The East River Waterfront Esplanade and Piers project (ERW) stretches for two miles from the Battery Maritime Building to East River Park along the eastern edge of Lower Manhattan. From 2002 to 2005, a plan for the Esplanade and neighboring streetscape improvements called the Access Projects was developed with extensive community involvement culminating in the Concept Plan. Today, several major milestones have been reached bringing the vision closer to reality including: Funding for implementation has been secured from the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation, the Final Environmental Impact Statement was adopted by the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation (November, 2007), schematic design has been completed, design development is nearly complete, ULURP approvals were granted for the disposition and site selection of the pavilion component, the RFP/RFEI process for the pavilion component, and overall design. In addition, the Project is under review by the Art Commission, the State Historic Preservation Office, the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation, and the Army Corps of Engineers for various federal, state, and local approvals.
On July 2, 2008, the City Planning Commission approved a  zoning text amendment (N 080358 ZRM) to facilitate the implementation of the Esplanade Project. This was followed by City Council approval on July 23, 2008. The design and engineering teams are nearly finished with contract documents for the first phase of the project. This portion will include all design elements including railing, seating, paving, lighting and plantings, serving as a showcase of what will eventually be constructed along the entire Esplanade.
The Esplanade project has received critical acclaim and recognition in national and international award ceremonies. In 2006, the project received the Excellence on the Waterfront Award from the Waterfront Center, and in 2008, SHoP Architects received the 55th Annual P/A Award for the project.
IMPLEMENTATION of PHASE I
The proposed East River Waterfront Project brings innovation to the integration of the city and the post-industrial urban edge creating unique waterfront amenities and recreation space. Unlike the picturesque tradition which is prevalent in parks around the city, the East River Waterfront seeks to embody its long history as a working waterfront and embrace contemporary modern infrastructure, such as the FDR Drive (constructed following the decline of the area’s maritime industry.) For years, one of the most magnificent waterfronts has lacked amenities and been disconnected from the city. Now the City is preparing to begin construction on a two-block portion of the Esplanade from Wall Street to Maiden Lane in Community Board 1. This portion will showcase the Esplanade design including the seating, planting, paving, railing, and lighting that are proposed for the entire Esplanade. In these two blocks, there will also be unique amenities including a dog run. Construction is slated to begin in early Fall of 2008. Plans are also being developed for subsequent phases of the esplanade, Pier 15, and Pier 35. The following sections provide detailed descriptions on the various components of the East River Waterfront from the esplanade design to sustainability goals, an overview of the Access Projects, and a summary of the City’s planning process:
Esplanade
The East River Waterfront Park design emphasizes continuity along the edge connecting a major broken link in the proposed Manhattan Greenway. Elements such as new railing, integrated lighting, paving, and furniture elements provide visual continuity throughout the site, incorporate the existing infrastructure into the design, and reinforce the maritime character of the area by utilizing traditional waterfront materials that have been reinterpreted through contemporary fabrication techniques.
Waterfront users will have access to a diverse range of programming, activities, and design elements that range from areas of heightened activity at the major intersections to quieter passive recreation areas on the piers. This variety responds to different geographic conditions along the site and the diverse communities that are adjacent to the two-mile public open space.
Each area of the esplanade utilizes specific techniques through program, material and form to help reconnect the city to the water’s edge, creating a continuous esplanade, and generating a diverse, active waterfront.
Get-downs and Pavilions
Historically, the city’s grid pattern extended to the waterfront. The construction of the FDR truncated the city’s access to water and the historic relationship between the upland neighborhoods and the waterfront industry. The proposed pavilions will help to repair this lost connection and the activities that once existed on the waterfront. In doing so, the pavilions create concentrated areas for recreation where it is most appropriate. Surrounding the pavilions, the furniture and active recreation areas echo the cargo that once occupied its space thereby recalling the industrial past.
Peck Slip and Rutgers Slips are key slips along the East River Waterfront Park. The new esplanade design marks these historic locations by carving steps into the bulkhead line and providing an unobstructed view leading directly to the water and an opportunity to ‘get down’ to the water. On the steps, the esplanade visitors can turn around back to the city for a unique view and perspective on the built environment and also read a story engraved on the steps that recalls the significance of the location.
