To the editor:
re: Seeking Consultation on the Concourse, (BroadsheetDAILY February 16), I am writing to provide a point of clarification for your readers.
The article asserts that Community Board (CB) 1’s Battery Park City Committee was not briefed on the preliminary results of our South End Avenue Assessment, despite its request. In fact, on July 19 we had the pleasure of meeting with the then-Chair and Co-chair of CB 1’s Battery Park City Committee to brief and receive input from them on the survey results. These results were then shared with the community at large for discussion and feedback at the BPC Open Community Meeting on July 20. The timing here is important precisely because there would not be another BPC Committee meeting scheduled until September (there are, generally, no CB meetings in August), and we wanted to ensure its leadership had the chance to review the survey results prior to the July 20 public meeting.
As your piece accurately notes, there were also multiple opportunities for public input subsequent to July 20. The first of these were at the July 25 and August 1 Concept Development Open House sessions. These forums were designed not as presentations but as full participatory working sessions, where attendees were invited to share their thoughts, make suggestions and speak directly with the designers who worked to translate the survey results into preliminary streetscape concepts. These preliminary concepts, as well as the rest of our South End Avenue materials, were subsequently posted to the Public Information page of our website, where they remain available for review and comment.
These open houses were followed by additional public discussion at CB 1’s BPC Committee and full Board meetings in October, as well as at our November 9, 2016 Open Community Meeting. In advance of our joint meeting with the City’s Department of Transportation the public can still provide input on the South End Avenue Assessment at: design.review@bpca.ny.gov.
We look forward to continuing our work with the community to keep Battery Park City an incredible place to live, work, and play.
Nick Sbordone
Director of Communications & Public Affairs
Battery Park City Authority