Hats off to Italian developer ASTM for accomplishing what once seemed impossible—coalescing a near-consensus around an elegant if still complex plan to remake Penn Station without having to move Madison Square Garden.
The next step, though, will require a higher hurdle: Revealing the details of the plan, including its costs, and facing a level of public scrutiny that goes deeper than big ideas. It’s imperative that city and state officials not fall in love with the notion that ASTM’s proposal—and the company itself—are the only answer to a dilemma that’s bedeviled the city for years.