The MTA is laying the groundwork to use eminent domain to acquire 18 properties in the Bronx and Westchester that are key to clearing the way for a $3 billion extension of the Metro-North Railroad to Penn Station.
The MTA’s board Wednesday approved Metro-North’s plans to acquire more than a dozen properties, mostly parking lots and low-rise commercial buildings, in the western Bronx and New Rochelle through negotiations with property owners, and if those talks fail, to take the parcels through eminent domain.
The land is needed to build new rail infrastructure and stations in the Bronx — in Co-op City, Morris Park, Parkchester and Hunts Point — and transit officials are eager to “lessen the potential for future delays” to the megaproject, according to MTA documents. The Metro-North extension, known as Penn Station Access, is already grappling with delays transit officials say will likely push its completion date from 2027 to at least 2028, largely due to challenges with accessing Amtrak-owned track for construction. Amtrak declined to comment.
“For a project of this magnitude, the MTA may not be able to reach agreements with all property owners and will be compelled to acquire some property interests through eminent domain,” state an MTA document on the land acquisition. If need be, the authority is preparing to use eminent domain to get control of the land to reduce the possibility of project delays “if agreements cannot be negotiated in a timely manner,” according to the document.
Of the properties, 10 lots are peppered near track in New Rochelle with eight other parcels spread along track throughout the western Bronx. A variety of LLCs own the land, which are mostly used for parking or feature low-rise commercial buildings. The MTA declined to say what it has budgeted to potentially buy the sites, but Wednesday’s board vote on the plan pressures landlords to come to the table and gives the authority leverage over the property owners.
Transit officials are cobbling the land together to create a new Metro-North route that will allow trains to travel from New Rochelle and through the Bronx along the Amtrak-owned Hell Gate Line before terminating at Penn Station. The new connection is poised to be a major shift for Metro-North travelers by shaving up to 50 minutes of commuting time for riders coming from suburbs north of the city and from southern Connecticut to Manhattan’s west side.
Grand Central Terminal is currently the last stop for Metro-North service in Manhattan.
