LES keeps fi ghting over East Side resiliency plan
BY MARK HALLUM
The question of how to protect
Lower Manhattan from the
threat of rising sea levels is still
up in the air, as activists and city offi -
cials debated raising East River Park to
defend against sea level rise.
An Oct. 3 hearing at City Hall saw
no disagreement that something had
to be done, but compromise on how to
combat climate change was nonetheless
hard to fi nd.
The East Side Coastal Resiliency
Project aims to protect 2.4 miles of
coastline from Montgomery to East
25th Streets, according to the city,
but there are plans to raise East River
Park by 10 feet and provide additional
buffering against 100-year storms and
global sea-rise projected for 2050.
Councilwoman Carlina Rivera said
survival of the city depends on “bold
solutions” considering how the city suffered
through $19 billion of damage
from Superstorm Sandy and that the
project will mitigate future disasters.
Rivera claims her decision on the
project could be the most important of
her career in consideration to climate
change events currently taking place
across the globe.
“This is a stark reality we face as
we consider the East Coast Resiliency
Project,” Rivera said.
Lower East Side residents are fighting the city’s proposal to raise the
East River Park by 10 feet to mitigate the effects of climate change.
The greenspace is over 60 acres
in size with more than 100 trees, according
to East River Park ACTION, a
group which contends that it serves as
a vital sanctuary for NYCHA residents
who struggle with asthma. The group
also argued that even phased construction
of the resiliency effort would have
physical and mental impacts on the
nearby residents who claim to suffer
enough living near the FDR Drive.
Councilwoman Margaret Chin acknowledged
PHOTO : MARK HALLUM/THE VILLAGER
the impacts on her Chinatown
based district in voicing her support
for the project.
According to Chin, the administration
assured her that 42 percent of the
park would remain open during the
construction effort.
Lorraine Grillo, Commissioner of
the city Department of Design and
Construction, claimed access to recreation
must be a priority while the city
attempts to meet a 2023 deadline.
The crowd hissed at city Department
of Parks Commissioner Mitchell Silver
as he argued that 258 trees were removed
from the park recently because
of their inability to cope with soil salinization
already affecting the park.
It was not the only outburst from the
crowd during Silver’s address to the committee
and the sergeant-at-arms walked
down the aisle collecting protest signs.
The 2.4 miles of waterfront is the
lowest stretch along the East River
and poses the greatest threat to up
to 110,000 people in the adjacent
communities, according to a project
representative at the hearing.
Delancey Street to Houston Street
will remain open during the fi rst phase
of the project along with section including
the amphitheater to the south.
The section from East 10th to East
12th Street in the north will also remain
open in the fi rst 2 1/2-year period.
Manhattan Borough President Gale
Brewer urged the city to hold any major
decisions on the project until after
an independent environmental study
is completed, stressing the importance
of including residents in the future of
their community.
A community task force has still not
been established as promised by the
city, according to Brewer.
Read more at thevillager.com
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