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  #81  
Old Posted Jun 19, 2008, 8:38 PM
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I don't see the attraction to be honest.
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  #82  
Old Posted Jun 20, 2008, 4:57 AM
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^ There will be enough people who will to justify it though. It probably would have been better if they just lined one area with it, like the perimeter of Governor's Island, or just had the falls coming from the Brooklyn Bridge. But it's ok the way it is. Believe me, enough people will be "thrilled" by it.

Another test shot from curbed.com:




Quote:
Originally Posted by NYguy View Post
More testing revealed...
http://curbed.com/archives/2008/06/1...vealed.php?o=0

Waterfalls Are Very Turned On: Governors Island Revealed



Thursday, June 19, 2008, by Robert

Olafur Eliasson's Brooklyn Heights waterfall was very turned on most of yesterday, prompting a number of pics to land in our inbox, and now, the one at Governors Island has gone on too, yielding the photo above that one might call Danish Waterfall with Swedish Furniture in distance. As of this point, the only one we haven't seen in operation is the one under the Brooklyn Bridge.










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  #83  
Old Posted Jun 20, 2008, 5:06 AM
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http://downtownexpress.com/de_268/de...ectedfrom.html

Deluge expected from Waterfalls art

June 20 - 26, 2008









The crash and spray of water hitting water will give New Yorkers a new reason to look up this summer.

The New York City Waterfalls are opening June 26, creating a manmade version of a natural phenomenon that is difficult to find in this largely flat city.

In Manhattan and Brooklyn and on Governors Island, the four falls will suck gallons of water from the East River, pump the water up to 120 feet in the air and spray it back down for all to see.

The artist Olafur Eliasson, famous for his recreations of nature, dreamed up the idea for the falls. He wants to bare the water to the elements — gravity, wind and light — to draw attention to a part of New York that he thinks is too often overlooked.

“This is a call for the revitalization of areas that until recently have been under-utilized as creative and recreational spaces because people have focused primarily on the interior grid of the city,” Eliasson said in a statement. “There is a huge unrealized potential waiting to be explored and this is located right at our feet.”


The scaffolding structure of the waterfalls is already in place at Pier 35 in Manhattan, the north shore of Governors Island, the Brooklyn anchorage of the Brooklyn Bridge and Piers 4 and 5 in Brooklyn. Starting next Thursday, the water will rise and fall seven days a week from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. until Oct. 13, with lights that turn on at dusk.

The Public Art Fund sponsored the $15.5 million project with private funding and a $2 million grant from the Lower Manhattan Development Corp. The city Economic Development Corporation expects the project to add $55 million to the city’s economy.

Lest anyone worry that the fish in the East River will suddenly find themselves flung through the air, the Public Art Fund reassures that the project will not disrupt any of the harbor’s wildlife. Also, all the energy needed to keep the water moving will come from renewable resources, keeping with the “green” theme.

“There’s this abundance of water [in the city], but it’s something we take for granted,” said Rochelle Steiner, director of the Public Art Fund. “This is a great opportunity to showcase a part of the city we don’t always pay attention to.”

The falls will be visible from the Brooklyn and Lower Manhattan waterfronts, and from Governors Island. The free ferries to Staten Island and Governors Island will also provide a good look, and Circle Line Downtown will run the “official” tours with audio commentary from Eliasson every 45 minutes starting at noon on June 26. Tickets will cost $10 but a limited number will be given out free every day to people who call 866-9-C-LINE-1.

For more information, visit nycwaterfalls.org.

-- Julie Shapiro
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  #84  
Old Posted Jun 20, 2008, 9:59 PM
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JUNE 20, 2008

Another test run. I think I like this one the best. In fact, all of the falls
should have been installed under east river briges, and they should be
permanent. Can't wait to see it lit at night.













