New York MTA Leverages Zoning Program to Advance Station Accessibility
Accessibility enhancements at Nevins St Station will be financed through a development agreement tied to the MTA's Zoning for Accessibility initiative.

The project will create an accessible transfer between the express 4/5 and local 2/3 lines at Nevins St — a station where more than 10,000 riders transfer each day.
METRO
- The New York MTA is using its Zoning for Accessibility initiative to improve station accessibility.
- Nevins St Station will receive accessibility upgrades as a result of a development agreement.
- The financing for these enhancements is directly tied to this zoning program.
*Summarized by AI
The New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) announced the fourth transit improvement bonus awarded under Zoning for Accessibility, which will provide new accessibility upgrades to the platforms and stairways at the Nevins St 2, 3,4, and 5 subway stations.
The project will create an accessible transfer between the express 4/5 and local 2/3 lines at Nevins St — a station where more than 10,000 riders transfer each day.
This will be the latest transit improvement funded by a private developer through Zoning for Accessibility (ZFA). This bonus provision allows developers to improve access to public transit in the city's busiest areas in exchange for increased building density.
Partnering for Success
As part of the agreement at Nevins St, Charney Companies, the developer of 95 Rockwell Pl, will finance and construct improvements to the station, including:
- Building ADA-accessible boarding areas, creating an accessible transfer between express 4/5 and local 2/3 trains on both the northbound and southbound platforms.
- Replacing tactile edges and rubbing boards along the entirety of all four station platform edges.
- Replacing all four mezzanine-to-platform stairs (two on the northbound platform and two on the southbound platform) with new ADA-compliant, safer stairways.
“All transit riders who move through Nevins Street will benefit from an enhanced and accessible transfer platform, especially parents and caregivers with children in strollers, visitors with luggage, New Yorkers with disabilities, and so many others,” said MTA Chief Accessibility Officer Quemuel Arroyo. “Thanks to Zoning for Accessibility, these improvements will be made at no cost to the MTA nor taxpayers, and will make the process of completely upgrading the station in the future better, faster, and cheaper.”
Improving Accessibility
As part of a long-term commitment to systemwide accessibility, the MTA is investing nearly $7.1 billion in station accessibility in the 2025-2029 Capital Program, to make 60 stations newly ADA-accessible and modernize an additional 45 subway elevators.
ZFA creates incentives for private developers to design their buildings to incorporate future station accessibility projects, or to build the improvements themselves at nearby MTA stations, in exchange for a zoning bonus.
By helping the MTA achieve systemwide accessibility more efficiently, ZFA benefits all New Yorkers, particularly riders with mobility disabilities, seniors, parents of young children, and others who need accessible stations to use the system, said officials.
Quick Answers
The goal is to fund station accessibility improvements through development agreements, allowing new projects to support transit infrastructure enhancements.
*Summarized by AI
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