How big is/was the MTA's Vanderbilt Yard? References vary (8.3 to 9 acres), but it's closer to 8.425 acres. The platform area would be smaller.

Yes, this is a very niche topic, but a recent fact-checking exercise prompted me to explore the question: how big is/was the Metropolitan Transportation Authority's three-block Vanderbilt Yard, used to store and service Long Island Rail Road trains and, years ago, store obsolete MTA buses?

Was it 8.5 acres, a shorthand I've typically used and which I've seen in various press reports?

What about 8.3 acres, according to a 2005 report and a 2009 report from the New York City Independent Budget Office (IBO)?

Or was it "approximately nine acres," as estimated in numerous documents from Empire State Development (ESD, fka Empire State Development Corporation), the state authority that oversees/shepherds the project?

Was it 8.6 acres, as seen in one academic study?

Via NoLandGrab

How about 8.4 acres, the figure used by Wikipedia (without a footnote), and some press coverage?

Drilling down

Well, the latter answer is closest to accuracy.

 

Thanks to NoLandGrab, let's look at a May 19, 2005 advertisement from the MTA announcing a Request for Proposals for the sale or lease of its "air space and related real property interests in one or more of the three parcels" known as the Vanderbilt Yard.

According to the MTA ad, "The three parcels are collectively known as the Long Island Rail Road’s Vanderbilt Yard and are deemed to consist of a total of approximately 367,000 square feet."

Given that there are 43,560 square feet in an acre, that works out to 8.425 acres. 

That does round down to 8.4 acres, though I think 8.5 acres is a lesser inaccuracy than "approximately nine acres." (So I'll probably still use it.)

Why would they round up? Perhaps to take focus of the need to acquire private property under the threat, and then exercise of eminent domain.

Looking at the boundaries

Note that the west-to-east boundaries, according to the ad, were Sixth and Vanderbilt avenues, but that's only two of the three blocks. The actual RFP adds the block between Fifth and Sixth avenues.

Indeed, as shown in the aerial photo below, from the ESD's 2006 Blight Study, the MTA property, outlined in white (within the yellow), did not take up any block in full between Atlantic Avenue and Pacific Street.

Start at the eastern block, just west of Vanderbilt Avenue: there's a small modified rectangle of terra firma once occupied by auto-related businesses.

In the middle block between Sixth and Carlton avenues, there's another piece of terra firma, the shape of an irregular knife blade, jutting south of Atlantic Avenue, once occupied by two buildings and an empty lot.

The western block of the railyard, starting west at Sixth Avenue, ends slightly before Fifth Avenue, as there was a lot once occupied by a U-Haul franchise.

What about the platform?

The platform needed to support six towers, however, would cover (parts of) two blocks, starting from Sixth Avenue at the west and going east to Vanderbilt Avenue. 

In the northern segment of the arena block, both the B4 tower (18 Sixth Ave.) and the arena itself are built below grade, taking advantage of the railyard site. The southern half of the arena is built below grade, as well, but that required more digging.