MTA Wants To Build Residential Development Over 61st St Tracks

SUNSET PARK, NY — The MTA wants to build a residential building on top of a stretch of freight rail line that runs along 61st Street. The project could have affordable and market-rate apartments with retail and office space, Hamodia first reported.

The agency released a request for proposals (RFP) last week to turn the 3.8-acre airspace above the Long Island Rail Road's Bay Ridge Freight Rail on 61st Street between Eighth and Fort Hamilton avenues into a mixed-used development, according to the agency.

The apartment buildings would have a platform over the tracks — which runs through Sunset Park, Bay Ridge, Dyker Heights and Borough Park — so the freight rail could remain operational after it's built, according to the RFP.

The project aims to fill in the need for housing in Sunset Park and Borough Park, fill in gaps for retail along Eight Avenue and provide revenue for the cash-strapped agency, according to the RFP.

The deadline to submit for the RFP is on April 27 and the MTA expects to choose a developer for the project in the beginning of 2019.

Image: MTA