Downtown satellite would anchor southern end of High Line. On August 11, 2008, the City Planning Commission approved the Whitney Museum’s plan to build a six-story, 175,000-sq.ft. building at 555 West Street in the West Village of Manhattan. The proposal includes 50,000 sq.ft. for new indoor exhibits, 97,400 sq.ft. for museum support facilities, and 27,600 sq.ft. for a maintenance and operational facility at the southern terminus of the High Line elevated park. The site is bounded by Gansevoort Street, Tenth Avenue, Little West 12th Street, and Washington Street, just outside the Gansevoort Historic District.

In order to facilitate the new development, the Commission approved four applications without modification: disposition of City-owned property to the NYC Economic Development Corporation for eventual sale to the Whitney, site selection and acquisition of the High Line facility for the Department of Parks and Recreation, a special permit allowing museum use in an M1- 5 district, and a zoning text amendment that allows height and setback modifications to accommodate the Renzo Piano design. (more…)