As manager of planning at the headquarters of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), Philip Plotch coordinated planning efforts to extend the #7 subway line to Manhattan’s far west side. The plan was linked with a rezoning proposal to accommodate 28 million square feet of new development in the area. Simultaneously, Plotch worked with private and public organizations to help prepare New York City’s bid for the 2012 Olympics. As part of the plan, the main Olympic stadium (seating 75,000) would be built on MTA property near the subway extension and the stadium would be used by the New York Jets football team after the Olympics concluded.
Plotch worked closely with numerous stakeholders to complete complex planning elements and secure necessary approvals to move the subway extension project from the planning to the design and construction phases. Although London was ultimately awarded the 2012 Olympics, the subway was successfully extended in 2015 and the new office, residential and retail developments have been an economic boom to the New York metropolitan area. As part of the project’s financial plan, the MTA did not need to pay any of the construction costs for the subway extension. Instead, bonds were floated that are being repaid by property owners whose real estate values have soared thanks to the new subway service.
