Agreed ^ And take it a step further ...Originally Posted by ablarc
If shoreline elevators were added at the base of the East River Bridges up to the existing pedestrian walkways (below in green) that would create direct pedestrian access along the waterfront (folks would not need to walk ~ 10 blocks in either direction to get onto the walkway in order to cross the river) and lessen the need for any new footbridge bridge from waterfront to waterfront (although an additional footbridge at Queens West / United Nations would be a great addition). Then if they would add light rail along both shores of the ER waterfront (below in red) with drop-offs at the elevator sites it would go a long way towards getting people where they need & want to go.
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Terrific ^ How do we interest Bloomberg?
He could start by installing elevators at the 59th Street Bridge --especially at Roosevelt Island-- during the year the Tramway is out of commission.
Wouldn't the folks on Roosevelt Island be ecstatic? They'd help him get elected as Mayor-for-Life.
Bloomberg might be interested if his old friends at GS could figure out a way to fund the elevators / light rail so that the project earns them buckets of cash.
The Domino development gang, despite their connections to the mayor's inside circle, has no good answer or plan for getting the projected 6,000 new residents to / from their big development. They think a few added shuttle busses will do the trick
Speaking of light rail, they should run PCC's on the Brooklyn side all the way to Red Hook. Are those PCC's still rotting away on the Fairway's dock?
Great plan. While we're building let's put in the light rail all the way to Red Hook, then back around past Prospect Park through the middle of Brooklyn & Queens in areas now without subway service (no doubt some residents there prefer that no good public transit serves certain areas, as that's one way to keep out folks they'd rather not have passing through). Continue the rail up along Flushing Meadows, on to La Guardia and over to Steinway and then down the full stretch of the East River.
On the Manhattan side continue the rail up along the East River, at least as far north to a point where passengers could link up with the Lexington subway line. From South Ferry continue the rail up the west side of Manhattan (although the perfect chance was lost when such a rail wasn't included in the re-building of the West Side Hiway), possibly going north from 23rd along Eleventh Avenue / West End Avenue. Put in cross town surface rails at 72nd Street and somewhere in midtown (23rd? 34th? 42nd?) and also downtown, at either Houston or Delancey / Broome. And add another crosstown rail uptown, at Central Park North or 125th Street.
^ Voilà un fait accompli.
Fear & Loathing in East River Park
by Yori Yanover, Grand Street News
On my morning walk this past weekend, after shul, I decided to check out how far the East River Park promenade renovation has reached. I’m happy to report that the railing and the pavement, which start up near 14th Street, now go all the way down to the old fireboat house, south of the WB.
It’s an old, personal scar for me, this promenade. I will never forget the day, on the eve of the Fourth of July, 2000, when then Mayor Giuliani was informed there were holes the size of a small car in the promenade pavement, and he ordered the whole damned thing fenced off. Then, for years, the city spent much money on police patrols to prevent cyclist, runners and walkers from using the promenade, and not one penny on fixing it.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the island, in Tribeca, the rich folks were getting parks and bike paths and running tracks and flowers and girls in hot pants refreshing their margaritas. Then, in 2005, the city started moving its behind on the renovation project, and has been schlepping it out for six summers. And all this time, the asphalt road alongside the FDR Drive is more potholes than road, and the Parks Dept. keeps saying they’ll pave it over once the entire project is finished, makes no sense to pave while the heavy cement trucks are still using the road. That’s five years now. Each year they promise completion next year. I was a relatively young man when this thing started, I had pep, I was four inches taller.
Walking along the newly added promenade cobblestones, a young African American man wearing a reflective green and orange vest and a helmet came up to me to order me back. Apparently, this was still a construction site. But after 10 years of the above personal drama, I switched to Ghandi mode and informed the lad I would continue my walk up to the fence and then return. He was adamant, demanding that I return at once, or he would call the cops. You do that, I told him, and continued, with ten years of history watching me.
