Judge issues temporary restraining order, halting construction for now at East River Park

Photos Monday by Daniel Efram 

A judge has issued a Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) to East River Park Action, halting the demolition of East River Park as part of the $1.45-billion East Side Coastal Resiliency (ESCR) project.

Here's more via an email from East River Park Action last night:

Appellate court judge Judith Gische heard arguments from Arthur Schwartz and Kathryn Freed, attorneys for East River Park Action, who requested the TRO.

The City's lawyer argued that the city was only doing preparatory work, and would not impose "irreparable harm" … until Thanksgiving.

The judge decided that because park users were already excluded from the tennis courts, she would grant the TRO and cause all work to cease pending further expedited hearings on our Parkland Alienation appeal.

The City has until [noon today] to file a reply, and our attorneys have until Monday at 10 to reply to the reply. The hearing should be in the afternoon. Stay tuned!

One notable thing was that the judge did, at one point, refer to the "formidable appeal." Kudos to our pro bono attorney wizards.

Right now in East River Park work has stopped because the community has fought back pic.twitter.com/rgdScRMGNQ

— Our Park (@ERPAction) November 5, 2021

East River Park Action and opponents of this version of the reconstruction project continue to speak out, stressing there's a better path forward to protect the Lower East Side and surrounding neighborhoods from a 100-year-flood event and sea-level rise — one that doesn't cause 1,000 mature trees to be chopped down.

"Phased work operations" began on Monday below Houston Street at the Brian Watkins Tennis Center. According to the construction notice, four tennis courts on the north side and the tennis center will remain open through the end of the 2021 permit season on Nov. 21. All tennis courts and the tennis center including restrooms will be closed until 2024 — subject to change, per the city.  

Two activists were arrested on Monday at the site for not heeding freshly posted "no trespassing" signs at the tennis courts.

Opponents of this plan were at the site all week, drawing a huge police presence on Monday...

CBS 2 and The Village Sun also have coverage.

[Updated] The first sections of East River Park set to close today as resiliency work begins; activists arrested

Photo from yesterday's march to East River Park by Jeremiah Moss

As we reported last Monday, "phased work operations" begin today in Project Area 1 between Montgomery Street and 15th St., including East River Park as part of the $1.45-billion East Side Coastal Resiliency (ESCR) project.

So starting today, the Brian Watkins Tennis Center will start to shut down. According to the construction notice, four tennis courts on the north side and the tennis center will remain open through the end of the 2021 permit season on Nov. 21. All tennis courts and the tennis center including restrooms will be closed until 2024 — subject to change, per the city.  

According to the latest timeline from the city, leagues will be able to use the ballfields through Nov. 30. Permits for the BBQ areas and amphitheater will no longer be available after Nov. 30.

Starting last week, the former compost area was to be converted into "a passive lawn space." Per the city: "The new passive lawn area will provide public recreation space during ESCR construction. Construction will take place from mid-October through mid-November."

Our previous post has more details on what has been happening to date here ... as well as the opposition to this current plan.

Work continues in Project Area 2 between East 15 Street and 25th Street, including Asser Levy Playground, Stuyvesant Cove Park and Murphy Brothers Playground.

Construction on the East Side is expected to wrap up by the end of 2026.

Updated 10 a.m.

East River Park Action reports that a group of residents are currently at the tennis courts protesting the start of the construction here...

Updated 11:56 a.m.

We're told that the group is blocking construction workers from accessing the site ... and that the NYPD is on hand "threatening arrest."

Updated 2 p.m.

Allie Ryan, an East Village resident who's running for District 2 City Council against Carline Rivera, was among those arrested today...  (photo by @EmilyJCatalyst) 

According to one estimate, 50 officers from the NYPD and Parks Enforcement Patrol are on the scene... (photo by @EmilyJCatalyst) ... two activists were said to be arrested in the end... 

A march to save East River Park today

Opponents of the city's current plan to demolish East River Park are gathering today at noon in Tompkins Square Park ... where they will march to the East River Amphitheater. 

