YOUR WEEKLY COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER SERVING CHELSEA, HUDSON YARDS & HELL’S KITCHEN
Primary Exit Poll Amounts to a ‘Hill’ of Hardcore Dems
Photo by Yannic Rack
BY YANNIC RACK It was primary day on Tues., Apr. 19, and West Side voters flocked to the polls to cast their ballots, in an election season that has taken a ruthless editor’s red pen to the rulebook — including that passage about New York not having the ability to shift the balance of power in the race for president. Chelsea and Hell’s Kitchen overwhelmingly backed Hillary Clinton, with only a single precinct favoring Bernie Sanders (and one delivering a tie). The results in the neighborhoods reflected the overall outcome in the state, and especially the city, where Clinton prevailed with over 63 percent of the vote to Sanders’ roughly 37, according to results from The Associated Press. Republican voters were spread thin in the area, but those that did turn out largely backed New York native Donald Trump and Ohio governor John Kasich. Despite the persistent questioning of those exiting two polling stations on the West Side, Chelsea Now did not find a single voter willing PRIMARY continued on p. 2
The Sea Breeze Fish Market is one of the local businesses that could face displacement if the Port Authority decides to move ahead with a design for a new terminal extending west of the current station.
Hell’s Kitchen Residents Riled by Eminent Domain Scenario for Bus Terminal Revamp BY YANNIC RACK Hundreds of Hell’s Kitchen residents dreading the arrival of a new bus terminal that could obliterate parts of their neighborhood gave an earful to the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey this week, in an attempt to prevent any plans that would involve bulldozing residential and commercial blocks to make way for a replacement station. A town hall-style meeting held on the evening of Mon., Apr. 18, was filled to capacity with neighborhood residents, activists and business owners voicing their concerns. The Metro Baptist Church was an appropriate host for the spirited discussion: its location at 410 W. 40th St., just west of the current Port Authority Bus Terminal, makes it a potential casualty of plans to widen the facility’s footprint in the neighborhood. Although nobody (not even its operators) disagreed about the fact that the decades-old bus terminal is an out-
© CHELSEA NOW 2016 | NYC COMMUNITY MEDIA, LLC, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
dated mess in need of replacement, the residents said they were mostly worried about the prospect of eminent domain — the controversial process through which the city or state can take over private property to make way for important public projects. “Our message is, ‘Do no harm,’ ” said Dale Corvino, who lives on W. 43rd St. and is a member of Community Board 4 (CB4). The Port Authority recently launched a design competition to solicit proposals for the station, but not before it released a set of concepts that were meant to illustrate possible replacement scenarios — some of which included taking over property west of the current station (on Eighth Ave. btw. W. 40th & W. 42nd Sts.). Worries about the impact of a new, and larger, terminal in the neighborhood have started to peak in recent weeks, BUS TERMINAL continued on p. 6 VOLUME 08, ISSUE 15 | APRIL 21 - 27, 2016