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  #85  
Old Posted Jun 20, 2008, 11:56 PM
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I think they would look so cool if they didnt look so poorly constructed. I like the one under the bridge the best. I think it they made the base of it stone or something they would look great!
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  #86  
Old Posted Jun 21, 2008, 4:30 AM
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Its interesting - but the scaffolding ruins it. If only they made it look decent.
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  #87  
Old Posted Jun 21, 2008, 9:29 AM
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Can't wait to get out and see them for myself!
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  #88  
Old Posted Jun 21, 2008, 2:07 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Chicagoguy View Post
I think they would look so cool if they didnt look so poorly constructed. I like the one under the bridge the best. I think it they made the base of it stone or something they would look great!
Yeah, it would look much better if it appeared to be coming out of the bridge. I think they all should have been put beneath bridges, its not like there's a shortage. But I guess it's meant to be experienced in other places.
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  #89  
Old Posted Jun 21, 2008, 2:11 PM
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JUNE 20, 2008

The lady and the water...










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  #90  
Old Posted Jun 25, 2008, 11:53 AM
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NY Times













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  #91  
Old Posted Jun 25, 2008, 10:09 PM
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This is an amazing design for the eastriver area and a great design for New York .the architects could also work in some greendesign aspects solar awnings wind towers and recycled building supplies. without it its still an outstanding design.
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  #92  
Old Posted Jun 27, 2008, 4:48 AM
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Took these snapshots on Thursday 6/26

The Waterfalls at Pier 35 (Lower East Side) From the Brooklyn Bridge:



From South Street Seaport:



The Waterfalls at Brooklyn Piers from South Street:





The Waterfalls Under The Brooklyn Bridge From South Street Seaport:



The Waterfalls at Governors Island From South Street Seaport:



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  #93  
Old Posted Jun 27, 2008, 6:09 AM
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Great photos NYC4LIFE...I didn't think I would feel anything for the falls, but they are actually a nice touch for the lower east river area. They'll be around for about 4 months, long enough that we'll get used to seeing them. I think they should find a more permanent way and location for the falls, with not so much scaffolding visible.

Meanwhile, the temporary east river park near the Brooklyn Bridge falls is ready:

http://curbed.com/archives/2008/06/2...en_too.php?o=0

Meanwhile, the Brooklyn Bridge Pop-Up Park is Open Too



Thursday, June 26, 2008, by Robert

So, here's this summer's little Brooklyn waterfront surprise: the Pop-Up Park designed by dlandstudio that was only officially announced a couple of weeks ago. It occupies the northernmost part of Pier 1, which until very recently was occupied by a warehouse. To its south is more land that's been cleared for Brooklyn Bridge Park.

The little park features pavement painted to look like sand, a bunch of picnic tables, four trees, an outpost of the restaurant Rice, promotional banners for the future park and a close view of the waterfall under the Brooklyn Bridge with a distant view of the other three. It was quiet and cool there this morning, but both of those conditions are sure to change soon.



















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  #94  
Old Posted Jul 2, 2008, 4:37 AM
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http://curbed.com/archives/2008/07/0...vealed.php?o=9

Brooklyn Bridge Park Updated & Fully Revealed



These are the Pier 5 Recreation Fields.

Tuesday, July 1, 2008, by Robert

Here is a big new set of renderings of Brooklyn Bridge Park, some of which have been trickling out for the last week or so and some of which haven't been seen before. In any case, it's been quite a while since new renderings were released. Land clearance for the park is underway and two sections (at Pier One and Pier Six, at opposite ends at Fulton Ferry Landing and Atlantic Avenue) are supposed to be finished late next year. Entire park will stretch for 1.3 miles. The original budget was $150 million, but it has climbed to $300 million, with the trouble being that only $225 million is funded. The Brooklyn Bridge Park Development Corp. estimates that about 2/3 of the park will be done by 2012.




Here's a view from Pier 1 to Brooklyn Bridge Park Plaza




A view of the future Pier 6.




This is the Tidal Pool and Performance Stair near Pier 2.




Boating Basin with Pier 4 Nature Island and Beach.




This is called the Picnic Peninsula.




Movies on the lawn north of the Brooklyn Bridge.




The park's entrance fromm Atlantic Avenue.




Atlantic Avenue Promenade and Playground.
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  #95  
Old Posted Jul 28, 2008, 2:24 PM
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http://www.nypost.com/seven/07282008...hit_121892.htm

NEW B'KLYN PARK A HIT
RAVES FOR BRIDGE SITE



YAY TIME: Julian Igneri, Lance Pereia and Francesco Igneri (from left) play in the Brooklyn Bridge Park sand.

