http://curbed.com/archives/2008/04/2..._pavilions.php
Meet the East River Ping-Pong & Tango Pavilions
Friday, April 25, 2008, by Robert
Among the things being planned for the remakes of the East River waterfront and piers in Lower Manhattan are two new pavilions "underneath the fume-laden F.D.R. Drive near Rutgers Slip."
The description comes from the Villager, which describes them as places "where ping-pong, aerobics, tango and karate could become the norm."
Unlike some controversial elements of plans, the Villager notes that Community Board 3's Waterfront Subcommittee "overwhelmingly supports using the pavilions for dance, exercise and recreation."
The plan is to select a builder by next summer or fall and to have the pavilions open by 2011. In the meantime, everybody's talking about how "community access" gets defined and one local activist says "the devil is in the details," meaning that there could still be some fireworks. Some of the plans from SHoP Architects have previously been called "couch potato" plans.
