The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) initiated a Section 106 Review of Penn Station today. This welcome action comes as another Federal body seeks to gut this important review.
The request to initiate the review came in a letter to the State that also invites the Conservancy and other interested parties to consult on the review.
Today’s FRA action follows last Friday’s vote by the Federal Advisory Council on Historic Preservation to gut Section 106 protections. Those changes, which eliminate public review, still face a 30-day public comment period and are not yet in effect.
This FRA action also comes as Penn Station is caught in politics over a possible name change.
Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act is triggered by Federal funds for a project. It has been used to support the restoration and transformation of Moynihan Train Hall and the former TWA Terminal at JFK.
Section 106 also seeks to avoid or limit any adverse impacts to historic properties. The FRA letter identifies 13 historic properties, including St. John the Baptist Church, on the block south of Penn, and the recently landmarked Lithuanian Alliance of America. But it says the only adverse impact would be on the Penn Station Service Building, the only building left from the original Penn Station. Current plans for Penn would turn that building into space for Amtrak.
The Conservancy welcomes the 106 review. We strongly oppose the Advisory Council changes to Section 106 protections. We trust that the Penn review will proceed.
We’ll keep you posted.