By RICH CALDER
July 28, 2008

A tiny taste of one of the state's most highly contested projects -- Brooklyn Bridge Park -- has quietly become one of New York City's biggest summer attractions.

Since popping up with little fanfare June 26 in Brooklyn Heights on a sliver of the future waterfront park's construction site, a temporary playground at the edge of Pier 1 is giving the public its first real sense of what the long-delayed development will bring to the Big Apple.

And so far it's been rave reviews -- especially from out-of-towners who stumbled on the 26,000-square-foot chic play space for both children and adults while walking over the landmark bridge from Manhattan in search of the best views of artist Olafur Eliasson's four "New York City Waterfalls."

But critics of the long-delayed park project are still questioning why it took the city and state so long to offer a first glimpse of the breathtaking waterfront access the planned 85-acre park will bring.

The green space has been in the works for more than 20 years, and its price tag is now expected to exceed at least $350 million to $400 million -- well above a $150 million budget set by the Pataki administration in 2002.

Even the development's biggest critics agree that the project only gathered steam in November after Regina Meyer, a longtime Brooklyn planning director, was appointed president of the state-city Brooklyn Bridge Park Development Corp.

She replaced Wendy Leventer, a Pataki administration holdover who was fired in March 2007 after the Post reported the agency at that time had spent $16.5 million over the previous five years with little to show expect mounting legal fees and continuously changing project renderings.

But this past March, construction kicked off despite there only being enough government funding to build about two-thirds of the park. Including $6.1 million recently donated by the City Council and Borough President Marty Markowitz's office, the project's current budget now totals $231.1 million.

Meyer said she felt it was important to finally get the project going and then lobby to fill the remaining budget shortfall at a later date.

Since March, the sheds at Piers 1 and 6 have been razed, along with a few nearby buildings, to make way for the park, while the demolition of Pier 5's shed and the Purchase Building under the Brooklyn Bridge is nearly complete.

Meyer's office also decided to join forces with the nonprofit Brooklyn Bridge Park Conservancy to bring the temporary playground to Pier 1 this summer. The first segments of the actual park are expected to open at Piers 1 and 6 in late 2009.


"We're thrilled to be giving the public a glimpse of what this beautiful park will look like," Meyer said.

Despite having to rely on a shoestring $100,000 budget and donations to build it, the temporary park has been even more popular than a floating barge that docked nearby last summer.

As of Saturday, 67,872 people visited the park during its first month, officials said. It features a massive sandbox, sprinklers and games for children; and fine wine and beer, food and spectacular New York Harbor views -- including the temporary waterfalls display.

"Who knew you could have cocktails on the waterfront here? I totally feel like a tourist," said Jackie Igneri, of New Jersey, sipping wine as her children Francesco, 10, and Julian, 8, enjoyed the sandbox.


By comparison, the pool barge had 71,000 visitors during its nine-week run last summer.

When the floating pool barge sailed off to the Bronx for this summer, there was concern that its loss would leave the construction area barren again until the park is finally built.

But those worries were unnecessary, said Mariana Koval, the conservancy's president.

She said the temporary park is on pace to double the floating pool's visitors last year by Labor Day over a similar nine-week run and that there is a good chance the park will stay open through the end of September due to its great success.

Meyer modestly claims she has it easier that Leventer because she took over a project that was already fully-approved, but sources close to the development say the change in leadership has been the biggest difference in project finally moving ahead.

Judi Francis, who heads a group suing to keep controversial high-rise housing out of the park that officials claim is needed to offset maintenance costs, warned that there's "still a dark side" to the new construction plan.

"We are pleased as punch with the interim uses, but the first construction of the park is being done along the piers where the housing will be built, while the work being held up is at the real recreation piers," said Francis.

The parkland being delayed due to lack of funding would run at Piers 2 and 3 and include kayaking, basketball courts and other recreation. The goal is for the park to eventually run 1.3 miles from Atlantic Avenue in Brooklyn Heights to Jay Street near the Manhattan Bridge in DUMBO while including the existing Empire Fulton Ferry State Park in DUMBO.

