Public hearing today on future of Madison Square Garden with permit set to expire
NEW YORK -- A public hearing will be held Wednesday on the future of Madison Square Garden.
Top city leaders will hear testimony on whether MSG needs to move out.
Can Penn Station and Madison Square Garden coexist? That's at the center of the City Planning Commission public hearing.
The Garden's current permit with the city expires July 24, so the clock is ticking.
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"Hopefully, whatever they do doesn't take away from the magic of the Garden," one man said.
"Kind of feels historic at this point," another added.
When the city asked the MTA to weigh in, the MTA issued a bombshell report, using the words "not compatible" to describe the Garden and Penn.
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"We need Madison Square Garden to cooperate and become compatible -- make the arena compatible -- with the station," said MTA Construction and Development President Jamie Torres-Springer.
Torres-Springer showed CBS2 around a Penn Station that -- if the Garden plays ball -- will be wider and higher.
"We've got Madison Square Garden sitting on top of Penn Station. Some of the places that it's using, like for its loading dock, like this taxiway that's been closed since 9/11, Eighth Avenue entrances, some of the places where there's heating and cooling," he said.
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MSG Entertainment, which owns the Garden, said in a statement, "We are disappointed to see this compatibility report from the MTA and other rail agencies, considering how we have been cooperating throughout this process. This is the opinion of a few and not all stakeholders involved."
The Planning Commission will make a recommendation to the mayor and City Council, which ultimately decides on the Garden's permit.
The Garden has been in that location since 1968.