Melissa Mark-Viverito - Former Parks Committee Chair - Elected First Latino City Council Speaker

Newly elected City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito receiving a standing ovation from collegues and supporters after concluding her acceptance speech in a packed City Hall chambers. Ms. Viverito, a close ally of Mayor de Blasio, was unanimously elected speaker of the City Council on Wednesday after the 51-member body voted to support her shorty after  Councilman Dan Garodnick conceded.  Ms. Viverito was formerly the Parks Committee Chair of the City Council.   Ms. Viverito succeeds Christine Quinn who ran unsuccessfully for Mayor.  

(Photos: Geoffrey Croft/NYC Park Advocates) click on to enlarge 

City-Wide

Melissa Mark-Viverito, a fiery liberal who helped form the City Council’s Progressive Caucus, was elected speaker on Wednesday, giving Mayor Bill de Blasio a partner at the controls of the legislative branch who shares his ideology and much of his agenda, according to the New York Times.

Ms. Mark-Viverito, 44, a Puerto Rican-born lawmaker from East Harlem, becomes the first Hispanic to hold what is New York City’s second-most-powerful office. The vote was unanimous, 51 to 0.  After a bitter fight, in which Mr. de Blasio played an outsized role, Ms. Mark-Viverito’s lone challenger, Daniel R. Garodnick of Manhattan, formally conceded on the floor of the Council chamber shortly after 1 p.m., acknowledging the tense battle but saying, “I will do my part to resolve any rifts this process may have caused among us.”  



Melissa Mark-Viverito giving her acceptance speech. 

Until late Tuesday night, supporters of Mr. Garodnick, including the powerful Queens Democratic Party leader, Representative Joseph Crowley, were working furiously to try to sway votes to their side. By Wednesday morning, they had concluded that they did not have the votes needed to win. But it remained unclear until half an hour after the Council meeting was supposed to start whether Mr. Garodnick’s supporters would give their votes to Ms. Mark-Viverito or stage a fight.  

Ms. Mark-Viverito and her bloc of 30 supporters arrived at City Hall en masse at 11:40 a.m. They voiced confidence they had the votes to win but said quietly that they were not sure whether the vote would be unanimous. 

Council Members and other supporters greet the new speaker moments after her acceptance speech.

Mr. Garodnick and his supporters did not arrive until 12:30 p.m. When they did, Mr. Garodnick walked up to Ms. Mark-Viverito and embraced her, to applause from their colleagues. For several minutes, council members from both sides hugged one another.  

The result of the race represents a victory for Mr. de Blasio, who lobbied council members to vote for Ms. Mark-Viverito, for the Working Families Party, and for several labor unions, particularly 1199 S.E.I.U., the health care workers’ union, which put its weight behind Ms. Mark-Viverito as soon as Mr. de Blasio was elected.

Melissa Mark-Viverito's mother Elizabeth being interviewed after the vote.

After the vote the new Speaker was joined by twenty-seven Council Members and Public Advocate Letitia James in her first press conference as council leader. 

The de blasio administration inherited the expired contracts of nearly 300,000 municipal workers.

"We are going to continue negotiations," she replied when asked about retroactive pay for municipal employees.

Mark-Viverito greats well-wishers on the way out of City Hall.

Read More:

Mark-Viverito Is Elected City Council Speaker

New York Times - January 8, 2014 - By Kate Taylor

Related Co. Strikes Gold As City Council Approves Park Land Grabs Deals - Willets Point West & Ruppert Playground Development Approved

"The mall is something that the developers and the administration believe is necessary to be able to support the build-out of Willets Point."  -  Julissa Ferreras

Delivering The Deal.  Big Winners. A beaming Related Companies' Charles  J.  O'Byrne, Queens City Council member Julissa Ferreras,  Jeff Wilpon - New York Mets COO and the executive vice-president of Sterling Equities and son of New York Mets principal owner Fred Wilpon, and Glenn  A. Goldstein - president of Related Retail and registered lobbyist, pose shortly after the vote. (Photo: William Alatriste /New York City Council)

Queens/Manhattan

By Geoffrey Croft

Step Right Up For the Great Land Giveaway.

As expected the Bloomberg administration-friendly Related Companies made out like bandits yesterday afternoon as the City Council  voted nearly unanimously to approve two controversial projects involving the use of park land.

