NYC approves ‘thrill ride’ for Times Square that will drop people 260 FEET on top of skyscraper
A new thrill ride that drops people 260 feet — or 40 floors — atop a skyscraper may be coming to the Big Apple.
The New York City Department of Buildings has approved Extell Development’s plan to build a 51-story, 360-foot tower in the heart of Times Square with a drop ride as an “accessory.”
The building will also house hundreds of hotel rooms, restaurants, bars, meeting rooms, retail space and an observation deck.
“It’s going to be a great addition to the neighborhood,” said Tom Harris, president of the Times Square Alliance FOS 5adding that it will bring more revenue to the city.
But others argue that its development violates the city’s zoning laws, with Olive Freud, chair of the environmental development committee, saying, “Coney Island is an amusement park. Not Midtown.”
Renderings for the new Times Square skyscraper show where the 40-story drop would be in red
The ride would take place on West 46th Street, right in the heart of Times Square
In its application for the new skyscraper, which is already under construction, Extell Development argued: “Over the past few decades, Transient hotels have evolved from places to eat and sleep to centers that host a wide variety of activities, including virtually all forms of entertainment.”
Real estate attorney Paul Selver said in the filing that the ride would be an “accessory of the hotel,” like other amenities, and would therefore comply with zoning laws.
He also pointed out that many Las Vegas hotels offer similar exciting attractions for their guests.
The construction department seemed to agree, with spokesman Andrew Rudansky telling the New York daily news: ‘It is not in conflict with the zoning plan.’
He cited the stated purpose of having the Theater District subzone, which aims in part to “preserve, protect, and enhance the scale and character of Times Square, the heart of New York City’s entertainment district.”
According to the city’s zoning code, Rudansky said, the area is “characterized by a unique combination of building scale, large illuminated signs, and amusement and entertainment-related uses.”
He also pointed out other amusement park-style rides in nearby skyscrapers, such as The Summit, a glass-floored observation deck at One Vanderbilt, and City Climb at Hudson Yards, where guests get the chance to don a harness and hang 300 feet. . above street level.
Plans for the ride compare it to the Zumanjaro in Six Flags, New Jersey, noting that the braking would be magnetic and the ride would come to a stop on hydraulic dampers.
There would be three individual rides with four passengers each, with each ride lasting just 84 seconds in total.
Plans for the ride compare it to the Zumanjaro in Six Flags, New Jersey
Braking during the ride, similar to the free fall in ICON Park, would be magnetic and the ride would come to rest on hydraulic dampers
But George Janes, an urban planner hired by the Committee for Environmentally Sound Development, disagreed with the city, saying the ride could only be included in areas designated for these kinds of attractions — most of which are on Coney Island.
He said adding the ride as an “accessory” is “completely irrational and a distortion of the plain, unambiguous meaning of the destination resolution.”
Janes sent the building department a challenge to Extell’s application, writing that it “lacks the discretion to grant the request and that the approval should be withdrawn.”
Mayor Eric Adams, pictured earlier this month, has proposed that the building department update its zoning plans to allow for more entertainment
Speaking to the Daily News, Janes explained, “I’m not saying whether this is right or wrong. I’m just saying this is against zoning.
“If you want this to be legal, change the zoning plan.”
The city could do just that, under Mayor Eric Adams’ City of Yes for Economic Opportunity proposal, which aims to “update the 1960s rules that place restrictions on where entertainment is allowed, so that experience stores and family-friendly activities can be located closer to the place. New Yorkers live,” according to a press release.
A community council committee was scheduled to hold a public hearing Wednesday night on the plan for the West 46th Street site.
But Janes said the vote would have little impact on the project, which is expected to be completed in 2027.
“It’s a legitimate project and it doesn’t need anyone else’s approval,” he explained.
“They may continue until the destination challenge is solved.”