Besides offering some of the best waterfront views in New York, it will include ball fields, a marina, grassy lawns, playgrounds, a beach and an ice-skating rink under the Brooklyn Bridge.

"Brooklyn Bridge Park will be to the 21st Century what Central Park was to the city in the 19th Century," Koval said.


________________________________________________

http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/...quinn_wan.html

City Council Speaker Christine Quinn wants to keep focus on the waterfront

By Kathleen Lucadamo
July 26th 2008


City Council Speaker Christine Quinn is introducing legislation that would force future mayors to take a fresh look at development on the city's waterfronts every decade.

Standing on Governors Island with boaters and other water lovers yesterday, Quinn praised them for keeping the city's waterfronts vibrant but said "government must keep pace."

A bill she will introduce next month will require the City Planning Department to draft a plan for waterfront development every 10 years, she said.

"Planning around our waterfront shouldn't be, 'Oh, when we get to it.' It should be a requirement for every mayor and every speaker," Quinn said.

The goal is to keep the city's waterfronts brimming with activities like biking and boating as well as buzzing with commercial shipping and ferries, she said.

Pointing to the fight to reduce car congestion on city streets, she said that "waterfronts are really an untapped transportation resource."
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Last edited by NYguy; Jul 28, 2008 at 2:52 PM.
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  #96  
Old Posted Nov 12, 2008, 1:13 PM
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http://www.nypost.com/seven/11122008...tim_138301.htm

W'BURG PARK BUDGET VICTIM

By RICH CALDER
November 12, 2008

A popular new waterfront park that Williamsburg residents fought hard to get built will be shut for the winter as part of Gov. Paterson's sweeping budget cuts.

East River State Park, which opened in 2007 after years of delays and planning, will be closed January through March, officials said.

"Closing a park is unheard of in modern times," said Geoffrey Croft of the watchdog group New York City Park Advocates.

The 7-acre park is popular with Brooklyn's hipster sunbathers for its scenic views of Manhattan and the Williamsburg Bridge. But it has been subject to criticism, including its many rules - such as no pets allowed - and that it is only open 10 a.m. to dusk.
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  #97  
Old Posted Apr 16, 2009, 12:46 PM
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http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/20...-near-seaport/

Vision for a New Esplanade Near Seaport


A vision for a new esplanade calls for new uses of space under the Franklin D. Roosevelt Drive along the East River waterfront.


By Patrick McGeehan
April 15, 2009

Seven years after Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg laid out his plans for redeveloping a two-mile stretch along the East River waterfront of Lower Manhattan, city officials are taking the first steps toward developing an esplanade near the South Street Seaport.

This week, the city’s Economic Development Corporation began soliciting ideas and expressions of interest in a pavilion planned for an empty space beneath the elevated Franklin D. Roosevelt Drive at Maiden Lane. The glass-walled structure is intended to be the first of several pavilions to be built along the riverfront in the financial district.

It could house a cafe, a bike rental shop or some other use that would “activate the esplanade and enhance the waterfront experience for the community,” according to the soliciting document. The development corporation is looking for “financially feasible and economically viable” proposals that would produce enough revenue to help cover the costs of maintaining the area.

The esplanade construction project, which is scheduled to get under way this spring, is expected to cost $148 million. Most of the money — $138 million — is coming from a federal community development block grant through the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation. Another $10 million will come from the Federal Highway Administration, according to the development corporation.

Soliciting document
http://www.nycedc.com/NR/rdonlyres/C...vilionRFEI.pdf

________________________________-

In directly related news...
http://tribecatrib.com/news/2009/apr...ith-anger.html

Bus Parking Plan for Tribeca Is Met with Anger

By Carl Glassman
Apr. 15

Community Board 1 members are furious over a city plan to turn seven blocks of Tribeca, along West Street, into a commuter bus-parking zone by the beginning of May.

