Nearly a decade after Hurricane Sandy brought previously unimaginable flooding to Lower Manhattan, construction is now underway for flood protection in New York City’s John V. Lindsay East River Park. After years of collaboration with community members, a sudden change of development plans has left local residents divided.
East River Park is a thin strip of public recreation space between Manhattan’s Lower East Side project-housing neighborhoods and the East River. It was originally conceived in 1930 by Robert Moses, the City Planning Commissioner who oversaw many of the city’s modern landmarks including Central Park 1. Before demolition began in early December 2021, the park featured playing fields, an esplanade, public art, and a beloved amphitheater where Shakespeare in the Park made its New York debut 2.
In 2012, Hurricane Sandy ravaged the east coast of the United States, bringing an over-nine-foot storm surge to lower Manhattan 3. The storm reclaimed much of the historical coastline of the island by temporarily submerging areas expanded with landfill following the obsolescence of the city’s historic eastside ports 1.
According to the city government, “the storm resulted in the deaths of 44 City residents and inflicted an estimated $19 billion in damages and lost economic activity.... over 69,000 residential units were damaged, and thousands of New Yorkers were temporarily displaced 4.”
With climate change projected to increase the frequency of future Sandy-level disasters, the city, with backing from the federal government, recognized the need for protection from future severe climate events 3.
In 2012, the Obama Administration organized the Rebuild by Design competition, which challenged development teams to work with local residents in areas affected by Sandy to imagine plans for innovative redevelopment projects 1.
The winning plans included the East Side Coastal Resiliency (ESCR) project, which was, in-part, intended to protect Manhattan’s Lower East Side housing projects from future flooding 1. The ESCR plan incorporated a number of elements inspired by input from the community.
The design featured a system of floodgates and channels intended to allow for a degree of ‘acceptable flooding’ without damaging nearby residential areas 1. The plan was a model, not just for a new approach to coastal flood protection, but also for how a community’s values can guide public development projects.
In 2018, the plan was derailed. An internal ‘constructability review’ conducted by the city determined that the development and upkeep would be excessively expensive and disruptive to traffic on adjacent FDR Drive 5.
A new plan was announced that would bury East River Park under eight feet of landfill to act as a levy for future storm surges 5. The plan was unveiled suddenly and is estimated to cost $1.45 billion, nearly double the price tag previously allotted to the project. Department of Design and Construction Commissioner Lorraine Grillo, however, explained that the internal review had suggested the old plan would cost closer to $1.2 billion.
DDC Commissioner Grillo took the fall for the poor communication surrounding the change of plans. “That’s on me,” she said, responding to the sudden scrapping of years of community input. “I take responsibility for that, and I apologize 5.”
Surprised community members were not immediately able to view the city’s cost review. Only after making a Freedom of Information request did the city release a “heavily redacted version,” leaving some local residents feeling duped by the city’s sudden change of plans 1. A group of activists temporarily blocked constriction with a recently overruled court order 6.
“We don’t like the fact that they didn’t talk to us about it after five years working on a plan that we thought was settled,” Ayo Harrington, a community organizer, said at a rally 5. NYC Council Member Carlina Rivera echoed frustration with the sudden change of plan, saying “We want a park designed for the people and by the people 5!” Activists have promoted projections by climate scientists that worsening storm trends could make the proposed levy obsolete as soon as 2050 7.
Parks Commissioner Mitchell Silver responded to the backlash, explaining that the old plan was infeasible due to the projected maintenance cost of a park designed to flood. “A lot of people are saying no, this was supposed to be a resilient park. Yes, if there’s nothing in it but a resilient landscape. This has recreational amenities. That’s why we prefer [the new] plan, because when there is a storm surge, those elements will stay and it will not be closed because they’re above the storm surge elevation 5.”
Other residents of the lower east side were relieved that some protection from future storms was finally in the works. Some community members who are pro-development have pointed out that many of the activists who still resist the new plan are wealthier, white, and do not live in highly at-risk, low-income housing next to the park 1.
“For tenants in my building and the people I know in NYCHA who were slammed by Sandy, we need flood protection yesterday,” Frank Avila-Goldman, a leader of the residents’ committee at a low-income development near the park, told a New York Times reporter 1.
“The opponents who came late to the party talk about saving trees and squirrels,” Mr. Avila-Goldman explained. “I have been to so many meetings where I felt talked down to, as if only white people are the ones who care about the environment. If I had a magic wand, I would also deck over the F.D.R. Drive because when I open my windows I find soot on my walls from all the traffic. I’m on the front line. But covering the highway is a pipe dream these people are using to derail a plan that is about saving our lives and our park 1.”
Nancy Ortiz, another low-income housing community leader, told the New York Times, “The new plan didn’t blow up the community. It revealed that there isn’t a community 1.”
References:
Kimmelman, M. (2021, December 2). What does it mean to save a neighborhood? The New York Times. Retrieved December 2022, from https://www.nytimes.com/2021/12/02/us/hurricane-sandy-lower-manhattan-nyc.html
Kensinger, N. (2021, December 31). Photos: NYC says goodbye to East River Park. Gothamist, New York Public Radio. Retrieved January, 2022, from https://gothamist.com/news/photos-nyc-says-goodbye-east-river-park/
Fishbein, R. (2017, October 24) NYC Can Expect More Frequent Sandy-Level Storms In The Future, Study Says.Gothamist, New York Public Radio. Retrieved January, 2022, from https://gothamist.com/news/nyc-can-expect-more-frequent-sandy-level-storms-in-the-future-study-says
NYC Recovery. (n.d.) Impact of Hurricane Sandy. nyc.gov, Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery. Retrieved January, 2022, from https://www1.nyc.gov/site/cdbgdr/about/About%20Hurricane%20Sandy.page
Pereira, S. (2019, January 24) Revamped East Side flood protection plan debated at packed City Council hearing.Curbed New York, Vox Media. Retrieved January, 2022, from https://ny.curbed.com/2019/1/24/18195342/manhattan-east-side-coastal-resiliency-city-council-hearing
Chang, S. (2021, December 11) City Demolition Of East River Park Underway In Violation Of Court Order, Protesters Say. Gothamist, New York Public Radio. Retrieved January, 2022, from https://gothamist.com/news/city-demolition-east-river-park-underway-violation-court-order-protesters-say
Kensinger, N. (2019, October 17) NYC will remake the East River waterfront to fight climate change. It may not be enough. Curbed New York, Vox Media. Retrieved January, 2022, from https://ny.curbed.com/2019/10/17/20918494/nyc-climate-change-east-side-coastal-resiliency-photos