Via an email from the organizers @1000people1000trees:

Starting the week of Nov. 1, phased work operations are scheduled to begin at East River Park. The City plans to clear-cut 1,000 mature trees, destroy this 50 acre biodiverse park, and remove Lower Manhattan's only large public green space right in plain sight. 

We protest big media’s refusal to state the actual facts. ESCR, (East Side Coastal Resiliency Plan) is dangerous. It's not a flood plan. It's a land grab. By tearing down our only park and its 80-year-old trees that mitigate the effects of climate change Lower Manhattan will be LESS SAFE and have LESS RESILIENCY in the future than we do now.

As previously reported, starting tomorrow below Houston Street, all but four tennis courts will close, with the remainder to shutter on Nov. 21 along with most of the southern end of East River Park. 

According to the latest timeline from the city, leagues will be able to use the ballfields through Nov. 30. Permits for the BBQ areas and amphitheater will no longer be available after Nov. 30.

Our previous post (link here) has more details and background.

Also today, The Guardian takes a deep dive into the city's plan for East River Park in a story titled "The battle over a vast New York park: is this climate resilience or capitalism?"

Southern section of East River Park to mostly close on Nov. 21 as resiliency work begins

Work on the $1.45-billion East Side Coastal Resiliency (ESCR) project will close the southern section of East River Park — below the Houston Street entrance — starting on Nov. 21 ...  with construction completion not set for by the end of 2026 "given project pause during COVID and procurement delays."

The city released the first set of dates for ESCR construction and a revised phasing plan for this Project Area 1 last Wednesday during Community Board 3's Parks, Recreation, Waterfront, & Resiliency Committee.

As we first reported here, the Compost Yard has been relocated, and that area will be turned into "a passive lawn" during the interim.

On Nov. 1, all but four tennis courts will close, with the remainder to shutter on Nov. 21 along with most of the southern end of East River Park.

According to the latest timeline from the city, leagues will be able to use the ballfields through Nov. 30. Permits for the BBQ areas and amphitheater will no longer be available after Nov. 30. Click on the image below for more detail on all this...

Also, on Nov. 21, the entire "shared-use path" — the Greenway that runs between East River Park and the FDR — will close until the end of 2026. Looking at the city's presentation, it's not immediately apparent what route cyclists and pedestrians need to take in the interim. (The presentation only shows a bike detour for the area starting at Stuyvesant Cove on 20th Street.) 

Meanwhile, the rest of East River Park — the area north of Reach F on the city's snapshots — will be open for at least another year. There appears to be a small closure at the north end above 10th Street sometime before next summer. (The city has said that they will maintain public access to a minimum of 42 percent of the park throughout construction.)

There aren't any other specific dates at this time attached to gutting the 57.5-acre East River Park — burying the existing park under fill and elevating it by 8-to-10 feet above sea level. You can find the updated 22-page presentation from last week at this link.

Opponents of this version of the reconstruction project continue to speak out, stressing there's a better path forward to protect the Lower East Side and surrounding neighborhoods from a 100-year-flood event and sea-level rise — one that doesn't cause 1,000 mature trees to be chopped down.

As Archpaper noted in an article on the project this past summer:

Though the city has committed to planting approximately 2,000 new trees, consisting of 50 different tree species that will be more resilient to salt spray and extreme weather, it will take decades for the new saplings on the reconstructed park to achieve a full canopy.

East River Park Action and other advocates say there are alternatives to preserve the park and provide flood protection, such as the one mapped out in the years after Sandy. In late 2018, the city surprised community stakeholders by announcing a complete overhaul of a plan discussed over four years of local meetings.

Efforts to spur Council Speaker Corey Johnson to hold an oversight hearing on this phase of the East Side Coastal Resiliency project have yet to materialize. However, he's aware of what's happening here now.

Meanwhile, work continues in Project Area 2 between East 15 Street and 25th Street, including Asser Levy Playground, Stuyvesant Cove Park and Murphy Brothers Playground.

