Nope, No Busway After All

From the Union Square Partnership:

Union Square’s fourth quarter performance capped a strong
2024, marked by year-over-year growth across key metrics:

Ground Floor Leasing: 49 new businesses opened in 2024,
with Union Square’s signature culinary scene driving 65%
of leasing activity.

Foot Traffic: An average of 370k daily trips in 2024
reflected a 4% increase over 2023, which itself saw a 15%
rise compared to 2022.

Consumer Spending: A 5% increase in 2024 over 2023,
fueled by higher spending at restaurants and bars (+7%),
entertainment (+18%), and retail (+3%), continuing upward
trajectories from 2023 (+8%) and 2022 (+17%).

In Q4, the district experienced a 23% surge in visits and a
28% jump in consumer spending during Urbanspace’s Union
Square Holiday Market, highlighting Union Square’s appeal for
unique experiences and shopping. With notable Q4 restaurant
openings such as Leon’s and Le Basque driving momentum,
18 new businesses are already set to debut in 2025. These
include Seahorse at the newly renovated W New York – Union
Square, Café Zaffri at The Twenty Two, and Flight Club,
signaling strong economic growth for the year ahead

Read this excellent post at Jeremiah’s Vanishing New York to learn the complete history of the doomed building at 61Fifth Ave. on the corner of 13th.

The New York Times has the details on copper thieves who are systematically stripping the facade of the old Zen Palate on Union Sq. West, which has been vacant for over a year. Is this the beginning of the end?

If there was any doubt about the national momentum on legalized marijuana use in America, consider this. There will be a medicinal marijuana dispensary off Union Square come January 2016. The dispensary on 14th Street between Second and Third Avenues will be run by Columbia Care, a New York City-based company that was awarded one of the state’s five licenses to open a medicinal marijuana shop. The selections were made in July, and companies are moving forward on grand openings.

NYU is slowly but steadily revealing more of its ultimate expansion plans for completion by 2031. They’re epic in scope, and while most of the activity remains below 8th Street, there’s always the chance that their desire to grow will have them heading our way, as if we didn’t already have enough of that going on. Here’s the plan.

To get a sense of the pulse of the neighborhood, check out the USP’s ANNUAL REPORT. It’s full of interesting plans and action items, such as:

Public Space Activations: This summer, USP is rolling
out new seating areas, enhanced landscaping, the
second annual mural along the 14th Street Busway,
and hosting an Oonee Pod Mini, a prototype for safe
bike storage.

Park Upgrades: In partnership with NYC Parks, USP
will develop a Union Square Park infrastructure
plan that includes upgraded utilities, irrigation, and
bathrooms amenities, as well as a preservation plan
of the entire district’s tree canopy.

Since January 2021, 46 new businesses have opened in and around Union Square.