The City Council is handing over 48-acres of Flushing Meadows - Corona Park in Queens for Related Companies and Sterling Equities 1.4 million sq. ft. mall known as Willets Point West without having to approve or even vote on the project. 

Yesterday the City Council approved zoning amendments to the Willet's Point plan,  allowing a multi-phased development and temporary parking on part of the Willets point site.  These amendments however do not permit the building of a massive 1.4-million-square-foot shopping mall much less a massive 1.4 million square foot shopping mall on mapped parkland.  

The Bloomberg administration and the City Council are attempting to bypass land use procedures including the Uniform Land Use Review Procedure (ULURP),  and without seeking State Alienation legislation as is required under state law to use parkland for non-park purposes.     

Mayor Bloomberg claimed all land use powers of the former Board of Estimate as belonging to him, clearly a violation of ULURP.  

The City Council approve the proposed Willets Point West Mall location. Related Companies and Sterling Equities are looking to build a 1.4 million square foot mall on 48 acres of mapped parkland in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park, west of Citi-Field stadium.  This represents the largest public parkland giveaway in recent history. The proposed project would allow the seizing of the public parkland to be used exclusively for non-park purposes without first getting State Alienation approval as is required under the law.  The construction of such a mall on public parkland would be unprecedented. (Photos: Geoffrey Croft/NYC Park Advocates) Click on images to enlarge.

The City Council also approved a text change that would allow the powerful development company the right to build a 36-story luxury building on a beloved community park on the Upper Eastside of Manhattan.

There are also number of legal issues surrounding both of these projects.

Willets Point West Mall Project on Park land

The mall project is part of the proposed $3 billion Willets Point megadevelopment. The majority of the land would be taken from the public parkland.  

Not surprising the parkland connection to the Willets Point West development was never mentioned during the public hearing.

The first City Council committee vote began three hours late as last minute details were feverishly being hashed-out behind closed doors between the applicants and  administration officials.  Members of  the Related team were seen repeatedly disappearing into the Executive side of the building. 

When the dust settled the Borough of Queens lost  48-acres of public parkland to one of New York’s biggest real estate developers so they can built the city's largest mall on public parkland.

In exchange for the approvals  the developers agreed to give $15.5 million to the Flushing Meadows-Corona Park Alliance,  a public-private conservancy  Queens Council member Julissa  Ferreras is currently in the process of creating with the help of New Yorkers For Parks.   


Sign Of the Times.

Eight million dollars will go towards capital improvements for the park and the rest will be distributed over 25 years the Council woman said afterwards.

The money will initially be handled by the City Parks Foundation until her Alliance is set up.   

Julissa Ferreras delivered the deal and thanked the groups that helped make it possible, Make the Road,   Queens Fairness Coalition,  and New Yorkers For Parks.    

Moments after the Full Land Use committee vote a proud and jubilant Ferreras did a victory lap in the new renovated Council Chambers where she was greeted by a host of well-wishers. 

One of her first stops was a mutually congratulatory visit to the Related Companies and Sterling Equities team who were sitting up front.  She posed for a photograph with a beaming NY Met's COO and executive vice-president of Sterling Equities Jeff Wilpon, who had been sitting with Related executives Charles  J.  O'Byrne - senior vice president ,  Glenn  A. Goldstein,  president  of Related Retail and registered lobbyist, and Related Companies' go-to land-use attorney Jesse Masyr. 

Ferreras made her way to the back of the room where she chatted with a glowing Holly Leight, a former Bloomberg administration official and current executive director of  the Parks Department partner group New Yorkers For Parks. 

Land use Chair Leroy Comrie said he wanted to,  "especially thank all the advocates that came and made sure the projects were done to their concerns. They were heard and listened to as part of process," he said with a straight face. 

Staten Island Council member Vincent Ignizio tried his best to stick up for his colleagues. 

"I also want to point out that very often the media portrays this body in a negative light but what you see here today is the hard work of council members who stood up for their principles, stood up for their community and ultimately got a great deal,"  Ignizio said during the Subcommittee on Zone &  Franchises vote.  

The proposed mall on parkland property was never part of the original Willets Point development that was approved in 2008. 

The most telling and disturbing comments relating to lack of accountably and desire to protect the 48 acres of public parkland however came after the vote,  and after an hour and half delayed press conference.  