In a presentation to CB1’s Tribeca Committee on April 15, Sushi Sanagavarapu, a senior project manager for the city’s Department of Transportation, said 25 bus parking spaces plus motorcycle parking must be removed from beneath the FDR Drive, between Wall Street and Maiden Lane, to make way for the first phase of work on the East River waterfront renewal project. The buses, up to 18 at a time, would park on the east side of West Street, from Canal Street to Harrison Street.

According to the DOT, that section of West Street was chosen because several of the blocks do not allow parking any time, there is little ground-floor retail and pedestrian movement there and it is “on the edge” of a residential neighborhood.

But committee members called the plan ruinous to the adjoining Tribeca neighborhood and an assault to the waterfront across the street.


“It’s an abomination,” committee member Noel Jefferson told the Trib following the meeting. “Why are they going to cram all of these buses in our backyard?”

Jefferson, who lives directly above West Street in Independence Plaza, said residents would suffer from the health effects of idling buses, and Borough of Manhattan Community College students and staff would be without needed metered parking next to the school.

“Not to mention the wall of buses on our beautiful [Hudson River] waterfront that we’ve waited so long for,” she added.

Only when pressed, according to Jefferson, Sanagavarapu told the committee that buses would continue to park in the area for three to five years.
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  #98  
Old Posted May 7, 2009, 8:25 PM
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http://www.downtownexpress.com/de_315/withnoplace.html

With no place to move buses, city slows waterfront project


East River jogger runs past the buses.



By Julie Shapiro
May 18 - 14, 2009


Tribecans breathed a collective sigh of relief last month when the city backed off its plan to dump 18 buses on West St., but the problem is far from solved.

In fact, the problem may be bigger than the community realized. The city Dept. of Transportation is still struggling to find an acceptable spot to park the 18 buses, but they will also have to find room soon for an additional 74 buses, bringing the total to 92 buses that need a home.

The 92 commuter and tour buses currently park beneath the F.D.R. Dr., where work on the East River Waterfront is about to start. As construction on the esplanade moves forward over the next couple years, all 92 buses will have to move.


“Ninety-two buses? Wow,” said Andy Neale, a member of the Tribeca Community Association who fought against the city moving the buses to West St. in Tribeca. “So this is just the tip of the iceberg.”

Neale is not exaggerating. Lower Manhattan is already overrun with both commuter and tour buses, which clog traffic and idle, polluting the neighborhood, many residents say. And now, the impasse on the 18 buses under the F.D.R. is also delaying the long-awaited East River Waterfront construction, which was scheduled to start April 27, the same day the buses were supposed to be moved to West St. before the community objected.

Janel Patterson, spokesperson for the city Economic Development Corp., said work on the esplanade could not have started April 27 because the city’s construction manager had not registered with the comptroller. But the city has cleared that up and can now only do preliminary work while waiting for the buses to move.


Community members appear more concerned about where the buses will go than about potential delays to the East River Waterfront project.

Compounding the larger bus problem, in addition to the 92 buses from the East Side, Downtown can expect at least another 200 tour buses a day when the 9/11 memorial opens, the Port Authority estimated several years ago.

“We always raise this issue of the buses time and time again,” said Julie Menin, chairperson of Community Board 1. “A solution has to be worked out.”

Carl Weisbrod, president of Trinity Real Estate and a member of the Lower Manhattan Development Corp. board, called the buses a “plague” at an L.M.D.C. meeting last summer.

Avi Schick, the L.M.D.C.’s chairperson, said with 5 million visiters a year predicted to visit the memorial, a tour bus garage was essential.

“If we don’t starting thinking now about how to address it, we’re really going to have a mess on our hands Downtown,” Schick said then.

A partial solution will come when the World Trade Center’s underground bus garage opens as part of the Vehicle Security Center. That garage will hold about 80 buses, but it’s not supposed to open until 2012, nearly a year after the 9/11 memorial is scheduled to open. While all the World Trade Center projects are subject to delays, the bus garage is particularly vulnerable because the disaster-prone Deutsche Bank building has to come down before the bus garage can take shape.

Menin and others say more space for buses is needed, and soon. The best solution, she said, is the garage near the Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel entrance, an option that has garnered much discussion but little action over the past several years, mostly because it needs money.

