Skip to Content
Streetsblog New York City home
Streetsblog New York City home
Log In
Alan Gerson

Houston Street Gets Tree-mendous New Sidewalks

houston_trees.jpg

We're just catching up to this piece of good news in The Villager last week:

With the Houston St. renovation project on the West Side finally nearing completion, we were pleasantly surprised to discover that the sidewalks between Sixth Ave. and W. Broadway on the street's south side have doubled in width. And, in an interesting twist, the existing trees were left in place - right in the middle of the pavement. Ian Dutton, vice chairperson of Community Board 2's Traffic and Transportation Committee, said this was not a mistake by the Department of Design and Construction. "People really expressed concern that trees were being destroyed needlessly in this project," Dutton said. "So I think that was D.D.C.'s way of preserving these trees."

Surprisingly, some people had expressed concern about widening the sidewalks. Dutton said Lucy and Leonard Cecere, who own a building at MacDougal and Houston Street, feared they'd have more snow to shovel in the winter, while Sean Sweeney, the Soho Alliance's director, thought wider sidewalks could become a "circus," attracting an influx of vendors and performers on top of the vendors who already congregate there under a deal with St. Anthony's Church.

But Dutton said he believes that only a path needs to be cleared in winter, not the entire sidewalk. "I think it has actually changed the mood of the street," Dutton said of the mid-pavement trees. "It almost feels like a European promenade."… Meanwhile, Councilmember Alan Gerson is still fuming at the Department of Transportation over the project's having narrowed traffic islands at pedestrian crossings heavily used by local senior citizens. "I am at my wit's end with this department," he declared at C.B. 2's meeting last Thursday.


Photo: Ian Dutton

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog New York City

On Christmas, Let’s Consider the Successes of the Livable Streets Movement

Here's a short, heartwarming film about the successes experienced this year by the livable streets movement.

December 25, 2024

And the Winners Are…: It’s Time for the 2024 Streetsie Awards!

Let's start our annual year in review series with a broad roundup of the heroes, scoundrels and debacles of 2024.

December 24, 2024

Tuesday’s Headlines: Green Christmas Edition

We got our Christmas presents early yesterday. Plus other news.

December 24, 2024

Congestion Pricing Dream Lives On After Two Judges Rule in MTA’s Favor

New York won two major victories in court on Monday after federal judges declined to put the skids on congestion pricing's Jan. 5 launch — and hinted that they don't think the lawsuits to stop the program will succeed.

December 23, 2024

Streetsblog Year in Review: The Biggest Sustainable Transport News of 2024

It was a busy year in the movement to end car dependency — and there's a lot more to come.

December 23, 2024
See all posts