The Compost Yard in East River Park is on the move

In recent days workers have started to remove the contents from the Compost Yard in East River Park to make way for the East Side Coastal Resiliency project. (EVG photo from yesterday.)

The Lower East Side Ecology Center had been facing an uncertain future in trying to secure a suitable alternative for its 30-year-old composting program. In June, the city announced that the Compost Yard could return to its current location after the demolition/rebuild of East River Park over the next 3-5 years. 

Here's an update via the LES Ecology Center website on what is happening...

Our priority is to continue operating the existing drop-off sites during this transitional period. With the loss of the Compost Yard, we have begun hauling food scraps from our drop-off sites to the Staten Island Compost Site. This shift in our operations also means we’re using a new green bin at our drop-off sites. 

We are working with the City to build out a temporary compost site so that we can compost the food scraps we are collecting again in spring of 2022. 

Our compost yard volunteer workdays, compost donation appointments, and compost site tours are suspended until further notice. Our 24/7 Compost Yard drop-off will be moving. More details soon! 

You might be curious what is happening with all the compost currently at the Compost Yard. The freshest, active compost piles are being moved to the Staten Island Compost Site where they will finish their composting process. The finished compost will also be moved, we hope to donate as much of this material to neighborhood Parks as possible.

Meanwhile, the LES Ecology Center will be working from Seward Park over the next few years. 

Workers are expected to start razing the 57.5-acre East River Park in the weeks ahead, cutting down the 1,000 mature trees and eventually rebuilding the park atop eight feet of landfill.

East River Park Action and other advocates say there are better ways to preserve the park and provide flood protection, such as the one mapped out in the years after Sandy. In late 2018, the city surprised community stakeholders by announcing a complete overhaul of a plan discussed over four years of local meetings.

During a weeklong series of protests outside City Hall last week, the advocates (finally) got the attention of Council Speaker Corey Johnson to ask for him to hold an oversight hearing on the East Side Coastal Resiliency project. PIX11 and The Village Sun covered the advocates' impromptu meeting with Johnson.

You can also watch a video of the exchange right here... it's not clear what, if anything, might transpire from the conversation... 

 

To get Corey Johnson's attention, East River Park activists chain themselves to tree at City Hall

Yesterday morning, two local activists, identified as JK Canepa and Jmac, chained themselves to a tree outside City Hall to demand Council Speaker Corey Johnson allow an oversight hearing for East River Park.

Other activists from East River Park Action were also on hand during the day.   

To date, Johnson has refused to hold an emergency hearing on the pending demolition of the park. He has also not provided any comments as to why. 

Per Curbed yesterday afternoon:

Johnson has not yet got in touch with the group, though a representative from the mayor's office has and is mediating between his office and the demonstrators. That's not going to get anyone unlocked though. "We don't want a meeting," Canepa said. "We want an oversight hearing, and we want to hear it from Corey himself."

This fall, workers are expected to start razing the 57.5-acre park and cutting down the 1,000 mature trees, and eventually rebuilding the park atop eight feet of landfill as part of the East Side Coastal Resiliency Project. 

East River Park Action other advocates say there are better ways to preserve the park and provide flood protection, such as the one mapped out in the years after Sandy. In late 2018, the city surprised community stakeholders by announcing a complete overhaul of a plan discussed over four years of local meetings.

In October 2019, the city announced that they would phase in the construction, so only portions of the park are closed to the public at any given time. 

Photo via @eastriverparkaction

East Side Coastal Resiliency work closes part of Stuyvesant Cove Park until 2023

Stuyvesant Cove Park north of 20th Street is now closed as floodwall work related to the East Side Coastal Resiliency (ESCR) project continues along this corridor. 

This three-block section is expected to be closed until some time in 2023 (subject to change), per the flyers...

This part of this ESCR construction started at the end of 2020. This is considered Project Area 2, which encompasses work between 15th Street and 25th Street, including Asser Levy Playground, Stuyvesant Cove Park, Murphy Brothers Playground, as well as local streets around the Con Edison facility. (You can find more updates about work in this section at this link.)

