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First Hudson Yards Tower Reaches Its Peak

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- The largest private development in U.S. history hits a milestone Wednesday when the first tower at Hudson Yards tops out.

As WCBS 880's Alex Silverman reported, the 52-story 10 Hudson Yards is the first of more than a dozen skyscrapers Ron Wackrow, executive vice president of The Related Companies, is responsible for building.

"And that's a 1.7 million-square-foot office tower," Wackrow said.

Wackrow said Hudson Yards is not only the biggest private development ever, it might be the most complicated.

"It's taken thousands of skilled construction workers, engineers, the railroad," he said.

Trains are still running through the West Side yards below as a whole new neighborhood rises above.

"It's a city," Wackrow said. "We're building a city within a city.

"To be the person responsible for something like this, in this city, it's an honor."

The developer just acquired the last piece of property in the puzzle, sealing the fate of a McDonald's on 10th Avenue.

10 Hudson Yards is due to open in March and will be the corporate home of Coach Inc.

Wackrow has countdown clocks to each Hudson Yards milestone on his office wall.

When asked what it takes to set one back, he answered, "Me."

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