it cannot continue to be used as is," developer Jonathan Rose said. His cousin Joe Rose, the former city planning commissioner, also supports moving the Garden.

The commission, which sources said had been leaning toward simply rubber-stamping MSG's request, may yet decide to add a time stamp to it. Whatever happens, this could well become the most titanic contest the Garden has seen since Ali vs. Frazier went into the history books there in 1971. .........................(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.crainsnewyork.com/article/20130407/REAL_ESTATE/304079966