Finally I reached the fence which still separates the finished and open part from the finished but still barred part, and turned around. By the time I reached the pedestrian crossing bridge next to the WB, I saw two cop cars with rolling lights speeding up the drive to take me away. I’m sure Mayor Bloomberg will not understand why we down here are being so ungrateful.
http://www.thelodownny.com/leslog/20...tml#more-11394
City Plans to Use Pier 42 For Parking; “Urban Beach” Proposal on Indefinite Hold
Once upon a time, the city envisioned creating an “urban beach and boat launch,” something like the rendering pictured above, on Pier 42. Last week, however, NYC’s Economic Development Corp., detailed plans that are considerably less ambitious. David Quart, EDC vice president, told CB3 the city intended to temporarily dedicate the pier (at the end of Montgomery Street) to public parking and parking for vehicles being used for movie shoots.
The lofty plans for Pier 42 are on hold, since the city doesn’t have the money to finance the project. Quart told community board members the revenues generated would be funneled into a pier maintenance fund. The EDC plans to use the pier for parking during the next three years. CB3 Waterfront Subcommittee Chair Lois Regan asked whether there was a plan to raise revenue for the beach/park area.
Quart responded, “we are always talking but there is no near-term money available.”
Most of the money currently available is being devoted to Pier 35, which is being transformed into a park. Quart said it will hopefully be completed in less than two years.
CB3 members and residents attending the meeting complained about the city’s neglect of the East Side, while the waterfront on the West Side has been refurbished with ample open space and recreational facilities. But one resident, Jim Miller (a member of Local 52 – motion picture studio mechanics) said he welcomed the decision.
In a separate discussion, the committee talked about proposed changes to an agreement made several years ago with Bruce Radler, the owner of Basketball City. The private company has signed a long-term lease for a section of Pier 36. During the past year, several neighborhood organizations have been demanding more concessions from Radler, including increased access to Basketball City facilities and employment opportunities.
But after Radler explained he couldn’t agree to more concessions, community leaders said they were willing to wait until the facility is open before making additional demands.
Everyone agreed Radler had been a “good neighbor” when Basketball City was operating on the West Side.
Radler said building the Pier 36 facility has taken a lot longer and cost far more than he anticipated. The most recent complication occurred after contractors learned the pier is on a flood plain, and the site must be raised. Radler indicated the latest revelation could cost $1 million.
http://www.thelodownny.com/leslog/20...tml#more-11827
Yesterday - South of the Seaport
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me loves the squirrel
City plots huge land deal with U.N.
Plan: Sell East Side city properties to diplos to fund mile-long park.
By Theresa Agovino
City and state officials are crafting a byzantine plan to raise money to close a 21-block gap in the East Side waterfront promenade. The hard part is that it involves selling two city-owned office buildings, razing a playground and constructing a new tower for the United Nations.The extraordinarily complicated proposal is still in its early stages, and it could easily fall apart as it moves forward, given all of the moving parts. Yet officials say it has a chance because it would offer a way to fulfill major, long-held goals for both the city and the U.N.: The international body would finally get the additional building it has wanted for years, and the city could add park space and waterfront amenities despite the budgetary crisis.
“This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity,” says Sarra Hale-Stern, district office director for state Sen. Liz Krueger, who is working on the proposal that's being spearheaded by the city's Economic Development Corp.
Filling the promenade's gap, which extends from East 38th to East 59th streets, would cost $150 million to $200 million. The city would finance the construction by selling two buildings on East 44th Street that it leases to the U.N. Those sales could yield anywhere from $150 million to $300 million. In addition, sources say, the city is seeking at least $75 million from the U.N. for permission to build on Robert Moses Playground, a 29,000-square-foot blacktop across East 42nd Street from the U.N., on First Avenue.
Trading parkland
But the deal faces numerous obstacles. The playground transaction would require state legislation because it involves eliminating parkland. The idea would be to compensate the community for the loss by expanding the promenade and adding space to existing area parks.