As Curbed previously reported: "Stuyvesant Cove will be dismantled and replaced with an elevated berm near the FDR Drive, with a sea wall built along its bike path on the waterfront. Solar One plans to move into a newly constructed building within a much different landscape."

The work on Stuyvesant Cove Park will happen in two phases... We're apparently in Phase 2... 
 

So this is Project Area 2. The part of the ESCR getting more attention here is Project Area 1 between Montgomery Street and 15th Street, including East River Park. That work is expected to begin this fall. Trees that the city will cut down have apparently already been identified. (Updated noon: Word is circulating that workers have started removing several trees.)

 

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Looking for 1,000 people to stand with the 1,000 trees to be cut down in East River Park

On Saturday morning, opponents of the city's current plan to bulldoze East River Park as part of the East Side Coastal Resiliency Project are hosting an action in the amphitheater to help raise awareness of what they say is a flawed plan to protect the area from future flooding. 

Here's more about the event, which starts Saturday at 11 a.m. via East River Park Action, one of the organizers:

We are calling for New Yorkers to show up on September 11th with our bodies to oppose the city’s destruction of East River Park — a preventable health hazard and an ecological disaster and to demand flood protection that does not strip this environmental justice neighborhood of its greenspace. 

We need a truly resilient plan that addresses root causes of climate change instead of prioritizing traffic flow on the FDR. Heat is our city's number one weather-related killer. Trees reduce heat. 

After September 11, 2001, the shabby, fenced-off amphitheater in East River Park was rebuilt by the city. Companies all over America contributed materials to repair it. The new amphitheater was dedicated to the children whose parents died when the twin towers collapsed. 

Now in total disregard of history, the will of the neighborhood and the more than 100,000 New Yorkers from all boroughs who use the park, the city is planning to demolish East River Park and clear cut 1,000 trees for the East Side Coastal Resiliency plan.

Meanwhile, as previously reported, Comptroller Scott Stringer's office reviewed the $1.2 billion contract from IPC Resiliency Partners. 

Stringer subsequently sent the contract back to the Department of Design and Construction (DDC) for more information, including "how the project's lead contractors plan to meet the legal standard that minority/women-owned business enterprises receive 30 percent of the work," as The Indypendent reported. 

However, Mayor de Blasio reportedly "overruled" Stringer's office and asked that he register the low bidder's contract for the massive floodproofing project. 

Through a Freedom of Information Law (FOIL) request, East River Park Action obtained a copy of Stringer's report. (You can find a PDF of it here.)

According to Jack L. Lester, an attorney for East River Park Action: "The Comptroller's report highlights the deficiencies and inadequacies of the qualifications presented by this private company slated to receive a huge amount of taxpayer money. We want the new Mayor and City Council to investigate and follow up with the questions raised by this disclosure."

To date, Council Speaker Corey Johnson has refused to hold an emergency hearing on the matter and has not provided any comments as to why. 

This fall, workers are expected to start razing the 57.5-acre plot of land, cutting down the 1,000 mature trees and eventually rebuilding the park atop eight feet of landfill.

East River Park Action and other advocates say there are better ways to preserve the park and provide flood protection, such as the one mapped out in the years after Sandy. In late 2018, the city surprised community stakeholders by announcing a complete overhaul of a plan discussed over four years of local meetings.

In October 2019, the city announced that they would phase in the construction, so only portions of the park are closed to the public at any given time. 

According to various reports, the city has committed to leaving a minimum of 42 percent of East River Park open for use. It is projected to be completed in 2025, a timetable opponents say will never be met.

Tonight at 6:30, city officials will provide CB3's Parks, Recreation, Waterfront, & Resiliency Committee with an update on the East Side Coastal Resiliency Project. Find the Zoom link here. 

Updated: For reference, find the report from independent consultant Hans Gehrels of the Dutch environmental group Deltares at this link.

