The Real Deal’s excellent recap of last night’s panel on the Far West Side contains this update on Moynihan Station:

"We are planning a large public roll-out on this project soon," Empire State Development Corporation spokesperson Warner Johnston told The Real Deal, "but we are not planning to share designs until later this year."

What is a public roll-out of a $14 billion civic project and development without designs? As the New York Times recently editorialized, "If such negotiations must continue behind doors, that still does not mean the state and the developers can delay letting the public see detailed plans and proposals. Veteran commuters deserve some hope that the new Moynihan complex is not just another urban fantasy."

The story also quotes Anna Hayes Levin of Community Board 4 who “said that the public needs to see concepts for Moynihan Station before Hudson Yards can sensibly proceed.”

Meanwhile, the Rail Yards Blog lists the big West Side projects and predicts: “Chances are high that these projects will shift, scale back, or possibly fall through completely. This development burst is in its infancy, so it’s crucial that the public stay informed and demand accountability in both the planning and funding of these major projects.”

And it includes this quote from former MTA head Richard Ravitch:

“Until Moynihan Station is resolved, there will be a serious impediment to development on the whole West Side.” Expansion of the station would promote natural growth of Midtown by adjacency, he explained, rather than starting with large commercial developments on 10th and 11th Avenues. He encouraged the MTA to hold off plans for the Rail Yards until Moynihan Station was settled.

Read ”Former MTA head: Moynihan Station confusion threatens Hudson Yards, by Alec Appelbaum in the The Real Deal

Read “MCNY Panel Calls for West Side Development Oversight, Funding Transparency” at Rail Yards Blog