The BroadsheetDAILY – 7/8/22 – BPCA Previews Competing Visions for Resiliency Plans to Safeguard Esplanade

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A Bit of a Reach

BPCA Previews Competing Visions for Resiliency Plans to Safeguard Esplanade

These are the seven “reaches” or zones into which resiliency planners have divided the Battery Park City waterfront.

The Battery Park City Authority (BPCA) hosted an open house meeting about its North/West Battery Park City Resiliency Project on Wednesday, June 29, at Six River Terrace. The session gave participants an overview of evolving plans for the creation of a flood-risk management system that begins at a point near First Place and the Esplanade in the neighborhood’s southern section, where it will link up with the BPCA’s South Resiliency Plan (slated to begin construction later this year). From this southern anchor, the North/West Resiliency Project will proceed along the Hudson River waterfront to behind Stuyvesant High School, before hooking to the right and stretching into Tribeca, where it will terminate at a highpoint on Greenwich Street, north of Chambers Street.

This was the third public meeting about the North/West Resiliency Project. Since the previous session held last December, three prospective teams of design-build consultants have proposed competing “alignments” (locations and configurations) for the flood barrier system. These were detailed publicly for the first time at the June 29 open house. A virtual open house, in which one can review materials and add comments to all design proposals for the North/West BPC Resiliency Project, is available online through July 31.

For purposes of comparison, all three visions for resiliency along the Esplanade divide the scope of the project into seven “reaches”—discrete stretches of waterfront and adjacent upland acreage. For clarity, the three plans will be described here (and designated in the accompanying illustrations) with the colors yellow, blue, and red.

Reach One falls entirely outside of Battery Park City, enveloping part of Tribeca, along with the Borough of Manhattan Community College and the Hudson River Park (below North Moore Street). All three designs begin near the corner of North Moore and Greenwich Streets and move toward West Street. The red alignment crosses West Street at North Moore, and then calls for ten-foot tall flood barrier alongside the Hudson River Park bikeway. The yellow and blue plans hug the wall of Borough of Manhattan Community College until Harrison Street, where they cross West Street and then replicate the red plan’s need for a ten-foot wall along the bikeway.

Reach Two encompasses the North Esplanade (on the north side of Stuyvesant High School). In this section, the yellow, blue, and red alignments each envision rebuilding the Esplanade at a higher elevation, while tracking closely to the perimeter of the Stuyvesant building. The blue and red plans would also make the rebuilt Esplanade wider, as well as higher, while the yellow version would incorporate a “get down” to offer park users closer access to the water.

Reach Three (above) aims to protect Rockefeller Park and its adjacent stretch of the Esplanade. The yellow alignment would minimize changes to Rockefeller Park by installing a flood barrier between two and five feet tall along River Terrace, and leaving most of the acreage on the west side of this wall exposed to flooding. The blue plan would demolish Rockefeller Park entirely and rebuild it at a higher elevation, with a flood wall buried beneath the new (higher) surface. And the red alignment would bevel the lawn in Rockefeller Park, created a two-foot incline in the center of the field, while also installing an eight-foot flood barrier around the existing playgrounds and sports courts at the park’s rear.

Belvedere Plaza is encircled by Reach Four, between Vesey Street and the uptown side of North Cove Marina. All three plans for this section envision moving the ferry terminal from its current location (near Vesey Street) to an unspecified point further north along the Esplanade. The yellow and blue plans call for demolishing and rebuilding the Lily Pond at a higher elevation, while also raising the Esplanade behind 300 Vesey Street. The yellow alignment also envisions new planting beds, seating, and trees, while the blue version incorporates new play areas. The red plan calls for fixed flood barriers, roughly eight feet tall, to surround the existing Lily Pond and 300 Vesey Street.

Reach Five envisions ways to harden North Cove Marina against catastrophic flooding. In this section, the yellow and blue plans integrate flood barriers into new terraces, containing seating and plantings. The red design calls for demolishing and rebuilding (at a higher elevation) the existing breakwaters on either side of North Cove’s entrance, and topping these with 12-foot-tall deployable barriers. The red scheme also mandates the installation of in-water gates at the mouth of the Marina, to hold back surges.

In Reach Six (above), upgrades to the South Esplanade between Liberty Street and Third Place consist of a fixed flood barrier, roughly eight feet tall, at the walls of all existing buildings, with either deployable barriers at the Albany Street, Rector Place, and West Thames Street (in the yellow and red plans) or ramps and stairs at those intersections (in the blue plan).

