Chapter 6: Social and Economic Conditions A. INTRODUCTION Social and economic conditions are defined for purposes of this document as those components of a community that influence its character. These conditions include its population, economic base, land uses and the public policies that support those land uses, important community and municipal facilities and parks, urban design, street grid and other structural features, and those elements, examined in other chapters in this FEIS, such as traffic, pedestrian conditions, and noise, which also contribute to neighborhood conditions. The introduction of a major new transit line will affect many of these components of neighborhood character, either temporarily (during construction) or permanently (during operation). This chapter assesses existing social and economic conditions in the study area, focusing on the characteristics of distinct neighborhoods. Future conditions common to both the No Build Alternative and Second Avenue Subway are presented. These are followed by a discussion of potential impacts during construction and during subway operations and a description of mitigation measures to ameliorate those potential significant adverse impacts. Please also see Appendix E for supporting details on social and economic conditions, including more information on existing conditions, photos and maps of the various station and activity areas, a zoning background, and methodologies for the various impact analyses. STUDY AREAS The project’s overall study area encompasses the portion of Manhattan east of Fifth Avenue from the Harlem River to 10th Street, east of Lafayette Street from 10th Street south to the Brooklyn Bridge, and all of Lower Manhattan south of Murray/Dover Streets from the East River to the Hudson River (see Figure 6-1). The overall study area’s boundaries were drawn to include those areas most likely to be affected in terms of land use and economic development as a result of construction and operation of a new Second Avenue Subway service, including the area that would be served by the new service that would operate on the Broadway Line. Within this larger area are six “neighborhood zones,” each with particular land use and socioeconomic characteristics. Within these zones the areas surrounding stations or likely construction sites were also examined in the impact analysis; the detailed descriptions of these neighborhood zones can be found in Appendix E. Also assessed is a “secondary” study area, the West Side neighborhood zone, located in the immediate vicinity of the Broadway alignment. (The shape of this secondary study area is dictated by the fact that the Broadway Line travels beneath Broadway, which generally extends on a diagonal across Manhattan south of 59th Street.) Some minor construction will be needed on the Broadway Line, to allow express service to be extended to the Upper East Side and East Harlem. The existing Broadway Line would see an increase in service as well. In addition, the analysis examines the areas around train storage yards for which changes have been proposed. 6-1 Second Avenue Subway FEIS B. EXISTING CONDITIONS OVERVIEW OF LAND USE AND EMPLOYMENT IN MANHATTAN The overall study area, the most densely developed urban core in the United States, contains the nation’s first and third-largest Central Business Districts (CBD), world-class medical institutions and museums, and a number of lively residential neighborhoods, from East Harlem in the north to Battery Park City in the south, as described in more detail, below. As one of the largest cities in the world, New York City is a major employment center and hosts the headquarters of many national and international corporations. Manhattan, the principal engine for the city’s economy, is home to many of the world’s leading financial, cultural, medical, and communications employers, and includes the nation’s largest CBD in Midtown Manhattan. Both the Lower Manhattan CBD, (the nation’s third-largest CBD) and the Midtown CBD are within the area that would be served by the Second Avenue Subway. As the destination point for most of the city’s 38 million annual visitors, Manhattan also boasts a large tourism industry.1 In terms of overall economic output, the city as a whole produced $348.1 billion in 2001, representing over 3.4 percent of the nation’s gross domestic product ($10,208.1 billion) during that year.2 In contrast, New York City represents only 0.01 percent of the nation’s land area. Over the last four decades, Manhattan has generally retained a fairly constant level of private sector employment (close to 2 million jobs), but its industrial composition has changed dramatically. Following a broader trend that has been experienced in cities across the nation, Manhattan’s manufacturing base began to decline steadily after World War II. These losses were compensated by a corresponding growth in the finance, insurance, and real estate (FIRE) and service sectors. Service sector employment grew by 129 percent between 1960 and 2000. Among the reasons for this growth are that within the service sector, vertical expansion is not a deterrent to business (as it is with manufacturing jobs), and Manhattan and the rest of New York City offer excellent access to mass transit. EAST HARLEM EAST HARLEM NEIGHBORHOOD CHARACTERISTICS East Harlem is a moderate-density, largely residential area with some industrial uses concentrated at its northern end and a growing commercial area concentrated on 125th Street (see Figure 6-2). The housing structures vary from four- to six-story tenements and row houses built on narrow lots to high-rise public housing developments built on superblocks surrounded by open areas. The spaces throughout the superblocks and the predominance of lower-height buildings elsewhere give a general feeling of openness with substantial views of the sky and promote a high level of activity. Neighborhood commercial uses and ground-floor retail space line the north-south avenues and the major crosstown streets at 125th, 116th, 106th, and 96th Streets as well. East 125th Street has seen a major retail revitalization in recent years, with the addition of several large retail stores, forming a more regional retail spine. 1 http://www.nycvisit.com/content, May 20, 2002. 2 New York City Comptroller’s Office, May 20, 2002. 6-2 Chapter 6: Social and Economic Conditions Although there are some derelict buildings, vacant ground-floor retail spaces, and empty lots in East Harlem, there are also signs of new residential and commercial investment, consistent with the area’s public policies. The southern portion of East Harlem, focused on 106th Street, is considered Spanish Harlem. Many retail stores in the area cater to this ethnic community. In contrast, the northeastern corner of East Harlem contains mostly transportation and industrial uses, including bus facilities and surface parking lots, with little pedestrian traffic. This corner of East Harlem has several transportation arterials, including approaches to the Willis and Third Avenue Bridges, numerous approaches to the Triborough Bridge, the Harlem River Drive, and the FDR Drive along the riverfront. The viaduct for Metro-North trains runs down the center of Park Avenue. The structure forms a barrier in East Harlem, particularly below 106th Street, where streets must tunnel under its low, stone base. The change in character on either side of the viaduct is clear. The area to the east is part of East Harlem. To the west, south of 110th Street, large luxury apartment buildings that line Fifth Avenue are interspersed with mansions from an earlier era. This section contains many of the neighborhood’s regional community facilities, such as the Museo del Barrio, the Museum of the City of New York, and the Mount Sinai Medical Center. To the east is Metropolitan Hospital Center, at Second Avenue and 97th Street. Neighborhood amenities include Central Park on the west and several well-kept community gardens and various historic structures to the east. There are numerous community facilities1 along the Second Avenue corridor itself, many of which cater to the nearby residents (see Figures 6-3). Most are schools and religious institutions or organizations providing social services, such as educational assistance and legal aid.2 EAST HARLEM POPULATION AND EMPLOYMENT As shown in Table 6-1, approximately 116,400 people live in the East Harlem neighborhood zone, according to the 2000 Census. This population of East Harlem is overwhelmingly minority (93 percent). East Harlem is also a low-income community, with 36 percent of its households living in poverty. (For more information, see Chapter 18, “Environmental Justice.”) East Harlem contained approximately 23,200 private sector jobs in 2000. About 80 percent were service jobs, namely health and social services, followed by education and automotive services. Notable employers include Mount Sinai Medical Center and Metropolitan Hospital Center. (Metropolitan Hospital Center is a public hospital operated by the City’s Health and Hospitals Corporation. Therefore, employment by this organization is not reflected in the table. However, hospital representatives indicate that the hospital currently employs 2,471 workers. 3) Between 1990 and 2000, the area’s total private sector employment grew substantially by 4,171 jobs, or about 22 percent. This growth was primarily fueled by the retail trade and service sectors. Retail 1 For purposes of this analysis, community facilities are defined as schools, City parks under