A Greener, More Walkable Hudson Square Is Focus Of New BID Plan

HUDSON SQUARE, NY — As development continues in Hudson Square, the area's Business Improvement District has unveiled a $22 million plan to better connect the neighborhood to the rest of Lower Manhattan.

Google announced last week it plans to purchase the St. John Terminal development at 550 Washington Street, which it currently leases. The tech giant also has space at 315 and 345 Hudson. The Walt Disney Company has also put roots in Hudson Square, as YIMBY reports, with construction progressing at 137 Varick Street. Viacom, New York Public Radio, and Warby Parker are among the other businesses nestled in the Lower Manhattan neighborhood.

The Hudson Square neighborhood, south of Greenwich Village, is generally considered to exist between Clarkson Street on the north, Canal Street on the south, Sixth Avenue on the east, and West Street on the west.

The Hudson Square BID, which formed in 2009, aims to make the former printing district much greener, and friendlier to pedestrians. Progress has already been made, including the installation of 250 trees and the creation of Spring Street Park at 6th Avenue and Freeman Plaza West, right at the mouth of Holland Tunnel.

This newest project has been dubbed Hudson Square: New Connections. It focuses on three main ideas: reconfiguring Greenwich Street between Hudson Square and Tribeca, creating an east-west corridor along Houston Street, and improving access to Hudson River Park. The BID plans to install more public art and greenery to make the neighborhood more inviting, and accessible to those walking or biking.

The cost of this project will be funded by the BID, according to a news release. Click here to learn more about the plan.

Patch reporter Gus Saltonstall contributed to this report.