ICYMI: The new athletic fields at Pier 42

On Oct. 8, the city quietly debuted the new sports area at Pier 42 — aka Pier 42 Upland Park and Pier — along the East River. 

Construction on the much-discussed $46-million project started in March 2021. Per the East River Alliance: "It’s the first step in the long-awaited transformation of a former banana warehouse/parking lot into waterfront recreation and green space for the LES community." 

As The Lo-Down previously reported, the local planning process began in 2012 after funding was allocated from the Lower Manhattan Development Corp. 

Delays were reportedly due in part to the East Side Coastal Resiliency Project, which has currently seen the closure and demolition of all East River Park amenities below Houston Street. 

Part two of the Pier 42 project, which will include a playground and comfort station, is expected next summer. (You can find more city background here.) 

The new space includes soccer fields, tennis courts, basketball courts and picnic tables... here's a look...

While the area was pleasant enough on a crisp fall afternoon with Bridges and Brooklyn views, some residents may wonder what the tree-less, shade-less area will be like on a hot summer day (no sign of drink fountains yet either — BYOW). Some comments on an East River Park Action Instagram post compared the space to a prison yard.

For now, the new complex is open from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. You can access the amenities at Montgomery Street/South Street at the entrance to Pier 36 (former home of the Immersive Van Gogh!) ... and follow the walkway toward the north, which doesn't seem promising at first...

... and where it is from the East Village (via Google!)...

Here's a look at the proposed designs for the new East River Park amphitheater

The first preliminary design review is set for this month for the new East River Park amphitheater. (You can find the 25-page PDF with all the design elements here.) 

The new design embraces "a classic arch shape." 

Per the document at the Department of Design and Construction: 

An arch shape pays homage to both the original structure and classic bandshells while creating opportunities for physical access and sight lines to the waterfront.

Other design points include: 

• Clearly Address the Main Seating Area:

The front arch is on the axis with the main seating area and is scaled to provide a sense of arrival as one enters from the Corlears Hook bridge. 

• Engage the Waterfront: 

Views to the waterfront are framed by an arch parallel to the esplanade. This arch is lower than the front, creating a more intimate experience near the water. An accessible path and stairs connect the stage to the esplanade and reinforce this design as a multi-purpose bandshell and waterfront pavilion. 

• Create a Sense of Lightness and Openness: 

An open-arch scheme allows for greater visibility and connectivity at the stage level. This approach also creates separation between the overlapping arches above, allowing light and air to enter while keeping the rain out. 

• Perform Acoustically: 

 The structure is designed to direct sound toward the seating and landscape. This will improve the sound quality for small, un-amplified events while mitigating sound projections toward the upland neighborhood.

The proposal includes potential amphitheater usage, from a "hangout spot" to "take a break and sit in the shade" to "larger events and performances for 1000+ spectators." 

There's a Public Design Commission hearing on Monday at 11:30 a.m. about the proposed new amphitheater. The commission is accepting public comments. Find info on attending in person or via Zoom at this link.

Workers finished demolishing the previous amphitheater, which dated to 1941, in late December. (Meanwhile, asbestos abatement continues at the site near Corlears Hook.)

In June 2021, the city came up with $4.83 million to include a roof over the new amphitheater. (Previous renderings did not have a roof.)

The new amphitheater is part of the $1.45 billion East Side Coastal Resiliency project in East River Park. Workers will bury the 57.5-acre land under fill and elevate it by 8-to-10 feet above sea level to protect the area from future storm surges. The city has said they will maintain public access to a minimum of 42 percent of the park throughout construction, which is expected to be complete by the end of 2026.  

H/T @tfine & @ChrisRyanAction 

Tree cutting and fencing in East River Park reaches the 6th Street pedestrian bridge

The tree cutting along the "shared-use path" — the Greenway between East River Park and the FDR — has reached the Sixth Street pedestrian bridge. (Thanks to Natalie for the top photo from yesterday morning. All other pics by EVG from yesterday afternoon.)

In recent days, workers have been chopping down mature trees along this corridor adjacent to the track and field...

The latest Construction Bulletin (click on the image to go big) lists "Ongoing Con Edison utility work" ... it's not immediately known what kind of Con Ed work would necessitate removing the trees...

In the weeks ahead, workers will install protective fencing along the Greenway up to the 10th Street pedestrian bridge and continue "clearing and grubbing" (cutting down trees)...

As of now, you may no longer access the Greenway below the Sixth Street pedestrian bridge...

The track and field area is still accessible ...

The outdoor gym area below the track and field is open, though you need to enter it via the walkway along the river.

