East Side Coastal Resiliency report mysteriously
appears with unreadable redactions
BY DEAN MOSES
A much sought-after
ghost study of the East
Side Coastal Resiliency
(ESCR) that mysteriously could
not be traced has suddenly been
released to the public, but it is
almost unreadable due to heavy
redactions.
East River Park Action has
been pulling at the threads of
the East Side Coastal Resiliency
(ESCR) project for about three
years now. The organization—
consisting of concerned Lower
East Side residents—are opposed
to this $1.4 billion plan that
would reconstruct approximately
57 acres of coastal parkland from
East 25th Street to Montgomery
Street.
In 2018, the rationale for
moving forward with the ESCR
project, rather than a less invasive
one, was said to be based on a
“Value Engineering Study.” The
East River Park Action group
fi led a Freedom of Information
Law request but was told in January
by the City’s Department of
Design and Construction (DDC)
that they did not have this report
on fi le. East River Park Action is
PHOTO BY DEAN MOSES
Graffiti reading “Save East River Park” is scrawled beside the
FDR drive.
Remains of New Yorkers found in Washington
Square Park reinterned on park grounds
BY EMILY DAVENPORT
The remains of early New
Yorkers that were buried
in and around what is now
Washington Square Park were
laid to rest in a new home.
The remains were found during
construction in and around
Washington Square Park between
2008 and 2017. The human remains
were placed in a wooden
box and reinterned in the park.
Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn
volunteered their services for
the excavation that was overseen
by NYC Landmarks Preservation
Commission’s Director of
Archaeology.
“Making sure that those who
have gone before us are remembered
with dignity and respect is
a critical part of Green-Wood’s
mission,” Richard J. Moylan,
a strong opponent of the ESCR
project since the reconstruction
will remove over 1,000 trees,
which will subsequently be
replaced after construction, and
pack the land with about eight to
ten feet of fi ll to help elevate the
park, making it fl ood-resistant.
Hurricane Sandy devastated
the Lower East Side in 2012, and
in response community leaders
and city planning agencies had
several discussions on how to
prevent such large-scale coastal
fl ooding in the area. Originally,
a far less expensive plan was
discussed for several years but
was discarded in favor of the
ESCR in 2018. The reasoning for
this shift was based on a study
that would showcase the pros
and cons of this project as well
as other pertinent information,
which was announced by Mayor
Bill de Blasio.
However, according to a tweet
by Kirsten Theodos, who shared
the report over social media the
majority of its pages are blacked
out, making it unreadable.
“The new City plan will destroy
57 acres of coastal parkland, fell
nearly 1000 mature trees and
eliminate the only large outdoor
President of The Green-Wood
Cemetery, said. “We are honored
to provide our expertise on such
an important historical project.”
“Today we honor these individuals
and acknowledge Washington
Square Park’s history as a
fi nal resting place for thousands
of early New Yorkers,” saidNYC
greenspace residents on LES
for recreation and wellness. The
City plan is twice as expensive,
provides no interim fl ood protection
during the many years of
construction, & requires unprecedented
ecological destruction of
the largest municipal park on the
LES impacting the residents of
the predominantly low income,
BIPOC neighborhood,” Theodos
wrote in a tweet.
As stated on NYC ESCR
project’s website, the plan is set
to create “boundaries of this project
correspond with the natural
“pinch-points” in the 100-year
PHOTO BY DANIEL AVILA/NYC PARKS
Parks Commissioner Mitchell J.
Silver, FAICP. “We are so grateful
to our colleagues at Green-Wood
Cemetery and the Landmarks
Preservation Commission for
their expertise and guidance on
this important project.”
Washington Square Park was
constructed on the site of the
fl oodplain: areas where the land
is higher along the coastline, making
it easier to close the system
off from water entering from
the north and south. The project
design integrates fl ood protection
into the community fabric,
improving waterfront open spaces
and access, rather than walling off
the neighborhood.”
According to the DDC, “The
documents show that the City’s
design – approved by the City
Council – is the best alternative;
it adds the benefi t of protecting
East River Park itself from future
fl ooding. This project will protect
city’s former potters fi eld in the
1850s. Between 1797 and 1825,
thousands of New Yorkers,
including the unidentifi ed, the
indigent, and those who died of
yellow fever, were buried there
— several church burial grounds
were also located in the northeast
portion of the fi eld.
Remains that were found in
disturbed contexts were removed
for reinterment at a later date.
Because the remains were fragmentary,
a forensic analysis did
not yield extensive details about
the individuals.
“LPC was pleased to work
with NYC Parks to help with
the process of excavating and
reinterring the human remains,”
saidLandmarks Preservation
Commission Chair Sarah Carroll.
“We are grateful to NYC Parks
for ensuring that archaeology was
vulnerable New Yorkers from
extreme weather and rising sea
levels, while improving an iconic
public space for generations to
come. It’s a global model and
we’re proud to deliver it.” They
also stated that they were not
involved with the redactions and
that would be under the purview
of the City.
Laura Feyer, Deputy Press
Secretary for the NYC Offi ce of
the Mayor, shared that those who
request a FOIL are allowed to
appeal some of the redaction but
stated that East River Park Action
has not done so yet. She also
explained that FOIL responses
include details for the redactions,
which can be for privacy
concerns.
“Please note, however, that
OMB is redacting certain responsive
information as follows: (1)
inter-agency or intra-agency materials,
which are not: (i) statistical
or factual tabulations or data; (ii)
instructions to staff that affect the
public; or (iii) fi nal agency policy
or determinations, pursuant to
New York Public Offi cers Law
§87(2)(g); and (2) information
which, if disclosed, would constitute
an unwarranted invasion of
personal privacy, pursuant to New
York Public Offi cers Law §87(2)
(b),” she said, sharing the standard
for FOIL redaction regulations.
More at amny.com.
appropriately completed, and the
human remains were respectfully
treated throughout the process.”
“The land that we now call
Washington Square Park has served
thousands of New Yorkers in various
capacities over the generations,”
said Sheryl Woodruff, Washington
Square Park Conservancy Deputy
Director. “It is important to remember
and respect the history of this
space and the people that were laid
to rest here. We are heartened to
see these individuals returned to
their fi nal resting place. We are
grateful to our colleagues at NYC
Parks, Green-Wood Cemetery
and the Landmarks Preservation
Commission for their careful and
considerate work.”
The human remains were
placed in a wooden box and buried
fi ve feet below grade within a
planting bed in the park. The former
gravesite is marked with an
engraved paver near the Sullivan
Street and Washington Square
Park South entrance.
Schneps Media March 4, 2021 3
/amny.com
