Stringer Unveils East River Waterfront Plan

NEW YORK CITY-A plan to transform Manhattan's East River waterfront while bolstering its resistance to future storms got its first public viewing Thursday evening as Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer and Assembly Member Brian Kavanagh presented the plan at Cooper Union. The proposal covers the borough's waterfront from the Brooklyn Bridge to East 38th Street.

“The plan we are unveiling opens up the waterfront, but also protects the community, with wave barriers, wetlands and other safeguards,” Stringer said Thursday. “My office is committing $3.5 million to explore storm mitigation strategies like new wetlands along the FDR Drive, to help turn the plan into a vibrant reality that restores and strengthens the entire community.”

The 78-page plan combines waterfront enhancements—including new bike paths, beaches and boat launches with storm protections for an area that was hit hard when Superstorm Sandy roared into the area this past Oct. 29. The project was developed in conjunction with WXY architecture + urban design, along with Community Boards 3 and 6, the Lower East Side Ecology Center and the New York State Department of Coastal Resources.

Among other things, the plan would extend protective wetlands out from the existing shoreline and add better draining beneath FDR Drive to absorb and re-direct the next great storm surge. It's also intended to create an active waterfront destination that fortifies the shoreline beneath the Brooklyn Bridge, and to develop space for active, revenue- generating uses at the Skyport Garage to help fund maintenance of Stuyvesant Cove.

Further, the plan would create opportunities for boating in a portion of the river that is protected from strong currents. There would also be a connection between Corlears Hook Park and East River Park. “As the state continues its efforts to rebuild a more resilient New York that takes advantage of our wonderful waterways, this project serves as an innovative model for the protection and fortification of our infrastructure and waterfronts,” Cesar Perales, New York Secretary of State, says in a statement.