2ND AVE SUBWAY HORROR

> GOOD EVENING.

WELCOME TO 'METROFOCUS.'

FOR DECADES, TALK OF THE SECOND AVENUE SUBWAY SEEMED TO BE JUST THAT.

TALK THAT CHANGED WHEN IT BROKE GROUND IN 2007 AND THEN AGAIN WHEN THE AUTHORITY WAS NUDGE.

THE TRANSIT AGENCY IS NOT PLANNING TO STOP THERE EITHER.

IT IS PART OF THE NEXT PHASE, THE SUBWAY IS SUPPOSED TO HEAD FURTHER UP SECOND AVENUE THROUGH EAST HARLEM THROUGH EAST 125th STREET.

THE MAN'S COULD PUT HUNDREDS OF WORKERS OUT OF A JOB AND DISPLACE DOZENS OF TENANTS.

THE CITY, THE NEW NONPROFIT NEWS OUTLET, RECENTLY TOOK A CLOSER LOOK AT THAT POSSIBILITY IN A PIECE TITLED, EMINENT DOMAIN PUTS LOCALS ON EDGE.

RACHEL HOLIDAY SMITH JOINS US NOW.

THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME.

YOU WRITE ACCORDING TO MTA PLANS, THE SECOND PHASE OF THE SUBWAY EXPANSION SHOULD BE DONE THAT I 2029.

HOW REALISTIC AT THAT?

A BIT OF A TOUGH SELL.

THAT'S ACCORDING TO THE MOST RECENT DESIGN.

THAT WOULD REQUIRE THEM TO TART WORK BY THE END OF THIS YEAR.

THAT WILL BE PRETTY TOUGH FOR THEM TO HIT.

THAT'S THE IDEA.

2029.

SO THAT'S NOT REALISTIC.

WE WERE TALKING BEFORE YOU GOT HERE.

THE LIKELIHOOD UNLESS SOMETHING HAPPENS UNEXPECTED, THIS EXPANSION WILL HAPPEN?

I THINK THAT'S SAFE TO SAY.

UNLESS THERE IS CATASTROPHIC FUNDING ISSUE.

IN THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION ERA, THAT COULD HAPPEN BUT THE MTA IS VERY SERIOUS ABOUT MAKING THIS HAPPEN AND THIS IS THE SECOND PHASE.

THERE IS A THREE AND FOUR THAT GOES ALL THE WAY DOWN.

AND WE'LL TRY TO TALK ABOUT IT AS IT GOES DOWN.

CAN YOU EXPLAIN IN SOME DETAIL?

WHAT THIS EXPANSION IS PLANNING TO BUILD?

YES.

FOLKS ARE PROBABLY FAMILIAR WITH THE STATIONS UP TO 96th STREET RIGHT NOW.

THIS WOULD ADD HUGE TRAIN STOPS ON 106th AND THEN CURVE OVER WHERE THE METRO NORTH STOP IS NOW.

YOU TOOK A CLOSE LOOK AT THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE WHO COULD BE OUT OF A JOB AS A RESULT OF THIS EXPANSION.

AND PEOPLE WHO COULD BE OUT OF A HOME BECAUSE OF THE APARTMENTS.

THE NUMBERS ARE PRETTY STAGGERING AND THEY'RE QUITE A BIT MORE.

IT IS LOOKING LIKE MORE THAN 500 WORKERS MAY BE DISPLACED, MEANING THE BUILDINGS THEY'RE IN NOW WHERE THEY WORK WILL BE REPLACED BY WHAT I SAID.

SPRANSS, EXITS, AND 140 TENANTS WHO, THE MTA HAS IDENTIFIED LIVES IN THESE SAME AREAS OR BUILDINGS OR PROPERTIES.

I SHOULD SAY, THOSE ARE PRETTY BIG NUMBERS.

BUT THE MTA WILL SAY THOSE MAY BE TWEAKED SLIGHTLY.

THIS IS A LIKELY PLAN THAT THEY HAVE.

THEY HAVE IDENTIFIED THESE PROPERTIES.

THERE IS NOT A FINAL DESIGN YET FOR THE WHOLE PROJECT.

BUT THIS IS AN ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT THAT WAS APPROVED LAST FALL BY THE FEDS.

AS I WAS TALKING TO PEOPLE IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD, PEOPLE WHO DIDN'T GET INTO THE STORY THEMSELVES, THEY WERE SAYING, OH, MY BPODEGA WILL BE GONE?

AND PEOPLE LIVING ACROSS THE STREET ARE CONCERNED.

PEOPLE ON 125th WHO DO QUALITY OF LIFE ARE CONCERNED ABOUT WHERE THE WILL GO.