Council member Ferreras attempted to justify and explain why the public parkland was now part of the deal and was given away - the developers and the Mayor wanted it. 

"The mall is something that the developers and the administration believe is necessary to be able to support the build-out of Willets Point,"  she said.

"Willets West is what its known as, the mall and entertainment center.   It's currently on a parking lot and that is through the lease with the New York Mets, who is also part of the joint venture,"   Ferreras said, being careful not to refer to the property as parkland.  

"I really do believe that we're going to have a wonderful new community at Willets Point."

Calling it a "real park investment," the Councilwoman also mentioned the other deal she recently negotiated with the USTA. That deal allows the tennis giant the right to take additional parkland and destroy up to 400 trees in exchange for $ 10 million dollars, with only  $ 5 million in "expense" dollars to be spread out over 20 years. That deal too will also eventually be administered by the Flushing Meadows-Corona Park Alliance. 

No announcement was made however on the city allocating proper funding for the park.


 

Proposed Nightmare - Willets Point West.   The Related Companies and Sterling Equities just got approval from the City Council to build a 1.4 million square foot mall as part of a 48 acre project in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park.

This Alliance model,  as it has been repeatedly pointed out,  relies heavily on commercial businesses exploiting the park as a major funding stream. 

Critics of the Willets Point West plan argue that if the mapped parkland being proposed for mall use are no longer needed for Citi-Field parking then it should revert back to its original recreational use.   

There are also number of legal issues surrounding the attempted disposition of this public land.

"I'm really angry and disgusted," said Richard Hellenbrecht president of Queens Civic Congress,  which represents a coalition of more than 100 civic and other community organizations throughout the borough of Queens. 

"I am angry, disappointed and upset that the City Council so easily agreed to turn public land, indeed mapped parkland, over to private interests for profit-making development through some behind closed-door deals and buy-outs.  In just one month the current administration will be lame duck and a new set of eyes can consider what's best for the city, our communities and especially our precious parkland.  There should be no need to rush through a deal that will permanently remove 48 acres of parkland and create unnecessary competition to hundreds of small businesses in central Queens.  The reasonable issues and concerns of numerous civic, parks and business advocacy groups have been ignored to offset promised development costs.  Let's see that happen in Central Park!"

Only three Councilmen — two from Queens,  Daniel Dromm, and Dan Halloran, and another from Brooklyn - Charles Barren  — voted against the plan. 

Manhattan

Meanwhile Yorkville residents blasted City Council member Dan Garodnick's decision to sell out the community and allow the Related Companies to build on a beloved park.

"Let me in." Children in front of the locked Ruppert Playground.   Ruppert Playground - located between East 92/93rd Street btw. 2nd & 3rd Avenues.  Community Board 8 is the city's most densely populated community and ranks dead last in publicly accessible open space. 


The City Council,  lead by area councilman Garodnick,  voted nearly unanimously to approve a text change that would allow Related Companies to build  a 36-story luxury building on a neighborhood park.  

Community Board 8 is already the city's most densely populated community and ranks dead last in publicly accessible recreational space. 

Ruppert Playground. The City Council approved voted to allow the Related Companies the right to replace a beloved park with a 36-story luxury building.   Previously Related Companies did not have the legal right to build on the popular playground located in Yorkville.  The law states that any proposed development on the park requires the consent of surrounding buildings in the original Ruppert Urban Renew area.  Despite vehement community opposition local City Council member Dan Garodnick backed the Related Company.  

The use of Ruppert Playground CAN NOT be changed unless a previous-approved Large-Scale Residential Development Plan under the Ruppert Brewery Urban Renewal Area is amended which Related did by asking the City Council for a text change. 

The law states that any proposed development on the park requires the consent of surrounding buildings in the original Ruppert Urban Renew area. The Related Companies is attempting to take away that right by applying for a "text change"  without getting the consent of the other property owners within the boundaries of the original Large-Scale plan.

"The technical question before the Council today was whether Related should be required to obtain consent from every owner within the large scale residential development area in order to use its development rights, " Dan Garodnick said is a prepared statement.

Apparently he didn't they had to.   

Despite vehement community opposition City Council member Dan Garodnick backed the Related Company and approved the text change.

The community has waged a three-year battle to prevent Related from building on the park.

