Apple may soon get approval from New York’s public transit division to build a retail store in Grand Central terminal.
The company has reportedly submitted its bid to build a space in the landmark, historical terminal, to occupy a long-running local bar/restaurant that has decided not to renew its lease this time around.
The New York Times says that the Metropolitan Transportation Authority is “expected to approve the deal as early as next week, at its monthly board meeting,” according to a source it says is familiar with the deal.
Apple already has another store less than a mile from Grand Central. The one on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, perhaps the most iconic Apple retail location in the world, is a short 16 blocks from Grand Central but to time-crunching New Yorkers that seems like a lifetime away.
Additionally, Grand Central’s foot traffic is a marvel in and of itself, wwith tens of thousands of commuters, nearby office workers, and tourists walking through it every single day.
All of the restaurant and retail storefronts, though, are tiny and crowded, and there are no big chain store names within the station. Apple could benefit by becoming the headline attraction of the landmark building.
It stems from the fact that one of the terminal’s institutions, a bar and restaurant called Metrazur, will be leaving Grand Central in July. The Metropolitan Transit Authority, which operates the terminal, wants to combine that space with another adjoining vacancy to create a 15,230-square-foot retail haven. Apple would fit that profile quite nicely.