Advocacy group: Mayor 'overrules' comptroller on East River Park reconstruction contract

Mayor de Blasio apparently doesn't want any further delays with the East Side Coastal Resiliency Plan (ESCR) for East River Park. 

According to East River Park Action in an Instagram post from Friday, the Mayor "overruled" Comptroller Scott Stringer's office and asked that he register the low bidder's contract for the massive floodproofing project. 

Last month, the $1.2 billion contract from IPC Resiliency Partners was waiting for approval at Stringer's office. Stringer subsequently sent the contract back to the Department of Design and Construction (DDC) for more information, including "how the project's lead contractors plan to meet the legal standard that minority/women-owned business enterprises receive 30 percent of the work," as The Indypendent reported. 

Per a Stringer spokesperson: "Since we were unable to resolve all of our questions within the 30-day review period, our office has returned the contract to DDC to allow them additional time to address the outstanding issues." 

Stringer apparently did not indicate that he opposed the reconstruction plan. 

Now the Mayor is "pushing through the City's contract with the unqualified company," per East River Park Action. 

Every day this week at noon, the activist group will protest the plan outside the gates of City Hall...

 

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Eileen Myles, the East Village-based poet and novelist who has spoken out against the plan, called out mainstream media outlets for not covering this story.

From a weekend Instagram post that was widely shared on the platform, including by Kim Gordon...

 

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A post shared by Eileen Myles (@eileen.myles)

Opponents of the city's current plan — where workers will raze the 57.5-acre plot of land, bulldozing 1,000 mature trees and rebuilding the park atop eight feet of landfill — say there are better ways to preserve the park and provide flood protection, such as the one mapped out in the years after Sandy.

In late 2018, the city surprised community stakeholders by announcing a complete overhaul of a plan discussed over four years of local meetings.

In October 2019, the city announced that they would phase in the construction, so only portions of the park are closed to the public at any given time. 

According to various reports, the city has committed to leaving a minimum of 42 percent of East River Park open to the public. It is projected to be completed in 2025, a timetable opponents say will never be met.

Advocates urging City Comptroller to withhold approval for East River Park reconstruction

Updated 7/29

As amNY first reported: "After several discussions with the DDC, the comptroller is requesting the agency tackle some unresolved issues, including information disclosure concerns." AND: "Though Stringer kicked the contract back to the DDC, it does not mean that he won’t sign it in the future — or that the project won’t move forward."

---

The low bidder's contract for the East Side Coastal Resiliency Plan (ESCR) at East River Park is waiting for approval at Comptroller Scott Stringer's office. 

And opponents of the current plan, led by East River Park Action, are urging Stringer to withhold his approval of the bid by IPC Resiliency Partners. (Read more about the bidding drama here.)

Today at noon, group members will rally outside his office at 1 Centre St.  

Here's more via an email from East River Park Action:

Once approved and a Notice to Proceed is issued, IPC can begin prep work for the demolition of East River Park — including cutting down almost 1,000 mature trees — in order to build a giant levee over the 46-acre land. The Department of Design and Construction, which oversees the project, said at prior Community Board 3 meetings that surveyors are ready to enter the park to perform necessary tests. Other work will include fencing of the park and bringing in trailers for field offices, which can begin within two months of approval.

 

At a time when the city is in a fiscal crisis, we are urging Comptroller Stringer to withhold approval on the $1,272,221,100 construction contract with IPC for the ESCR project that has already gone over-budget, until an independent review is conducted on the prior plan that would've cost the City considerably less money and the park considerably less destruction.

Opponents of the city's current plan — where workers will raze the 57.5-acre plot of land, bulldozing 1,000 mature trees and rebuilding the park atop eight feet of landfill — say there are better ways to preserve the park and provide flood protection, such as the one mapped out in the years after Sandy.

In late 2018, the city surprised community stakeholders by announcing a complete overhaul of a plan discussed over four years of local meetings.

In October 2019, the city announced that they would phase in the construction, so only portions of the park are closed to the public at any given time. 