The nearly one acre park, which opened in 1978 using Federal Community Development Block Grants,  is located on E.93rd street.

"It is with great disappointment that after years of supporting the community and they him that Council Dan Garodnick has chosen not to side with his constituents when they needed him the most," said Oscar Fernandez of Save Ruppert Playground.     

"I worked closely with Dan over the last few years and he always seemed like a person that would put his community first but in this case he did not and that is most disappointing of all.     Dan always asked us to put together a sound legal position for being able to vote no to the text change and the team at much effort did so however he has still falling on the wrong side of the law in preserving this treasured open space for his community." 

"If Related had an absolute and unquestioned right to develop on this property as they saw fit, why was any vote required?  Please explain this to me,"  Yorkville resident Scott Usiak wrote to Garodnick.

"You are still my council member. Now that you have voted "yes" to the text amendment, can you at least provide us with some clear and specific steps you intend to take to make our lives better," he asked.     

Mr. Usiak called the letter he received from the Council member explaining his decision, "disingenuous and misleading."    

"Given your frequently stated position that the area suffers from population density issues and a lack of open space, what will you do to demonstrate that anything you said was genuine, rather than material for press releases and local news interviews?" 

The application passed the City Council today by a vote of 44 to 2, with future Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer voting against it - she came through on her promise. Brooklyn's Charles Barren also voted against it.   



Dan Knows Best. City Council member Dan Garodnick addressing the crowd in Ruppert Playground in 2011.  The law states that any proposed development on the park requires the consent of surrounding buildings in the original Ruppert Urban Renew area.  He disagrees.  Yesterday Dan voted to give Related Companies  a "text change"  which gives the developer the right to build without getting the consent of the other property owners within the boundaries of the original Large-Scale plan.   

Dan Garodnick addressing the crowd in front of the locked Ruppert Playground.

 Where Are They Now. Still standing with the Communty?

Read More:

Related Co. Expected To Win Big Today At City Council Land Use Votes
A Walk In The Park - October 9, 2013 - By Geoffrey Croft

Willets Point Land Grab In Flushing Meadows Park Blasted

A Walk In The Park - August 9, 2013 - By Geoffrey Croft   

Community Protests Playground Land Grab By Related Companies To Build Luxury Tower

A Walk In The Park - September 30, 2013

Save Ruppert Playground

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Related Co. Expected To Win Big Today At City Council Land Use Votes

Proposed Willets Point West Mall location. Related Companies and Sterling Equities are looking to build a 1.4 million square foot mall on 48 acres of mapped parkland in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park, west of Citi-Field stadium.  This represents the largest public parkland giveaway in recent history. The proposed project would allow the seizing of the public parkland to be used exclusively for non-park purposes without first getting State Alienation approval as is required under the law.  The construction of such a mall on public parkland would be unprecedented. (Photos: Geoffrey Croft/NYC Park Advocates) Click on images to enlarge.

Queens/Manhattan

By Geoffrey Croft

Hoping to squeeze in several major projects before a new mayor takes office the Bloomberg administration-friendly Related Companies is expected to have a banner today with the approval of two controversial proposals coming before the City Council.

The City and Related Companies in partnership with Sterling Equities, the real estate firm controlled by the owner of the Mets - are attempting to use 48-acres in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park to build a massive 1.4 million sq. ft. mall without seeking State Alienation legislation as is required under state law to use parkland for non-park purposes.

This represents the largest public parkland giveaway in recent history. 

The project is part of the proposed $3 billion Willets Point megadevelopment.  The majority of the land for the project would be taken from the public parkland.  

Critics of the plan argue that if the mapped parkland being proposed for mall use are no longer needed for Citi-Field parking then it should revert back to its original recreational use.

It is important to note that this proposed development is apart from Willets Point and was NOT a component of the original Willets Point development that was approved in 2008.  It was NEVER an objective of the development to site a mall – or anything else – on any parkland property.

The development would also seize many small businesses. 

There are a number of legal issues surrounding the attempted disposition of this public land.  

In the public parkland givaway the city is now desperately trying to rely on a 1961 bill that never replaced parkland used for Shea Stadium.   

The 1961 statute that the city and the applicants are desperately trying to rely on in order to justify being allowed to develop the public parkland for non-park purposes does not permit a shopping mall.   Administrative Code 18-118 explicitly states that any monies gained from a temporary lease on the property must go back into the property.

