Hoyt Street station in Downtown Brooklyn has a new elevator -- and while it looks just like all the other ones, this one didn't cost the MTA a penny. Instead, the station's neighbor, Macy's footed the bill.
"We're here to celebrate the fact that the business community is stepping up to support accessibility," said Janno Lieber, the MTA's CEO.
With this new partnership, the MTA is hoping to promote the 'Zoning for Accessibility' initiative adopted by the City Council in 2021, which incentivizes private developers to pick up the tab to make subway stations more accessible.
Macy's also committed to funding and handling the elevator's maintenance according to MTA standards. The agency says they've set up new measures to ensure the new elevator is reliable.
This comes as the MTA is trying to reach its goal to make 95% of its stations accessible by 2055. So far, about 30% of MTA stations have elevators.