Houston St. is one of Lower Manhattan’s busiest east-west corridors, carrying pedestrians, cyclists and drivers every day through the heart of the city.

At its western end, Hudson Square has undergone a significant transformation, evolving from an industrial district into a mixed-use hub with workers, residents and new businesses. However, the public realm along West Houston St. has failed to keep pace. The corridor is cramped, chaotic, and difficult for people to navigate. West Houston deserves to be a complete street — one that is safe and welcoming for pedestrians, cyclists and drivers alike.

West Houston faces several persistent challenges: narrow and uninviting sidewalks, no dedicated bike lane, and a roadway that does not prioritize its biggest volume of users. Pedestrians outnumber vehicles yet they are squeezed into just one-fifth of the street’s space. At the intersection of Hudson and Houston alone, foot traffic averages 20,000 people daily.

The Hudson Square Business Improvement District has spent years studying this. We completed a feasibility study, including a subsurface survey, stakeholder engagement with every property owner along the corridor, and DOT review. We’ve laid the groundwork and now is the time to carry this project over the finish line.

As Hudson Square evolves, the blocks along West Houston and just beyond its borders are also experiencing unprecedented growth. Google’s new headquarters and Disney’s new campus together bring more than 8,000 people to the area every day. 570 Washington will deliver 175 affordable senior homes, a population particularly vulnerable to unsafe streets. A 2022 DOT Vision Zero report found that while seniors make up 15% of Manhattan’s population, they account for 45% of pedestrian fatalities.

HPD’s Hudson Mosaic development could bring another 280 affordable apartments to the area and a new indoor recreation center. Add to this the hundreds of thousands of visitors to Hudson River Park, two high schools, one of the country’s busiest passport centers, a training center for the NYC Carpenters Union and multiple care-oriented facilities, and it’s evident that West Houston is home to far more activity than its current design can safely support.

We identified key solutions that would dramatically improve conditions on West Houston. Our plan would widen sidewalks, add greenery and seating, improve lighting and create a protected bikeway that would connect the East River to the Hudson River — a long overdue investment in safety.

We know firsthand that strategic streetscape upgrades can deliver benefits that extend beyond the roadway. In 2022, we completed a major project on the west side of Hudson St. that added wider sidewalks, a protected bike lane, new plants and trees, and modern benches. Today, that side of the street has just one vacant storefront out of 16. A balanced and attractive streetscape supports businesses and drives economic activity.

Working with our partners in local government, we’re opening more public open space to accommodate the increasing number of residents and workers. The multi-site plan led by NYC Parks to transform Clarkson St. into a recreational hub includes several new community facilities and new public space at Hudson-Houston Plaza. Later this year, we’re opening another public plaza along the busy pedestrian corridor of Sixth Ave. As upgrades take shape across the neighborhood, West Houston should reflect that same forward-looking, community-driven vision.

The Mamdani administration is prioritizing the streetscape, moving ahead on ambitious projects and advancing pedestrian-friendly measures. Investing in West Houston’s redesign can finally deliver a safe, functional corridor that can support the area’s growth.

Karasyk is president and CEO of the Hudson Square Business Improvement District.