Private building access sparks High Line debate.

Seven years after it was first conceived by community activists, The High Line project is finally underway. In the course of those years, community groups, property owners, developers and city, state and federal officials have had to make scores of complex deals, stands and compromises. Though crews are now tearing up track in preparation for development of phase one of the 1.5-mile elevated park on the West Side, consensuses on some issues are still being reached.

The next question up for debate: what to do about private access points to the park? Sitting atop defunct elevated freight tracks that actually go through several former factories in the Meat Packing District, the High Line by its very nature grays the line between public and private. Add to that the fact that several luxury residential complexes are now being built adjacent to the future park, and you have the makings for a debate.

On March 26, The New York Times reported that the Related Companies' 26-story Caledonia building, currently under development, would "have its own entrance to the planned High Line park from the second floor."

Park advocates and city officials say that plans for Caledonia's access point and those of others along the route have not yet been approved, but, as they have been with most things in the complicated project, they're open to compromise.

"The magical nature of the High Line is in large part due to its unique, disconnected nature. However, some access to and from adjacent private developments could add vitality and energy to the High Line open space. Our goal is to strike an appropriate balance," said Amanda Burden, director of the city's planning department. "It is of utmost importance to us that the High Line does not turn into a street or a mall and that it continues to be a unique public amenity that will benefit both residents and users of the High Line, inspiring some of the world's greatest architects and bringing immeasurable economic benefit to the city."

Certainly a street or mall atmosphere would run contrary to the sprit of the project. In their press materials, Friends of the High Line, the community group largely responsible for heroically pushing the project through (or perhaps twisting it around) myriad layers of bureaucracy, say that the park's designers "hope to capture the quiet contemplative nature of the High Line as it exists today, creating a world apart from the bustling streets of Manhattan."

But that doesn't mean Friends of the High Line are unwilling to consider additional entrances to the park from private buildings. Like the city, the group sees both potential benefits and potential disadvantages.

"Friends of the High Line has always seen one of the interesting points of the High Line is its relationship to the built environment around it," said Joshua David, co-founder of the organization. "What we want is different groups of park users from different aspects of the community coming at different times. That's what makes a park work. We recognize that private entrances could allow for that and that it has the potential for real benefit."

The current plans for phase one of the project, a stretch running from Gansevoort Street north to W20th, call for five Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant street-level access points. Friends of the High Line acknowledges that more access points could make the park more vibrant, but that doesn't mean they're without concern.

"What we don't want is [The High Line] to be attractive only to the people with private access," David said. "Any [private] connection has to create a benefit for the public at large and not just private property owners."

The city is currently considering possible solutions to the private access question. According to Jennifer Tortes of the city's planning department, the current thinking is that private access might be allowed for certain commercial enterprises or in cases where those wanting private access from their buildings also build a public access point nearby.

"Generally, main thrust is that, if a connection is desired, it must be two-way and provide some amenity to users of the High Line, such as a restaurant, store, or public access to the street below," Torres said.

With the first stretch of the High Line scheduled to open in 2008 and scores of building construction and renovation projects going on on the West Side, an answer to the private entrance question must come soon. If the project's complex and dynamic history tells us anything, it's that those involved will likely work something out--and likely without a moment to spare.