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority currently owns the garage, and both commuters and residents park there. The plan Menin supports, formulated by the L.M.D.C., would be for the L.M.D.C. or the city to buy half of the garage and rebuild it so it can house 120 buses. A new residential tower atop the garage would help generate revenue.

The L.M.D.C.’s plan for the site shows either a five-story or a seven-story garage, with either a 41-story or 31-story residential tower on top of it. The development can total nearly 1 million square feet, based on available air rights, according to the L.M.D.C. plan.

Money is the chief obstacle. The L.M.D.C. was once expected to fund the garage, but spokesperson Mike Murphy said there is no money allocated. Money for the garage could have come from a $29 million economic development fund, but that fund is nearly empty after $5 million went to help small businesses and $22 million went to cost overruns at the Deutsche Bank building.

“It’s very, very important this gets funded,” Menin, also an L.M.D.C. board member, said of the garage. “I would be really hesitant to give up on this idea and come up with something else. We have a very viable idea on the table — let’s figure out how to get it funded and make it happen.”

The L.M.D.C. has spent hundreds of millions of dollars on Lower Manhattan, including a $150 million contribution to the East River Waterfront project, which, ironically, will displace buses, increasing the need for a garage.

The L.M.D.C. would not say how much they expect the garage to cost, but the first step would be to buy the space and its associated air rights from the M.T.A.

M.T.A. spokesperson Aaron Donovan said the entire garage, of which the L.M.D.C. would take only part, generates $9 million a year.

“We’d be willing to entertain any ideas at a fair price,” Donovan said, though he did not name figures.

In an executive budget document released last week, the city said the money for the project would have to come from the L.M.D.C.

“D.O.T. continues to consider strategies to address bus parking in Lower Manhattan, including the possibility of a garage and will support solutions that address the need for bus parking, are financially viable and take into account community concerns,” D.O.T. spokesperson Scott Gastel said in a statement.

When the L.M.D.C. discussed the garage at the meeting last June, Weisbrod worried that the garage would not be big enough.

“We all know that the demand and the problem far exceeds 125 buses,” Weisbrod said. “And there aren’t going to be that many places where buses can go.”

Weisbrod declined to comment this week.

David Emil, president of the L.M.D.C., said at that meeting that he had first looked at a garage that would hold 175 buses, with elevators moving the buses up and down to store them, but the technology proved too complex. In an ordinary garage with ramps, the L.M.D.C. is limited to 120 buses because otherwise it would take too long for the buses to get in and out of the garage, Emil said.

He added that the reason the L.M.D.C. is pushing the bus garage, though it may not be a perfect solution, is because it appears to be the only viable option. A city consultant did a survey to try to find another solution, and “The news isn’t good,” Emil said. “They really looked at it and they tried to figure out what can be done with these buses. And the answer is it’s not so obvious. So we need to figure out a place, a way to deal with these buses.”

Liz Berger, president of the Downtown Alliance, did not want to comment on the Battery garage but said the solution did not have to be in Lower Manhattan.

“Our pre-grid street plan, which is further compromised by construction and security closings, just isn’t made for bus parking,” Berger said. “We need to think about whether the buses that bring people here to work and to visit need to stay here.”

Berger did not have any specific suggestions but said she would like to see a plan that doesn’t “turn Lower Manhattan into a permanent bus depot.”

If the bus garage cannot get funding, Catherine McVay Hughes, chairperson of C.B. 1’s W.T.C. Redevelopment Committee, mentioned several alternatives. One that has gained particular support in the community is for tour buses to park in New Jersey, with the tourists taking the PATH train in to see the World Trade Center site. That proposal has not gained much political traction, but Hughes said several 9/11 family members support it as well.

Another idea would be for the buses to take the Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel to Red Hook after dropping people off in Lower Manhattan, just a short ride away, Hughes said. Joyce Mulvaney, spokesperson for M.T.A.’s Bridges and Tunnels, said commuter buses would fit through the tunnel but double-decker tour buses might not meet the 12-foot height cutoff.

Neale suggested parking buses on Pier 76, the city’s tow pound, which has large floor plates and could handle the weight of buses, he said.

