James Dolan's refusal to move MSG puts snag in Penn Station repair plans
Who will come out on top?
MIDTOWN, Manhattan (WABC) -- New York City, also known as the city that never sleeps, has the Garden that never moves ... or is it?
If there is one thing the current owner of Madison Square Garden, James Dolan, wants you to know, it is that he is not moving MSG any time soon.
Even though the Garden is the second oldest arena used in the NBA, it has moved three other times in its history.
But to hear James Dolan tell it, "I'm not going to move Madison Square Garden."
Madison Square Garden sits atop what has always been New York Penn Station.
The councilman who represents that Midtown area describes it as, "a subterranean, dismal train station."
Some believe that the kind of drastic improvements Penn Station requires cannot be completed as long as Madison Square Garden stays where it is.
A decade ago, City Council told Dolan that he had to find a new location for the Garden.
As Dolan has remained steadfast in his decision, 10 years later, City Council has some leverage. In July, the Garden's permit to hold public events expires.
So far, Dolan has refused other locations, including one on the west side near Hudson Yards. Some even believe Dolan would profit an extra $2 billion a year with the move.
But as things stand for now, "I'm not going to move Madison Square Garden," Dolan said.
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