The big Essex Crossing development project is on schedule. But even as construction crews work to complete the first phase of the residential and commercial complex next year, there are obstacles to overcome. Here’s one of them.
The project sits above the MTA’s Delancey Street transportation hub. The city’s agreement with Delancey Street Associates, the development consortium, required the developers to provide easements for widened and relocated subway escalators on site 2 (Delancey and Essex streets). It also required an easement for a new MTA elevator on site 9 (where the current Essex Street Market is located.)
State Sen. Daniel Squadron, along with other elected officials, sent a letter to the MTA this week, urging the transit authority to make installation of both the escalator and elevator a high priority. “It is critical,” they wrote, “that the construction of the elevator and escalator proceed as quickly as possible. To ensure that the Lower East Side receives the transportation improvements required from the developer and the MTA, we request a meeting with the MTA, Delancey Street Associates, and the Essex Crossing Task Force to discuss the timeline for installation…”
The elevator easement, the letter noted, is not scheduled to be completed until the end of 2018.