“In the legislation, we are going to have to be very specific about what will be constructed if we take the major step of [removing] parkland,” says Brian Kavanagh, a state assemblyman working on the deal.
Yet getting the OK from Albany may be the easy part. The U.N. would have to approve the deal at a time when it is already spending $1.9 billion on a gut renovation of its headquarters complex.
The idea of the U.N. building on Robert Moses Playground has been kicking around for years, but two factors have resurrected the concept recently.
First, about six months ago, the U.N. hired a consultant to study its real estate needs, sources say. The consultant found that the international body needed to extend beyond its renovated headquarters and space it leases elsewhere. In fact, the U.N. is exploring moving some local employees out of the area. Such a move by a major employer would be a big blow to the city.
The U.N. is also weighing the possibility of constructing a building on its campus, on what is now green space to the north of the General Assembly Building. That's also far from ideal for the city because the U.N. sits on sovereign territory that is exempt from zoning laws, meaning local officials would have no say over what is constructed. Also, the city would be deprived of money if the U.N. built on its own land.
Long-cherished dream
Sources say the U.N. has long wanted to build on the playground site because its proximity to its headquarters means a tunnel could be created to connect the two buildings. Also, any building the U.N. constructed on the playground site couldn't be any taller than its current headquarters, sources say.
“The U.N. really wants to be in that spot, and the community really wants more parkland,” says Dan Garodnick, the local City Council member. “Hopefully, we can get a deal.”
In a statement, an EDC spokesman said the city would continue to work toward creating more open space and allowing a major employer to consolidate and expand.
Another reason behind the revived push is the possibility of using 22 caissons left behind when a temporary roadway was built while the FDR Drive was under construction. Keeping them would shave $25 million off the cost of constructing the promenade.
New York State's Department of Environmental Conservation wanted the caissons removed by the end of last year, but it has allowed them to stay as the promenade deal is being shaped. However, it is unclear when the department's patience will run out.
http://www.crainsnewyork.com/article...TATE/306139963
Holiday Weekend Bonus: New Section of East River Promenade Opens
Looking north from Grand Street
A new haven awaits pedestrians, picnickers, cyclists and sunbathers this Fourth of July weekend along the East River, where the new and improved riverfront promenade is (finally!) open for business all the way south to Grand Street.
New tables and benches await visitors just north of the Williamsburg Bridge.
The wide paved esplanade dotted with benches and landscaped gardens now extends south from 14th Street to the popular water-sprinkler playground featuring sculpted seals that sits just opposite the East River Co-op at Grand and the FDR.
Friday afternoon, a few cyclists and fishermen enjoyed the nice wide paved path and comfortable benches under sunny skies, while the smell of fresh mulch from brand-new landscaping blew on the cool breeze.
Two pedestrian bridges are not yet complete
There is still plenty of work to be done on the $80 million project, including the bridges that carry the path out over the water in several places, which are still not complete.
But for LES residents who’ve long anticipated the park improvements, it’s a welcome start to a summer holiday weekend. Now, if only Macy’s would move their fireworks back over to the East River side of the island . . .
http://www.thelodownny.com/leslog/20...tml#more-13586
Great news ^ Someplace to explore this [HOT] weekend.
lofter, let me know how dangerous it is to get across the FDR down there. Gracias -
That's never been a problem -- I usually cross the FDR via East Houston at the elevated roundabout. There's also a pedestrian overpass at the foot of Delancey Street or south of there between Cherry & Jackson that leads through a nice little park (Corlears Hook Park) across to the bandshell. There are other crossings further north just below East 6th & just above East 10. Or if you're coming from the south you can cross under the FDR anywhere (northernmost point is at the foot of Montgomery Street) then cross over to the bike path and walk up along the un-renovated area with the big shed at waterside until you find an opening that takes you east through to the esplanade.
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