Shoring up for the future
City unveils new coastal resiliency plan for Seaport, FiDi
BY EMILY DAVENPORT
In an effort to protect Lower
Manhattan from potential
fl ooding, city agencies have
developed a plan to protect
this area of the Big Apple.
The New York City Economic
Development Corporation
(NYCEDC) and Mayor’s Offi ce
of Climate Resiliency (MOCR)
recently released the Financial
District and Seaport Climate
Resilience Master Plan. The
plan serves as a blueprint for
a comprehensive fl ood defense
infrastructure project that reimagines
the shoreline in Lower
Manhattan and creates a resilient
waterfront to withstand severe
coastal storms and rising
sea levels for those living and
working in the Flatiron District
and the South Street Seaport
neighborhoods.
Protecting Lower Manhattan
has been very important to the
city’s overall coastal resilience
strategy as it is one of the nation’s
largest business districts
and is home to the hub of the
subways and PATH transit systems
and the regional highway
LOCAL NEWS
A sketch of the fortifi ed South Street Seaport area of Lower Manhattan.
network while being an iconic
destination for millions of visitors
from around the U.S. and
the world. The plan is projected
to cost $5 to $7 billion.
Using the New York City
Panel on Climate Change 90th
percentile projections, by the
2050s rising tides are projected
to fl ood the Financial District
and Seaport monthly, then daily
by the 2080s.
In an effort to protect these
areas, the plan features a multilevel
waterfront that extends
the shoreline of the East River
by up to 200 feet from its existing
location. The upper level
will be elevated 15 to 18 feet to
protect against severe storms
RENDERING COURTESY OF NYCEDC
like Hurricane Sandy, which
hit the area hard in 2012, while
also providing public open
spaces with sweeping views of
the City and harbor. The lower
level will serve as a waterfront
esplanade that will be raised
three to fi ve feet to protect
against sea-level rise, while
connecting New Yorkers to the
water’s edge.
The plan also includes:
Floodwalls buried in the
landscape that create a line of
ridges along this waterfront,
permanently protecting Lower
Manhattan from coastal storms
and creating new open spaces
with expansive views of the
harbor
Resilient stormwater infrastructure,
including a new
pump station along with green
infrastructure
Coves that promote habitat
restoration and provide opportunities
to learn about the ecology
of the East RiverResilient
piers for docking historic ships,
bolstering the historic character
of South Street Seaport
“NYCEDC and MOCR have
envisioned a 21st-Century resilient
waterfront that stands to
be a model for other major cities,”
said NYCEDC President
and CEO Rachel Loeb. “We’ve
done years of work, and we
have the innovation. There’s no
doubt climate change is here.
Sea levels are rising, and stronger,
more devastating storms
will only continue, which is
why we must protect our coastline
and safeguard our vulnerable
historic Seaport area and
Financial District.”
To review the Financial District
and Seaport Climate Resilience
Master Plan, visit fi diseaportclimate.
nyc.
Neighbors for Hell’s Kitchen fume
over promised housing proposal
BY DEAN MOSES
Hell’s Kitchen residents are
demanding what they say
the city promised them –
affordable housing.
Community group Neighbors
for Hell’s Kitchen are fuming
over what they say is a misuse of
the Uniform Land Use Review
Procedure and advocating for
fairly priced housing opportunities
to be built in the area. The
coalition of residents and business
owners claim they are getting
something rather different.
Set to be completed in 2023,
The Lirio by Hudson Inc. and
Housing Works is touted to be
a 9-story building comprising of
112 affordable units located on
806 Ninth Avenue. According
to Hudson, the new building is
designed to create housing for
survivors of HIV/AIDS and affordable
housing for families of
Hell’s Kitchen. The site will split
units between formerly homeless
individuals, HIV/AIDS survivors,
and families looking for
a fairly priced home. Although
the building is being publicized
as affordable housing, the location
will also host an offi ce for
the MTA and neighborhood retail
space.
“The proposal that was certifi
ed to go through ULURP today
Jan. 3 by the City Planning
Commission (CPC) reneges on
promises the City made to Hell’s
Kitchen, and instead allows for
the Department of Housing
Preservation and Development
(HPD) to build a mixed offi ce
and supportive housing development
– called The Lirio – which
would not support long-term
economic recovery,” Neighbors
for Hell’s Kitchen said in a statement.
Citing the COVID-19 pandemic
and the subsequent variants
such as Omicron—which
is currently ravaging the city—
as imperative reasons for additional
affordable housing to
be constructed. The group says
the project counters a near halfcentury
old pledge in the Special
Clinton District zoning plan that
ensured the “character” of the
area remained in place, which
seems to be a jab at the class of
residents scheduled to be housed
rather than the units’ affordability
since what they sought for it
to support middle-income residents.
“None of this is what Hell’s
Kitchen needs to successfully
come back after the global pandemic.
The Lirio would be in
replace of the affordable housing
units agreed to by Manhattan
A rendering of The Lirio.
Community Board 4 and then-
Deputy Mayor Daniel Doctoroff
in 2005, which was outlined in
a signed Points of Agreement
Document that allowed for Hudson
Yards to be built,” Neighbors
for Hell’s Kitchen added.
The association also argues
that in order to create more jobs
and make an economic bounce
back additional housing units
are required.
In response, the developer’s
spokesperson said they are dedicated
SCREENSHOT VIA HUDSON WEBSITE
to aiding the city’s most
vulnerable.
“The need for affordable
housing units of all types is as
critical as ever, and this project
is designed to meet that need.
The Lirio will provide permanently
affordable homes for
some of the most vulnerable
New Yorkers, including long
time survivors of HIV/AIDS, in
a beautifully designed and environmentally
sustainable building”
the spokesperson said.
6 January 6, 2022 Schneps Media