THE FIGHT FOR NY STATE OVERSIGHT OF THE NYC ESCR PLAN
In October 2018, the New York City Council abruptly replaced the East Side Coastal Resiliency (ESCR) flood protection plan for East River Park that had been developed with strong community input over a 5-year period. The community’s plan involved flood walls, berms (long hills) and a resilient parkland that could recover quickly from storm surges. The new plan, which was developed without public input, will involve the complete destruction of the 1.2 miles of East River Park. It also calls for eight feet of landfill to be added and a new park to be built on top.
A community of concerned citizens has mobilized in opposition to the new $1.45 billion ESCR Plan. Its position is that the development would cause environmental and social devastation in the low and middle- income East Village and Lower East Side neighborhoods. Despite this resistance, New York City Council voted to approve the plan on November 14, 2019.
This action by the City ignores New York State law. Based on the legal theory know as Alienation and Conversion of Parkland, legislative approval is required even for non-permanent disruption of parkland where a municipality intends to restore the park. In this case, East River Park will be totally demolished and largely unusable during the projected 5-year rebuilding phase. The ESCR Plan will have dire consequences on the environment, as well as on the health and well-being of the people living nearby.
On behalf of Lower East Side and East Village residents, A4J intends to file a lawsuit against the City stating that it must obtain the necessary NYS legislative approvals pursuant to the rules governing the Alienation and Conversion of Parkland before proceeding with this massive project.
A community of concerned citizens has mobilized in opposition to the new $1.45 billion ESCR Plan. Its position is that the development would cause environmental and social devastation in the low and middle- income East Village and Lower East Side neighborhoods. Despite this resistance, New York City Council voted to approve the plan on November 14, 2019.
This action by the City ignores New York State law. Based on the legal theory know as Alienation and Conversion of Parkland, legislative approval is required even for non-permanent disruption of parkland where a municipality intends to restore the park. In this case, East River Park will be totally demolished and largely unusable during the projected 5-year rebuilding phase. The ESCR Plan will have dire consequences on the environment, as well as on the health and well-being of the people living nearby.
On behalf of Lower East Side and East Village residents, A4J intends to file a lawsuit against the City stating that it must obtain the necessary NYS legislative approvals pursuant to the rules governing the Alienation and Conversion of Parkland before proceeding with this massive project.