Instead of protecting the public parkland area Council member Julissa Ferreras said at a September 3rd City Council hearing she tried to put housing on the parkland being proposed for a mall but was told that use wasn't permitted. 

The City Council will also be voting on another controversail Related Companies proposel this one in Manhattan's Upper Eastside Yorkville community.

Ruppert Playground - located between East 92/93rd Street btw. 2nd & 3rd Avenues. The Related Companies has plans to replace a beloved park with a 35-story luxury building.  Related Companies currently has no legal right to build on the popular Yorkville playground. The law states that any proposed development on the park requires the consent of surrounding buildings in the original Ruppert Urban Renew area.  Despite vehement community opposition local City Council member Dan Garodnick is backing the Related Company.  Community Board 8 is the city's most densely populated community and ranks dead last in publicly accessible open space. 

The Related Companies is proposing to replace a beloved neighborhood park with a 35-story luxury building.  Community Board 8 is already the city's most densely populated community and ranks dead last in publicly accessible recreational space. 

The use Ruppert Playground CAN NOT be changed unless a previous-approved Large-Scale Residential Development Plan under the Ruppert Brewery Urban Renewal Area is amended which Related is attempting to do by asking the City Council for a text change. 

The law states that any proposed development on the park requires the consent of surrounding buildings in the original Ruppert Urban Renew area. The Related Companies is attempting to take away that right by applying for a "text change"  without getting the consent of the other property owners within the boundaries of the original Large-Scale plan.

Despite vehement community opposition City Council member Dan Garodnick is backing the Related Company and is expected to approve a text change.

The community has waged a three-year battle to prevent Related from building on the park.

The nearly one acre park, which opened in 1978 using Federal Community Development Block Grants,  is located on E.93rd street.

Both Related Companies projects are expected to sail through despite intense community opposition. 

Read More:

Willets Point Land Grab In Flushing Meadows Park Blasted

A Walk In The Park - August 9, 2013 - By Geoffrey Croft   

Community Protests Playground Land Grab By Related Companies To Build Luxury Tower

A Walk In The Park - September 30, 2013

Save Ruppert Playground

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East River Blueway Beach Under Brooklyn Bridge Get's $ 7 Million Boost

Elected officials announced $ 7 million dollars in public funding to help develop and expand the Brooklyn Bridge Beach.  The beach is the first project of the East River Blueway Plan to receive funding.   The area — 11,000 square feet at low tide — will feature sand, terraced seating, a kayak launch, a spot for fishing, tree-lined walkways and concession stands, all just minutes from Wall Street in the shadow of the Brooklyn Bridge.  The project is expected to take approx. three years complete.

The project will include the creation of salt marshes just offshore to help protect against future storms.

Manhattan

Get ready to hit the beach — in Manhattan! — with a super-close view of the Brooklyn Bridge.

Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer and City Council Speaker Christine Quinn announced the $7 million beach’s arrival in its future location as they stood under the Brooklyn Bridge near South and Dover Sts. last Thursday, according to the Villager. 

A part of the East River Blueway Plan — a scheme to increase waterfront access and storm protection — the creation of the Brooklyn Bridge Beach will receive $3.5 million in capital funding from Stringer’s office and a $3.5 million match from the City Council, which Quinn announced at the Aug. 1 press conference.

$1 million dollars was also allocated for a kayak launch at Stuyvesant Cove Park near 23rd Street. 

The 11,000-square-foot swath of sand will feature water activities — such as fishing and a kayak and canoe launch — tree-lined walkways, terraced seating and concession stands.

The beach’s development, along with the addition of new salt marshes and wetlands, will have more than recreational benefits, however.

“This will protect this community from the next big storm,” Stringer said.

Currently, the future site of the Brooklyn Bridge Beach is littered with trash and construction materials, and workers are still reconfiguring electrical power lines on nearby streets following last October’s Hurricane Sandy.

The dream of a revitalized waterfront has been part of an ongoing process that involved the neighborhood and local stakeholders.

“We worked with community partners to transform this East River waterfront,” Stringer said.

He added that the project spoke to community engagement and its needs.

As part of the process, Housing Authority residents from the Bernard Baruch and Lillian Wald Houses were asked for their input. So were representatives of the Lower East Side Ecology Center. Community Boards 1, 3 and 6 were asked for their ideas, and helped shape the plan over the past few years.