As the community looks for solutions to the larger bus problem in the future, the D.O.T. is still looking for a place to immediately move the 18 buses for the East River Waterfront Project. The D.O.T. had one meeting with several community leaders and is planning another soon, Menin said.
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  #99  
Old Posted May 14, 2009, 1:50 PM
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Williamsburg, Greenpoint residents say city hasn't delivered on park spaces key to rezoning set-up



At the northern most tip of Manhattan Avenue in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, there is a city park,
not opening because the gates were not constructed at the proper height as per city regulations


BY Erin Durkin
May 14th 2009


Where's their park?

Four years after Williamsburg and Greenpoint were rezoned to allow luxury waterfront condo towers, residents charged none of the parks they were promised have opened.

The parks, some with playgrounds and ballfields, and a dog run, were part of a 2005 agreement that was key to getting the rezoning through the City Council.

"The administration has not delivered on its promise," said Councilman David Yassky (D-Williamsburg), adding, "I don't think [the rezoning] would have been approved" without the open space agreement.

Five different park projects have been plagued by delays.

The MTA has refused to move from a Commercial St. parking lot slated to become a park, saying alternate locations the city offered weren't satisfactory.

Bushwick Inlet Park and Barge Park have been tied up in red tape since 2005 because of difficulties acquiring property and moving a city sludge tank, city officials conceded.

The city recently released design plans for Transmitter Park, but won't break ground until next year.


"This community was sold a bill of goods," said Evan Thies, a member of Community Board 1 and candidate for City Council. "We haven't gotten one single blade of new grass in four years."

Parks Department officials said a park at the end of Manhattan Ave. will finally open Thursday - nearly two years after construction was finished. Officials said the park couldn't open because a railing wasn't up to safety standards.

Parks Department spokesman Phil Abramson said the city has already spent $55 million on green space in the neighborhood, and will spend $152 million more to finish the job. "Despite delays, including unanticipated environmental remediation at some sites and overall cost escalation, the city is committed to expanding open space," Abramson said.

He said the city would break ground on Bushwick Inlet Park next month, with a portion of it opening next spring. Transmitter Park is slated to open in summer 2011.

A spokesman for Mayor Bloomberg said the city was continuing to negotiate with the MTA over the Commercial St. site.

This Saturday, in a twist on the city's annual It's My Park Day, frustrated residents will host Where's My Park? Day, marching from Bushwick Inlet Park to Commercial St., where they'll have a barbecue on the pavement across from the MTA site.
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Old Posted Aug 18, 2009, 11:08 PM
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East River waterfront project breaks ground



August 18, 2009

Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Governor David Paterson broke ground today on the first stage of the East River Waterfront Esplanade and Piers project in Lower Manhattan. The project, which will create 400 jobs and cost $148 million for the first phase, is part of the mayor's Five Borough Economic Opportunity Plan to create a more livable downtown community. The Hudson River Park-like project, slated to be completed by 2010, will transform two miles of underused waterfront spanning from the Battery Maritime Building to Pier 35.

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http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local...-53574107.html

Lower East Side Waterfront Getting a Makeover
Officials break ground on $148 million project


By HASANI GITTENS
Aug 18, 2009

The mayor and the governor today broke ground on the first stage of the East River Waterfront Esplanade and Piers Project in Lower Manhattan.

This beginning stage is expected to cost $148 million, as it creates 400 jobs and transforms two miles of underused waterfront -- from the Battery Maritime Building to Pier 35 – into a Hudson River Park-like walkway.

“Our vision for Lower Manhattan as a diverse, mixed-use neighborhood is coming to life, and opening up more of the East River waterfront to residents and visitors is the next major step in creating a more livable downtown community,” said Mayor Bloomberg.

“The project is the result of an extensive collaborative effort that included two community boards and other community groups, as well as local, state, and federal officials. I thank them all for helping us improve the quality of life for the entire Lower Manhattan community, " he said.

The project, expected to be completed by the end of 2011, is part of the larger “Five Borough Economic Opportunity Plan,” which has the grand aim to create jobs, “implement a vision for long term economic growth, and build affordable, attractive neighborhoods.”
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