SO THE PEOPLE WHO MAY BE AFFECTED BY THE SECOND PHASE, HOW DO THEY FEEL ABOUT HOW THE MTA HAS DWELT THE PROCESS?

I WOULD SAY OVERALL, THEY'RE PRETTY UPSET AND THEY FEEL A BIT IN THE DARK.

ESPECIALLY WHEN IT COMES TO THE TEN ANTS, THE COMMERCIAL TENANTS, PEOPLE WHO OWE BUSINESSES, APARTMENT DWELLERS.

THEY HAVEN'T BEEN GIVEN ANY NOTIFICATION ABOUT THE POSSIBILITY THAT THEIR BUILDING WILL BE REPLACED.

THE PROPERTY OWNERS, I'VE TALKED TO A COUPLE OF THEM WHO HAVE GOTTEN LETTERS WHO SAY THIS IS A POSSIBILITY THAT IT WAS SOMETIME LASTIER.

WHETHER THEY IS SIGN A LEASE OR NOT.

IF THEY SHOULD TRY SELL THEIR BUSINESS AND GET OUT.

THERE'S NO WAY TO KNOW.

HAS THE MTA OPENED AN INFORMATION CENTER?

THEY HAVE.

ANYONE WITH QUESTIONS CAN GO THERE?

YES.

SOME OF THE FOLKS WHO HEARD RUMORS, BEFORE I SPOKE TO THEM.

THEY DID GO TO THAT STORE FRONT.

AND THE MTA HAS TOLD ME THEY OPENED UP THE STORE FRONT BECAUSE IN THE FIRST PHASE, THERE WAS NOT A PLACE PEOPLE COULD GET READILY ACCESSIBLE INFORMATION.

SO THEY SAID WE'LL HOPE THE FROM THE BEGINNING.

YOU CAN WALK IN AND GET AS MUCH INFORMATION AS YOU CAN.

BUT NOT A LOT OF INFORMATION ABOUT WHAT ENGINEERING WILL GO ON.

AND THE GENERAL TIME LINE.

ARE WE GOING TO TAKE YOUR BUILDING AND REPLACE WITH IT A VENTILATION SHAFT.

THEY CAN'T SAY THAT YET.

SO WHAT COMPENSATION IS THERE FOR BUSINESSES OR PROPERTY OWNERS WHO HAVE TO GIVE UP THEIR PROPERTY TO THE MTA?

IS THERE ANY COMPENSATION FOR TENANT WHO'S MAY LOSE THEIR APARTMENTS?

THE LAW DOES PROTECT THE PROPERTY OWNERS.

THEY WILL GET COMPENSATED, PAID OUT BY THE MTA AND THEN THE TENANTS, IT IS TRICKY.

COMMERCIAL OWNERS, THEY'LL HAVE MORE RIGHT TO GET COMPENSATION FOR THE DISRUPTION OF THE BUSINESS AND HOW MUCH THAT'S WORTH.

AN ATTORNEY WHO WORKS IN EMINENT DOMAIN REPRESENTS FOLKS IN THE UPPER EAST SIDE.

IT SAYS RESIDENTIAL TENANTS HAVE VERY LITTLE CLAIM TO GET ANY COMPENSATION.

IT WILL BE ROUGH FOR THOSE APARTMENT DWELL HERE'S ARE IN THAT AREA.

THEY GET RELOCATION COSTS.

THIS MIGHT BE THE LAST QUESTION.

DID YOU SPEAK TO ANYONE WHO THOUGHT THIS MIGHT BE A GOOD IDEA?

THAT'S A GOOD QUESTION.

NOT UNEQUIVOCALLY.

YES, THIS IS GREAT.

THEY'RE GOING TO TAKE MOY BUILDING.

BUT THERE WERE PEOPLE IN THE BUILDINGS WHO SAID THIS IS REALLY BAD FOR ME.

THIS WILL DISRUPT MY LIFE BUT I GET THIS IS A GOOD THING FOR EAST HARLEM OVERALL.

IT IS A TRANSIT NEIGHBORHOOD AND IT HAS BEEN FOR YEARS AND YEARS.

SO WHAT DOES THE MTA SAY THAT WILL HAPPEN POSITIVELY TO THIS AREA AS A RESULT?

RIGHT.

THEY SAY THE SAME THINGS.

THEY SAY THIS IS SOMETHING WE'VE BEEN WORKING ON FOR GENERATIONS.

THEY REALLY WANT TO BRING IT AS SOON AS POSSIBLE TO EAST HARLEM.

THEY ACKNOWLEDGE THAT IT WILL NEGATIVELY AFFECT THEM.

THIS IS A CONTINUING STORY AND WE'LL BRING YOU BACK TO GIVE US UPDATES.

THANK YOU SO MUCH.