There aren't any specific dates at this time attached to gutting the remaining 57.5-acre East River Park — burying the existing park under fill and elevating it by 8-to-10 feet above sea level — north of Sixth Street. A presentation from last fall (at this link) shows the area north of Sixth Street closed in the summer of 2024 ... at which time the new amenities designated for the currently gutted park below Stanton Street would be available to the public.

The city has said that it will maintain public access to a minimum of 42 percent of the park throughout construction.

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. 

ICYMI: Why this section of the FDR will be closed overnight

In case you missed our post from Thursday... the FDR is shutting down overnight between the Brooklyn Bridge (Exit 2) and East Houston (Exit 5) so workers can remove that last section of the Delancy Street footbridge... this route is scheduled to be out of commission from midnight to 10 a.m. ...

Dutch consultant files report on the East Side Coastal Resiliency Project

[The Mayor’s Office of Recovery & Resiliency]

Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer and local City Councilmember Carlina Rivera announced the publication yesterday of the final report by independent consultant Hans Gehrels of the Dutch environmental group Deltares. The two hired Gehrels for a review of the $1.45 billion East Side Coastal Resiliency Project (ESCR) last month.

Among the findings in the report:

• The need for improving transparency and stakeholder engagement
• Ongoing monitoring for air quality impacts to be made available publicly
• Release of City documents that provide evidence for the analysis underlying the Final Environmental Impact Statement
• Further investigation of Interim Flood Protection Measures during the construction period
• Phased construction for continued use of of portions of the park with additional open space mitigation
• Additional clean fill for future flood protection against sea level rise

For your weekend reading, you can find the full 68-page report at this link.

Stay tuned for more thoughts and analysis as people dig into the report.

Meanwhile...

"We heard the requests of the community for an independent review loud and clear, and we listened," Brewer said in a statement. "Deltares brought their vast experience and expertise to the analysis of this project, and I implore the de Blasio administration to take these suggestions into account before any construction begins."

And per Rivera: "I look forward to carefully reviewing this report and the recommendations from Deltares and hope the de Blasio administration will do the same as they work to address our other outstanding demands."

On Oct. 2, the de Blasio administration announced more changes to the city's stormproofing plans for East River Park. Instead of the entire Park shutting down for three-plus years starting in March, the flood protection construction will be done in phases, with all of East River Park remaining open until next fall.

The plan still faces a City Council vote as the land use review process winds down.

Video: Recap of the East River Park march and rally; 1st City Council hearing set for Oct. 3

[Photo from Sept. 21 by Stacie Joy]

Community activists came together last Saturday to protest the city’s resiliency plan for East River Park that will see the space closed for three-plus years starting in March. (Find our photo recap here.)

Yesterday, The Indypendent published a recap of the march and rally, which included this video...



The stormproofing project is in the final stages of the city’s land use review process. The Planning Commission approved the plan back on Monday. The plan will head to City Council next for a hearing on Thursday, Oct. 3. This link has details.

Previously on EV Grieve:
• At the march and rally to save East River Park (Sept. 21)

• An annual reunion in East River Park (Aug. 4)

• A visit to East River Park (July 10)

At the march and rally to save East River Park

On Saturday, a crowd — estimated between 300 and 500 community members — gathered in Tompkins Square Park for a march and rally to protest the city's plan to bury East River Park with eight feet of landfill starting this March as part of protecting the east side against future storms and rising seas.

East River Park Action organized the rally.

"We support a plan that will provide much-needed flood protection," Howard Brandstein, director of the Sixth Street Community Center and a rally organizer, said in statement beforehand. "At the same time it should expand the park and reduce greenhouse emissions in response to the climate crisis."

EVG contributor Stacie Joy shared photos from the event starting in Tompkins Square Park...







Reverend Billy was on hand to lead the parade...



The group moved on toward East River Park...





... crossing over the FDR at Sixth Street...















Speakers on Saturday included Adam Zhou (pictured below), the East Village resident who successfully challenged the city's plan to put down a synthetic turf on the ball fields in Tompkins Square Park...











In keeping with the cries of "Bury the plan, not the park," the rally concluded with a burial of the city's current stormproofing plan... EVG reader Brucie took these two photos...





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The East Side Coastal Resiliency Project (ESCR) is a coastal protection initiative jointly funded by the city and the federal government aimed at reducing flood risk due to coastal storms and sea-level rise. ESCR is the first element of the city’s "Big U" plan to protect Lower Manhattan from surges like those seen during Superstorm Sandy.

As part of the project, city officials, starting next spring, plan to close East River Park for three-plus years, elevating it with 8- to 10-feet of soil and chopping down trees, etc., from Montgomery Street to East 13th Street.

