Public weighs in at meeting on fate of MSG and Penn Sta.

The room was packed but consensus was hard to find during a marathon City Planning Commission meeting on Wednesday about the future of Madison Square Garden, with the question of how to reconcile Penn Station’s expansion plans with the needs of the iconic arena beneath it no closer to being answered.

At a public hearing in lower Manhattan, MSG reps made the case for why the world-famous arena should get a special permit in perpetuity so it can keep operating at its Midtown location. Its current 10-year permit expires next month, but the issue of what to do about the long-suffering transit hub beneath it has complicated the process.

MSG has steadfastly refused to consider relocating, something many Midtown locals and transit advocates have called for.

But the three rail agencies that use Penn — Amtrak, the MTA and New Jersey Transit — have argued that MSG is not currently compatible with the station. In a highly critical report released ahead of the meeting, they described the Garden as imposing “severe constraints” on the station.

Richard Constable, executive vice president for MSG Entertainment, spoke Wednesday about the Garden’s economic impact and role as a “center of New York cultural life” in advocating for the permanent permit.

He called out the MTA for “blatantly attempting to use their compatibility report … to further their negotiating position,” though he promised to collaborate with transit groups and others.

Rapper Darryl McDaniels of the hip-hop group Run-D.M.C. came to support the venue.

“The Garden cannot move. Penn station and MSG are married,” he said.

The next step in the permit process is a vote by the commission, though final say rests with the City Council.