Hudson Yards Western Rail Yard
In June 2025, the New York City Council approved a $12 billion development plan for the Western Rail Yard in Manhattan’s Hudson Yards neighborhood.
AKRF prepared the CEQR Environmental Impact Statement for land use and zoning approvals to facilitate mixed-use development of the site.
We assessed two potential developments—a mixed-use development with residential, commercial, and gaming facility uses and an alternative scenario with commercial and residential development and no gaming facility. Both proposals assessed in the EIS included expansive public open space.
The Final EIS was issued in March 2025.
Subsequent to the FEIS, the developer of the gaming facility withdrew its application for consideration of a New York State gaming license and the Alternative Scenario was modified by the City Council to include more residential space, including substantially more affordable housing, in lieu of commercial office development at the site.
AKRF prepared a Technical Memorandum in May 2025 to assess the changes to the Alternative Scenario.
The modifications would increase the number of affordable housing units, among other changes. The project will include up to 4,000 new homes at the site, at least 625 of which will be permanently affordable units, along with 6.6 acres of public space, a K-8 school, and a daycare facility.
NEPA Environmental Review for the Platform and Encasement
AKRF also led the preparation of a NEPA Environmental Impact Statement for the Western Rail Yard platform with the Federal Railroad Administration serving as lead agency.
The program includes the construction of an encasement to preserve the right-of-way for the new Hudson Tunnel—an independent project being undertaken by Amtrak in three segments.
In 2021, the FRA certified the NEPA EIS and Section 4(f) Evaluation prepared by AKRF and issued a single document with a Record of Decision.
