NEW YORK CITY-The City Council, led by its Speaker Christine Quinn, voted on Wednesday to grant a 10-year special permit to Madison Square Garden, the home of the New York Knicks and New York Rangers that some call “the world's most famous arena.”
The deal significantly differs from what the MSG ownership had hoped for—a special use permit that would run in perpetuity.
“This is enough time to create and implement a plan for the future of the site and the area,” Quinn said a press conference prior to the council's vote. Quinn, who called for the 10-year special permit term last month, is asking Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Gov. Andrew Cuomo to launch a task force to work on relocating Madison Square Garden, according to Crain's New York Business. The move to limit the term of the special use permit is so the city can subsequently make needed improvements to Penn Station, located below the existing Madison Square Garden.
Madison Square Garden released a statement that did not address the Council's special permit vote. “We now look forward to the reopening of the arena in fall 2013, following the completion of our historic three-year, nearly billion-dollar transformation, which will ensure our future is as bright as our celebrated past,” a Garden spokesman stated. See story in Crain's New York Business.
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