And Reach Seven covers South Cove, where all three plans call for a fixed flood barrier, roughly seven feet tall, at the walls of all existing buildings, with either deployable barriers at the intersections of Third and Second Places (in the yellow and red plans) or ramps and stairs at those intersections (in the blue plan). In this section, the yellow plan also allows for a new wildlife habitat on the lower level of the Esplanade, while the blue plan calls for the creation of a marsh habitat within South Cove.

At the southern end of Reach Seven (near First Place), the North/West Battery Park City Resiliency Project ends, and links up with the Battery Park City South Resiliency plan, which covers Wagner Park and extends into the Financial District.

The BPCA is accepting public comments and reactions to the plans online, now through July 31. For more information about each plan, or to submit comments, please go to the virtual open house.

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Local Heroes

Alliance Acknowledges Excellence in Service by Five Downtown Leaders

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Calendar

Friday, July 8

6pm

Pier 17 rooftop

Concert.

6:30pm-8pm

Wagner Park

Rhythm and grooves fill the air at this Friday evening program. Follow the lead of professional drummers as they guide you through the pulsating beats of traditional African drumming techniques and methods. Drums provided, dancing welcome!

Saturday, July 9

9am

The Battery Urban Farm

Projects for all ages in the vegetable farm. Free.

10am-12pm

South Cove

Paint in watercolor or use pastels and other drawing materials to capture the magical vistas of the Hudson River and the unique landscape of South Cove. An artist/educator will help participants of all levels with instruction and critique. Materials provided.

10:30am

Skyscraper Museum, 39 Battery Place

Have you ever wondered how a dome is built? The first dome of the U.S. Capitol, completed in the 1820s, was made of wood and covered in copper. The magnificent dome we know today was completed in 1866 and is made of cast iron! In honor of The Fourth of July young learners will be introduced to the architectural significance and strength of domes by learning about the U.S Capitol current and past buildings. Afterwards we will work together to build domes of our own using newspaper, tape, and teamwork! Ages 6+. RSVP and masks required.

11am-1pm

Meet at Fraunces Tavern Museum, 54 Pearl Street

Walking tour. Experience the spellbinding story of the events leading up to the American Revolution while walking on the very streets where it happened, from the Stamp Act of 1765 through General Washington’s Farewell at the end of the War for Independence in 1783. $40.

11am-6pm

Pier 17

The best ice cream vendors from across the five boroughs bring us their finest flavors to compete for the chance to claim this year’s acclaimed ‘Audience Award’. The Social’s reputation is pretty darn good when you consider that thousands of people have shown up years past— including Leo DiCaprio and his mom— but don’t be intimidated, as all it takes to vote is $10 which gives you one vote and a 2oz sample of each vendors’ signature flavor for the day. The votes will be tallied at 4:30pm and a winner announced at 5 pm. The fate of NYC’s ice cream obsession is in your hands! $10.

1pm

Governors Island, Nolan Park, Building 15

Join artist Cat Schmitz for a con­ver­sa­tion with a pan­el of cre­atives to learn about how dif­fer­ent arti­sans inte­grate tex­tiles into their design prac­tice. Hear from design­ers work­ing in fab­ric design, inte­ri­ors, fash­ion, and more. Free.

2pm

South Street Seaport Museum and Pier 16

Family-friendly experience hosted by dinosaur expert and author Dustin Growick. The event will begin at Cannon’s Walk, 206 Front Street, and move out to Pier 16. The event is recommended for ages 6+. You’ll be introduced to some of the creatures that currently reside in and around New York Harbor as well as get a look at some archeological artifacts from the sea that shaped the history of the South Street Seaport Historic District. Hands-on activities and exploration will give you new insights on some of the strangest prehistoric aquatic animals who once called the waters of New York home. $5.

8pm

China Institute, 40 Rector Street

One of the most widely read 20th-century writers, Jin Yong enjoys enormous popularity in the Chinese-speaking world with the panoramic fictional universes he created through his novels. He modernized and elevated the wuxia genre to a new height by blending in poetry, history and fantasy, and his epic novels inspired countless film, television and video game adaptations. His creations have been compared to J. R. R. Tolkien’s “The Lord of the Rings”. By the time of his death in 2018, he was the best-selling Chinese author with over 100 million copies of his books sold worldwide. The Renwen Society presents a lecture on July 9 on the literary giant by Prof. Chen Hong, a scholar on Jin Yong, with whom he had also maintained a close personal friendship. At the lecture, Prof. Chen will explore Jin Yong’s place in Chinese literature, unique features of his novels as well as his interactions and exchanges with the master.