According to various reports, the city has committed to leaving a minimum of 42 percent of East River Park open to the public. It is projected to be completed in 2025, a timetable opponents say will never be met.

Previously on EV Grieve: 

• City tries again with the release of a Value Engineering Study for East River Park

• Report: Lowest bids for East River Park construction are $73 million over budget 

• Report: Now there's an East River Park construction lawsuit 

Details on the additional funding for the East Side Coastal Resiliency Project

The city has announced new details about plans for East River Park after the years-long gutting commences later this year. 

According to an announcement by Mayor de Blasio and published reports, additional funding — totaling $145 million — will allow for a new amphitheater (with roof), more amenities at Murphy Brothers Playground and a flyover bridge for the narrow bikeway at 14th Street.

In addition, Deputy Mayor Vicki Been confirmed in a letter that the Lower East Side Ecology Center's compost yard would be able to return to its longtime home upon completion of the East Side Coastal Resiliency Project.

NY1 had more details on the amphitheater: 

The reconstruction project ... was set to demolish the current amphitheater and replace it with a smaller stage, albeit one without a roof... 

Now, an infusion of $4.83 million that was announced by Mayor Bill de Blasio will allow the city to create a roof structure for the amphitheater, said Ian Michaels, the executive director of public information for the city’s Department of Design and Construction, which is overseeing much of the park's overhaul. 

City Hall did not respond to a question about where the funding is coming from.

Michael Marino, the founder of Friends of Corlears Hook Park, which is across the FDR from the amphitheater, told this to NY1: "I don't think it should have taken this long for this to happen. I feel like every once in a while, after years of the community complaining about something, we get a little crumb, and that's supposed to appease us."

Marino said he is pleased that the amphitheater will have a cover of some kind, but is still concerned that the current plan does not include bathrooms or sufficient seating for performances. 

 A covered amphitheater would offer "that grandiose vision" for people entering the park, he said. 

Renderings of the new amphitheater show that it is considerably smaller than the current version, which can seat an estimated 2,500. Instead, the new space looks to hold 400.

Here is the list of other "improvements" that the city announced back on Thursday:

• $5.8 million to build a comfort station at Murphy Brothers Playground, a 1.27-acre park at Avenue C and East 17th Street. The playground was already scheduled to receive updated recreation facilities and flood protection. Other improvements to the playground will include a new basketball court, new synthetic turf ballfields, a new dog run, a new power source for the existing Little League scoreboard, and enhanced landscaping.

• $129 million, in a separate capital project, to the Department of Transportation to fully fund a future flyover bridge that will improve bike and pedestrian access through this critical part of the Greenway. The bridge will span the "pinch point" area of the Manhattan Greenway as it passes 14th Street along the East River, where the Greenway narrows to just a few feet wide to fit between the river, the FDR Drive and adjacent Con Edison facilities. The bridge construction will be coordinated with ESCR.

The announcements aren't likely to appease opponents of the East Side Coastal Resiliency Project, who have demanded a "real environmental review" of the $1.45 billion plan to protect the Lower East Side and surrounding neighborhoods from a 100-year-flood event and sea-level rise. 

Opponents of the city's current plan — where workers will raze the 57.5-acre plot of land, bulldozing 1,000 mature trees and rebuilding the park atop eight feet of landfill — say there are better ways to preserve the park and provide flood protection, such as the one mapped out in the years after Sandy.

In late 2018, the city surprised community stakeholders by announcing a complete overhaul of a plan discussed over four years of local meetings.

In October 2019, the city announced that they would phase in the construction, so only portions of the park are closed to the public at any given time. According to various reports, the city has committed to leaving a minimum of 42 percent of East River Park open to the public. It is projected to be completed in 2025, a timetable opponents say will never be met.

As previously reported, the lowest bids have come in, and they've already exceeded the budget by $73 million, which doesn't cover the entire project. To date, the city has yet to select a contractor, a process mired in a lawsuit at the moment.