City officials have said that this is a better course of action compared to the previous plan that was in the works with community input before Mayor de Blasio's team changed course last fall. Among other things, city officials claim that the new plan will shave nearly six months off of the projected timeline and will be less disruptive for residents living in the area.

The project is now undergoing a third-party review by a Dutch consultant hired by Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer and local City Councilmember Carlina Rivera. (The review is expected to be delivered soon.)

The City Planning Commission will vote on the plan today (Sept. 23) in the next step of the public review process before it heads to City Council later this fall. (The meeting is at 1 p.m. in the Lower Concourse, 120 Broadway. Find the meeting agenda at this link.)

Updated 6 p.m.

As expected, the Planning Commission approved the plan. Find a recap at Patch.

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On the way to East River Park, the group stopped by Rivera's office on Fourth Street...


[Photo by Dave on 7th]

There, the group sang a modified version of Simon & Garfunkel's "Cecilia" — "Carlina, you’re breaking our hearts, don’t bury the park [baby]."

According to Patch, Rivera has advocated "for staged construction to avoid a full park closure but has not outright opposed the plan." She holds a key vote when the plan comes before City Council this fall.

Flyers posted around the neighborhood have called out Rivera ... and urged residents to contact her office about the plan...

Reminders: March and rally for East River Park tomorrow; 'Bury the plan not the park'

[Photo by Stacie Joy]

As previously reported, community group East River Park Action has organized a march and rally tomorrow (Sept. 21) to protest the city's plan to bury East River Park with eight feet of landfill starting this March as part of protecting the east side against future storms and rising seas.

Here's part of the advisory via the EVG inbox...

“We support a plan that will provide much-needed flood protection. At the same time it should expand the park and reduce greenhouse emissions in response to the climate crisis,” says Howard Brandstein, director of the Sixth Street Community Center and a rally organizer.

The flood plan will have devastating consequences for residents in NYCHA housing and other low-and-middle income apartments bordering the park.

“Dust and other pollution from construction will affect air quality. Neighborhood residents already have high levels of asthma and 9/11-related upper respiratory illnesses,” says Lower East Side resident Pat Arnow, who is an organizer of the protest. “NYCHA buildings are undergoing heavy resiliency construction now. Some of their areas look like a war zone.”

The closure of the park for at least three and a half years will rob residents of critical green space, ball fields for team sports, and areas for community gatherings.

“An earlier HUD-funded plan, designed with the community over four years, was summarily scrapped by the city last year,” says Brandstein. “This plan was far more comprehensive. It provided flood control and resiliency without destroying the park, which has long been an oasis for our diverse Lower East Side and East Village neighborhoods.”

The march begins at noon in Tompkins Square Park. Demonstrators will wind through the neighborhood across the Sixth Street footbridge to East River Park. At 1:30 they’ll rally at the Labyrinth (north of the Williamsburg Bridge) followed by a parade down the promenade to a burial site beneath a tree with a 10.5 foot circumference. (Find more info here.)

ICYMI: This is all part of the East Side Coastal Resiliency Project (ESCR), a coastal protection initiative jointly funded by the city and the federal government aimed at reducing flood risk due to coastal storms and sea-level rise. ESCR is the first element of the city’s "Big U" plan to protect Lower Manhattan from surges like those seen during Superstorm Sandy.

As part of the project, city officials, starting next spring, plan to close East River Park for three-plus years, elevating it with 8- to 10-feet of soil and chopping down trees, etc., from Montgomery Street to East 13th Street.

City officials have said that this is a better course of action compared to the previous plan that was in the works with community input before Mayor de Blasio's team changed course last fall. Among other things, city officials claim that the new plan will shave nearly six months off of the projected timeline and will be less disruptive for residents living in the area.


[Illustration via East River Park Action]

The project is now undergoing a third-party review by a Dutch consultant hired by Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer and local City Councilmember Carlina Rivera.

Meanwhile, on Tuesday, the City Planning Commission is expected to vote on the plan in the next step of the public review process before it heads to City Council for a final vote this fall.

Previously on EV Grieve:
• Last week to comment on the city's plans to close East River Park (Aug. 27)

• An annual reunion in East River Park (Aug. 4)

• City Planning Commission will hold its hearing on the East Side Coastal Resiliency Project tomorrow (July 30)

• Next steps in the plan to rebuild East River Park (July 19)

• This week's public meeting about stormproofing East River Park (July 16)

• A visit to East River Park (July 10)

• Here are the next meetings for you to learn more about stormproofing plans for East River Park (June 3)