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Yesterday, the City announced the official $150 million East River redevelopment plan. The 2 mile esplanade will connect East River and Battery Parks, and have a new "waterfront esplanade with new plantings, benches, tables, repaving, improved lighting and a widened bike path," community space at Pier 15, commercial and cultural pavilions along South Street, new park and open spaces and a new public plaza in front of the Battery Maritime Building; the Fulton Fish Market will be razed, in order to be a pleasure marina. The money comes from Lower Manhattan Development Corporation funds, to provide, as new LMDC president Stefan Pryor said, "year-round recreational oasis for Lower Manhattan families." However, the money for the Battery Maritime Building part, about $65 million, has yet to be secured. Nor is there a timetable yet. Nonetheless, there's a lot of bipartisan enthusiasm for the plan: Democratic City Councilwoman Margarita Lopez, whose district includes the Lower East Side, said about Mayor Bloomberg, "People, this is why I love this man!"
Gothamist loves the Lower Manhattan website's slideshow of images of what the imagined park will look like, because what esplanade is complete without a dojo! And overall, it is an exciting, ambitious project that we hope will be a thriving part of lower Manhattan. Now, for esplanades in the other boroughs!
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But, my gosh, how will this affect the Olympics???!!!
If the LMDC is involved, give Pataki about five minutes. He'll screw it up.
But are they going to do anything about the stench coming off the river? There've been times when I could barely stand walking next to it. I'm not sure I'd want to spend hours in a new park next to the river, no matter how prettified.
I think street vendors will be selling gas masks to combat the stink from the river, so not to fret fellow joggers and park visitors,
What happened to the beach under the FDR? I thought that was best. The car fumes would neutralize the river odor, while the traffic noise would fill in for surf... I can almost smell it now.
Tim,
What r u talking about, I constantly bike or run by the river, and I've never encountered the stench you're talking about, are you playing in Fresh Kills again ;-)
sorry Tim, I meant Captain Midnight.
Before they start this, it would be nice if they'd complete the work reinforcing the waterfront bulkhead in East River Park immediately north. The city has a beautiful stretch of greenery along the river there that's blocked off with a chain link fence. So instead of getting to walk next to the river, recreational users are forced to use the path directly adjacent to the FDR. If the East River Esplanade project proceeds at the same pace as the East River Park repairs, New Yorkers should be able to enjoy it sometime around 2025.
Hudson River Park (at W 11th) rocks; prime fake grass, no stench, clean...
They DO have the beach, and in this plan, the beach goes all the way up to the water. (The last plan I saw had a sandy area going up to the existing wall. Basically a sandbox).
http://www.lowermanhattan.info/rebuild/new_design_plans/east_waterfront_study/slides/slide39.asp
How about upgrading the FDR northbound at the Brooklyn Bridge?
As it currently exists it has 3 lanes of traffic merged into 1, usually bearing a speed trap at its narrows. The southbound section at that point also needs to be expanded into 4 lanes, in place of the current 2 + Brooklyn bridge-bound-mile-long-wait-of-cars in the right lane, which sometimes extends to the Manhattan bridge.
i'd rather see my tax dollars go to parks before highways. it's ok by me if the cars have to drive slowly in manhattan.
i've never noticed a stench along the east river either except around the fish market.