Previously on EV Grieve: 

• City tries again with the release of a Value Engineering Study for East River Park

• Report: Lowest bids for East River Park construction are $73 million over budget 

• East River community group gets action on the release of (heavily redacted) Value Engineering Study

• Advocacy group: The city's Value Engineering Study for East River Park does not exist

Report: Now there's an East River Park construction lawsuit

One of the two bidders for the reconstruction of East River Park has initiated a lawsuit against the Department of Design and Construction (DDC), DDC Commissioner Jamie Torres Springer, Comptroller Scott Stringer and IPC Resiliency Partners (IPC), according to the latest report from advocacy group East River Park Action. 

Tully Construction Co. Inc. filed the suit on April 26. (The lawsuit was amended last Monday.)

Per the group's email from yesterday:

Tully, the higher bidder, alleges the DDC did not follow its own protocols when they accepted the lower bid from IPC. The City has agreed to not award the contract until after the hearing date, which is currently May 27. The City also agreed not to register the contract for the ESCR until 30 days after the hearing date. 

The lawsuit claims that IPC, a newly formed joint venture, did not meet the Special Experience Requirements listed in the Project's Bid Booklet. Tully is seeking a judgment that the project should be awarded to them.  

As East River Park Action previously noted, the bids from both Tully and IPC exceeded the city's estimate.

And...

If Tully wins the judgment and DDC awards the Project to Tully at the higher bid of $1,335,473,290, then the costs of the ESCR project will exceed the City Engineer’s estimates by $136,907,910. 

$1.45 billion is allocated for this project. There is currently no additional funding from the city, state or federal government to complete the project. 

Meanwhile, the construction start date, once set to begin in the spring of 2020, is looking like the fall now. The continued delays are casting more doubts on the project's viability, per East River Park Action.

Find more background on the project here.

Previously on EV Grieve:

Report: Lowest bids for East River Park construction are $73 million over budget 

At the March to Save East River Park

An estimated 500 people turned out yesterday for the March to Save East River Park. 

Participants, carrying noise-makers and homemade signs, gathered in Tompkins Square Park and made their way over to East River Park along Avenue B, with a stop outside the Fourth Street office of local City Councilmember Carlina Rivera, who has voiced support for the city's plan to cover the park with eight feet of fill for flood control and cut down 1,000 trees. 

The march, organized by East River Park Action, ended at the amphitheater, where there were an array of speakers, including neighborhood activists, several candidates for City Council and Manhattan Borough President and the poet Eileen Myles, who served as emcee. (Recaps at Gothamist and NY1.)

EVG contributor Stacie Joy shared these photos from along the march and in East River Park...

Opponents of the East Side Coastal Resiliency Project demand a "real environmental review" of the $1.45 billion plan to protect the Lower East Side and surrounding neighborhoods from a 100-year-flood event and sea-level rise. 

Opponents of the city's current plan — where workers will raze the 57.5-acre plot of land, bulldozing 1,000 mature trees and rebuilding the park atop eight feet of landfill — say there are better ways to preserve the park and provide flood protection, such as the one mapped out in the years after Sandy.

In late 2018, the city surprised community stakeholders by announcing a complete overhaul of a plan discussed over four years of local meetings.

In October 2019, the city announced that they would phase in the construction, so only portions of the park are closed to the public at any given time. According to various reports, the city has committed to leaving a minimum of 42 percent of East River Park open to the public. It is projected to be completed in 2025, a timetable opponents say will never be met.

Meanwhile, the city officially kicked off the East Side Coastal Resiliency Project this past Thursday via an announcement by Mayor de Blasio.

As previously reported, the lowest bids have come in, and they've already exceeded the budget by $73 million, which doesn't cover the entire project. 

Previously on EV Grieve: 

• City tries again with the release of a Value Engineering Study for East River Park

• Report: Lowest bids for East River Park construction are $73 million over budget 

• East River community group gets action on the release of (heavily redacted) Value Engineering Study

• Advocacy group: The city's Value Engineering Study for East River Park does not exist