It's been three years since Mayor Bloomberg unveiled a sign in Times Square directing people to a subway stop that doesn't yet exist in a neighborhood that doesn't yet exist. In that time, plenty of digging has been done for the 7 train's extension to the Far West Side (and maybe New Jersey!), but the Hudson Yards milestones have been nonexistent if you don't count Related signing a sweet deal to develop the mixed-use megaproject over the MTA's west side train yard. Sure, we saw the occasional rendering of the 26-acre skyscraper village, but c'mon, in this economy? With a $1 billion platform that needs to be built over the rails before anything can get going? Pshaw! But here's an interesting development: Someone is actually interested in the place!
The Post's Steve Cuozzo reports in his column today that leather goods giant Coach has been "exchanging paper" with Related over taking 600,000 square feet of Hudson Yards office space for a new corporate headquarters. That sounds like a lot, but in the grand scheme of Hudson Yards?which is planning on sporting 21 million square feet of offices, apartments, retail, hotel, school and cultural space?it ain't much. But it's a start, and though speculation on Coach signing anything is premature, Cuozzo writes that Related has said that work could start in 2012 if an anchor tenant hops aboard the Hudson Yards express. Just follow the sign!
· Related woos Coach [NYP]
· Hudson Yards coverage [Curbed]