The Meatpacking Business Improvement District released a blueprint for changes it would like to see to make way for more pedestrians and cycling.

“People use to not regularly be here and now tons of foot traffic is coming to the neighborhood,” said Meatpacking BID Executive Director Jeffrey LeFrancois.

What You Need To Know

  • Proposed improvements include condensing wide streets, which allow for double parking, by extending sidewalks to make way for foot traffic

  • According to the BID, the area’s seen foot traffic more than double over the last couple years due, in part, to the completion of Little Island

  • The blueprint must still be approved by the City Council

With congestion pricing set to start by the end of next year, LeFrancois said current traffic patterns will no longer meet the needs of the city.

“Eighty percent of the space outside is dedicated to the vehicle, and given the volume of pedestrians that we have, we want to begin to shrink that number,” LeFrancois said.

Proposed improvements include condensing wide streets, which allow for double parking, by extending sidewalks to make way for foot traffic.

The BID also wants to add protected bike lanes and plaza areas for visitors.

According to the BID, the area’s seen foot traffic more than double over the last couple years due, in part, to the completion of Little Island.

“The whole point of this plan is that we can effectuate this plan quickly while at the same time planning for a long-term, more permanent change in the neighborhood,” LeFrancois said.

LeFrancois said people should start seeing small changes in the next couple of years, along with the BIDs plans for more long-term capital projects.

The blueprint must still be approved by the City Council.