East River Waterfront Pavilion
East River Waterfront "Get Down"
Archipelago
Currently, the path between the Battery Maritime Building and Old Slip along the southern edge of the East River is a pinch point for pedestrians with a sidewalk narrowing to as little as 5 feet in width. In order to provide a continuous Greenway between Battery Park and the new East River Waterfront, this area needs to be widened. In lieu of the original Concept Plan, which simply expanded the esplanade over the existing shoreline, the new design includes a walkway out over the water offering a privileged view back at the historic bulkhead. Additional plantings on top of the bulkhead help to buffer the new habitat from vehicular traffic and provide a view that juxtaposes historic flora with the contemporary buildings of Lower Manhattan.
Pier 15
Taking its cue from the two story recreation piers of the late 19th century, the proposed Pier 15 lifts its primary recreation area to the second level. Nestled beneath, recalling the historic store houses and cargo that were located on the lower level of the historic recreation piers, are two “boxes” which will house different waterfront related programming. On the north edge of the pier are a series of ramps, recalling gang-ways, that will give new and intimate views of the tall, historic ships that could be docked in this location. All around the perimeter of the pier will be maritime infrastructure to accommodate historic and visiting ships and various waterborne transport vessels.
East River Waterfront Pier 15
Pier 35
The two level recreation piers of the late 19th century also set the stage for the design of the new Pier 35. Lifting the promontory up one level allows the entire pier to transform into an amphitheater for viewing outward towards the city, the waterfront, Governor’s Island, or Brooklyn. This unique vantage point affords visitors the opportunity to see the city and its waterways from a completely different perspective. On the north edge of the pier, screening will be designed from plantings to obscure the adjacent sanitation building from the recreational pier.
Sustainability
In keeping with the City’s PlaNYC initiatives, the East River Waterfront Esplanade will seek LEED certification for its pavilions and park uses. Sustainability goals have been set to reduce energy demand and consumption, conserve natural resources, improve air quality, and catch and reuse water. The use of rainwater harvesting is proposed to reduce the stormwater runoff into the existing system, to reuse rainwater for irrigation and other non-potable uses, and to use environmentally sustainable materials.
ACCESS PROJECTS
The Esplanade and Piers Project is one of several integrated projects geared towards connectivity in Lower Manhattan. The Department of Parks and Recreation is leading the effort to implement the East River Waterfront Access Projects which includes improvements at Peck Slip, Rutgers Slip, Catherine Slip, and Montgomery Slip. These projects are being designed by Quennell Rothschild and Partners and Thomas Balsley Associates. In the South Street Seaport historic district, Burling Slip is being designed by the Rockwell Group as an innovative new children's playground and is an important part of the City's initiative for the Fulton Street Corridor Initiative. The Department of City Planning and EDC are coordinating all the design teams to ensure that, upon completion, the East River Waterfront not only provides continuous waterfront access and new recreational amenities, but is also integrated with adjacent neighborhoods, linking the Financial District, the Civic Center, Chinatown, and the Lower East Side to the East River.
PLANNING PROCESS
Under the Concept Plan, the East River Waterfront Study held over 70 meetings with community boards, tenant associations, civic leaders, maritime experts and local elected officials. Since 2006, this level of community involvement has continued with outreach efforts during the ULURP process for the disposition, site selection, and also for the text amendment actions, subsequent updates on the design and the programming of the pavilions. Well over 100 public meetings have now been held. Following schematic design, extensive institutional and community outreach has continued. The Department of City Planning is tremendously proud of “doing something really important for New York City,” as juror Karen Van Lengen said when the project received the 55th Annual P/A Awards in 2008. It continues to be an interagency effort with project management from EDC, input from the Dept. of City Planning, Dept. of Parks and Recreation, Dept. of Transportation, the Economic Development Corporation, and the Office of Deputy Mayor for Economic Development and Rebuilding.
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