“Business development and access to waterfront — this is significant,” Stringer added.

“This is a great protection for New Yorkers against climate change,” Quinn said. She touted the plan’s “innovative design” and asserted it would “help spur economic growth post-Sandy.”

The project’s scope is to completely renovate the riverfront from the Brooklyn Bridge to E. 38th Street. But the beach bridge is certainly a signature feature of the plan.

“The redevelopment of Brooklyn Bridge Beach — it’s a premier ‘staycation’ as well as a destination,” Quinn said.

“In a dense urban area, we forget we have a great waterfront as a resource,” Assemblymember Brian Kavanagh said in his remarks.

He said the full project will be “a connector of different communities along the way,” but that more money and action will be needed to realize the plan in its entirety.

Kavanagh was instrumental in creating a free kayak launch in Stuyvesant Cove in August 2012, which Stringer noted was “a labor of love,” for Kavanagh.

Councilmember Daniel Garodnick, whose district doesn’t go below 14th St., noted he was “out of his district” at the press conference. But he said he well understood the “plight of the East Side being cut off from the river.”

August 1, 2013.  Elected officials including Borough President Scott Stringer, Council Speaker Christine Quinn Assemblymember Brian Kavanagh (pictured) and Dan Garodnick announce the allocation of $ 8 million dollars in government funding for two  East River Blueway projects -  Brooklyn Bridge Beach & kayak launch at Stuyvesant Cove Park. (Photo: William Alatriste / NYC Council)

“This Blueway plan is a road map to protect areas most vulnerable to flooding,” he said.

Garodnick has allocated $1 million for the kayak and canoe launch in Stuyvesant Cove, on the river between E. 18th and 23rd Sts.

“It will open up the river to a new generation of users,” he said of the small-vessel launch spot.

“I’m asking Governor Cuomo and Mayor Bloomberg to have the next kayaking race here in the river — and they’re judging,” Stringer said with a smile, to lots of laughs.

Daniel Tainow, education director at the Lower East Side Ecology Center, said, “We’re glad to be a part of the process for the Blueway plan.”

He alluded to “swimming as a possibility,” referring to future ideas for wading pools with water captured and filtered from the F.D.R. Drive’s runoff.

The planning for the East River Blueway was initiated in 2010, before the devastation of Superstorm Sandy showed how vulnerable waterfront areas like those along the Lower East Side, East Village and South Street Seaport are to storm surges and flooding.

“A lot of what we talked about is relevant,” Stringer noted. “Storm mitigation is very relevant. We have to look at this from a city perspective.”

The $7 million in combined funding, which Stringer dubbed a “down payment,” will almost cover the cost of the whole beach. The remainder of the Blueway project has not been funded.

New York received $15 billion in federal money for post-Sandy recovery and rebuilding. But the elected officials are hoping more government funds can be found to pay for the full East River Blueway.

“We are going to the state and federal government,” Stringer said. “We feel aggressive about getting funding for this plan. We were all here [during Sandy].”

“We want to get any bit of money we can,” Quinn added.

Asked by a reporter about the project’s future in a post-Bloomberg administration, Quinn replied quickly, “We’re good.”

She, of course, is running for mayor, and Stringer for city comptroller.

She vowed that people would soon be enjoying the beach, and joked that the only thing to worry about would be sunburn, adding that the sole requirement would be, “50 S.P.F. sunscreen for all.”

Quinn advocated for reclaiming the river for economic development, as well as the effective use of open space — and also for, well, fun.

“We’re a safer city and a more fun city,” she said. “Nothing says fun like Christine Quinn and Scott Stringer working together.”

No completion date for the beach project was given.

Read More:

Fun plus protection: Pols pitch bridge beach and Blueway plan
The Villager - August 8, 2013 - By Heather Dubin

East River Blueway Plan gets more funding
Real Estate Weekly -  August 8, 2013 - By Maria Rocha-Buschel


Brooklyn Bridge Beach plan brings sand and surf to lower Manhattan
New York Daily News - August 1, 2013 - By Erin Durkin

Scott Stringer Unveils East River Blueway Project Plan to Protect 
Manhattan's East River Waterfront From Next Storm - Wetlands Envisioned
A Walk In The Park - February 8, 2013