Yesterday, we noted that the so-called "passive lawn" was set to open this week in the area near Corlears Hook ... at the site of
the former composting yard.
For starters, the field was said to actually debut last week for public use — a dedicated space for nearby residents to use for recreation for the years the rest of the adjacent East River Park is gutted.
On Saturday, we were outside the passive lawn, accessible through a narrow passage marked by chainlink fences that leads from the Corlears Hook Pedestrian Bridge to the ferry. There wasn't any signage pointing potential passive-lawn users to this space. (You need to go down to the ferry stop to find the entrance.)
One EVG reader said that the Parks Enforcement Patrol hadn't received the opening memo ... and the reader was told to leave the space.
Eve Josephson shared the top photo from dusk the other day... showing the little lakes on the lawn. She has walked on the property several times.
"It is a sodden mess," she said. "The more you walk toward the center of the field, the more you sink into the muck."
Workers, who started on this in late October, apparently didn't account for drainage (an issue with the previous Compost Yard here too).
"In essence," she said, "the passive field is unusable."
The city has said they will maintain public access to a minimum of 42 percent of East River Park throughout construction, expected to be complete by the end of 2026.