Early next year, the general public will start to see some signs of progress in the plan to create a resilient East River waterfront. Last summer, the federal government awarded $335 million to New York City for a bridging berm to be built alongside East River Park from 23rd Street to Montgomery Street.
In the fall, the city published a “Draft Action Plan,” one of the first steps before the federal government releases the funds. In the past week, city officials released amendments to that plan. A public hearing has been scheduled to solicit feedback regarding the proposal January 15 at 7 p.m. at the Manny Cantor Center, 197 East Broadway.
Also, on January 5, a joint waterfront task force (Community Board 3 and Community Board 6) will hold its first public meeting at Beth Israel Hospital. We’ll have more details about that meeting when they become available.
The updated documents now available indicate groundbreaking on the project, which entails a series of rolling hills and recreational areas, will occur in 2017. The city has also allocated $3 million to study an expansion of the protective barrier south of Montgomery Street.
You can read more details about the plan here.