Sunday, July 11

11am

Virtual tour of the rich Jewish heritage of Odessa with the Museum of Jewish Heritage and its guide Olga, who is safely back in the city. During our tour, see the Main City Synagogue and the Odessa Palestine committee building. Visit the monument to Isaac Babel, the Odessa born writer who made Jewish Odessa world famous, and talk about Lev Trotsky’s time in the city. Although focused on the 19th century, this live tour will include several places connected to the period of Odessa’s occupation in WWII. Finally, Olga will share insights into the modern Jewish community and Jewish life in Odessa today. $36.

3pm

Trinity Church

Over the course of a remarkable career spanning more than five decades, virtuoso Steve Turre has proven he is one of the foremost masters of the trombone and a pioneer of using seashells as musical instruments. In addition to performing with the Saturday Night Live Band and the Mingus Big Band, jazz icon Turre has performed with numerous preeminent artists including Ray Charles, Art Blakey, Dizzy Gillespie, McCoy Tyner, Herbie Hancock, Tito Puente, and more. This performance presents works from his album The Very Thought Of You, on which Turre shows off a less celebrated side of his brilliant artistry: his moving, heartfelt way with a ballad. Luxuriating in timeless melodies, Turre makes his horn sing with delicate lyricism and subtle beauty.

Lower Manhattan Greenmarkets

Tribeca Greenmarket

Greenwich Street & Chambers Street

Wednesdays and Saturdays, 8am-3pm (compost program: Saturdays, 8am-1pm)

Bowling Green Greenmarket

Broadway & Whitehall St

Tuesdays and Thursdays, 8am-5pm (compost program: 8am-11am)

World Trade Center Oculus Greenmarket

Tuesdays, 8am-5pm

The Outdoor Fulton Stall Market

91 South Street, between Fulton & John Streets

Indoor market: Monday through Saturday,11:30am-5pm

CSA pick-up: Thursday, 4pm-6pm; Friday, 11:30-5pm

Outdoor market: Saturdays, 11:30am-5pm

CLASSIFIEDS & PERSONALS

Swaps & Trades, Respectable Employment, Lost and Found

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Today in History: July 8

This is the Liberty Bell, commissioned in 1751 and now hanging in Philadelphia. On this day in 1835, it cracked for the second time.

951 – Paris is founded.

1497 – Portuguese navigator Vasco da Gama departs on his first voyage, which leads him to become first European to reach India by sea.

1663 – King Charles II of England grants a charter to Rhode Island.

1776 – Colonel John Nixon gives the first public reading of the Declaration of Independence to an assemblage of citizens in Philadelphia

1835 – The Liberty Bell cracks for the second time, while ringing after the death of Chief Justice John Marshall.

1836 – HMS Beagle, carrying Charles Darwin, reaches Saint Helena.

1889 – Wall Street Journal is first published by the Dow Jones & Company. The company originally hand-delivered bulletins to traders at the stock exchange, which they later printed in a daily summary. Charles Dow, Edward Jones, and Charles Bergstresser converted the summary into the Wall Street Journal.

1932 – The Dow Jones Industrial Average is 41.22, the lowest it has ever been.

1988 – Stevie Wonder announces he will run for mayor of Detroit in 1992. He never followed through with his campaign.

1990 – At 12:34:56 on 7/8/90, the time and date read: 1234567890.

2018 – Four boys are the first to be rescued after 16 days, from the Tham Luang cave in Thailand.

Births

1839 – John D Rockefeller, capitalist and founder of Standard Oil

1908 – Nelson A Rockefeller, Governor of New York and 41st Vice President

Deaths

810 – Pepin, son of Charlemagne, King of the Franks and of Italy and the first emperor since the fall of the Western Roman Empire, dies

1695 – Christiaan Huygens, mathematician, astronomer (discovered Saturn’s rings) and scientist (dynamics), dies at 66

1967 – Vivien Leigh, actress, dies of tuberculosis at 53

2011 – Betty Ford, First Lady of the United States (1974-77) and founder of the Betty Ford Center clinic, dies at 93

2022 – Shinzō Abe, Prime Minister of Japan (2006-07 and 2012-2020), assassinated at 67 while giving a speech in Japan

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