(after Marianne Moore’s “The Camperdown Elm”) by Marcella Durand Dear Mayor Bill de Blasio, I choose as my treean oak that standssomewhat alonein a triangular lawn-like spacefacing the East Riverin East River Park,which is slatedto be demolishedthis coming Septemberper your opaque and confusingplans to, at some point,protect the Lower East Sidefrom floodingduring superstorms. The oak…
Author: Pat
Unalienable rights Alienated
New York State has written guidelines on the alienation law that can help as you write your affidavit for our lawsuit. Here are some useful excerpts. Handbook on the Alienation and Conversion of Municipal Parkland New York State’s General City Law…explicitly provides that city-owned parkland is “inalienable” and requires legislative approval to alienate… The use…
Mitigation Blues
Where am I supposed to go? When demolition of East River Park starts in 2020, the city should have alternate spaces for park users–called “mitigation.” There is no mitigation planned for these park users. The mitigation that has been promised is pitiful, and what is planned is not likely to be ready when the bulldozers…
East River Park to be Buried Under Flimsy Promises
Toothless agreement satisfies City Council Committee The City Council Land Use Committee passed the flood control plan that will demolish East River Park. The plan goes before the full City Council Nov. 14. It is expected to pass, and bulldozing will begin next year. Before the vote Nov. 12 (10 Yes, 1 abstention), City…
We Rallied. The Subcommittee Voted for the ugly, unnecessary project that will Kill East River Park.
We delivered 9,000 petitions from three grassroots groups. We have a letter signed by 34 groups. Most everyone in our Lower East Side/East Village opposes the East Side Coastal Resiliency Plan to demolish East River Park since there are better ways to gain flood control. We lost the first critical vote Nov. 4 in the…
Lies the City Tells Us
At hearings and meetings, hundreds of us point out misinformation from the City about the East Side Coastal Resiliency project to bury East River Park under eight feet of landfill. We Really Listen Maybe the biggest lie is that the Department of Design and Construction and Parks Department are listening to the community. If they…
Bloody new scene in the horror movie of the flood plan for East River Park
Our park is still going to be killed, just in a slower and more messy, ugly way. The Mayor’s press release today announces Phased Construction of East River Park. It is what many in the community have demanded, says the release. Read the text of it here: This is not good. Our park will still be…
We Buried the Plan
Let’s keep it from becoming Undead It was a big beautiful day on the Lower East Side Saturday, Sept. 21. Some 400 people turned out for our March and Rally to Save East River Park from a dreadful flood control plan that will close and kill our park. We had lots of energy and fun….
Goals for East River Park
We deserve a better plan People have been asking, “Why don’t you like the city’s flood control plan, and what do you want?” Here’s a summary of my take. What do you think? East River Park ACTION opposes the city’s destructive flood control plan. It is an environmental injustice to inflict the dire mental and physical…
Imagine All the People–and the Flood Control Plan for East River Park
A conversation with the planners at a public event Why Not the Old Plan? What happened to the berms (the earlier, accepted plan for the park featured grassy embankments alongside the FDR Drive)? I asked Eric Ilijevich, Associate Project Manager at NYC Department of Design and Construction. Why couldn’t we stay with that plan? Parts…