Monday, November 14, 2016

Trump Golf Presenting It's Bronx Land Grab Plan Tonight



The community’s long promised 19.5 acre waterfront esplanade park in Ferry Point Park is nowhere to be found and Donald Trump wants a part of it.  In an effort to increase the value of the golf course he leases from the city Trump is proposing to expand the course along the waterfront.  His plan would encroach public access to the waterfront as envisioned by the Parks Department at the 18th & 19th holes - see plans below.  The Trump organization also requesting a 20-year extension to its current 20-year boondoggle contract which is glaringly unfavorable to city-taxpayers.

Trump Golf and the City will be presenting competing design proposals tonight
to Community Board 10 at Fort Schulyer House at 3077 Cross Bronx Expressway at 7:30pm.

Bronx

By Geoffrey Croft

Like a monster in B-horror movie that simply won't die Trump Links is bringing its case to the people tonight at a Community Board meeting after the city recently rejected its waterfront land grab proposal.

In an effort to increase the value of the golf course Trump is proposing to expand along the waterfront. The plan would encroach public access to the waterfront as envisioned by the Parks Department design on the 18th & 19th holes.   The City's plan would maintain a continuous esplanade waterfront park. 

The controversial Trump proposal calls for an equal-sized exchange of land with waterfront views which would accommodate his planned snack bar on the site.   

As a reward for the city agreeing to the land swap Trump would create a passive parkland near the course that Trump would maintain. It would naturally be named after him, The Donald J. Trump Athletic Trail.   (You can't make this stuff up.)

Almost two years after Donald "grab them by the p***y" Trump requested seizing park land earmarked as part of a 19.5 acre public esplanade park, the then ethically challenged Presidential candidate was finally given a response from the city,  No.

Last month the de Blasio administration denied Trump's plan and released a letter (below) from Alicia Glenn rejecting his proposal which would diminish public’s access to the waterfront.

Earlier this month  Ronald Lieberman, Ferry Point vice president of special projects for the Trump Organization and former head of the Parks Department revenue division until 2007 when he went to work for Trump, said they couldn't "understand why the city rejected it.” 


The Parks Department's proposed development plan would maintain a continuous esplanade waterfront park.  The image represents the current footprint of the course vs. parkland.   The yellowish color represents parkland.  (Click on images to enlarge)

Competing Designs 


Proposed Trump design.   The Sanford Golf Design Group - Jupiter, FL.  The plan would encroach public access to the waterfront as envisioned by the Parks Department on the 18th hole (left) and the 17th hole (right) The Trump proposal calls for expanding two holes to the waterfront, an equal-sized exchange of land with waterfront views.   


The Trump Golf is also requesting a 20-year extension to its current 20-year boondoggle contract which is glaringly unfavorable to city-taxpayers.

Trump Golf Links at Ferry Point Park grossed over $ 8 million dollars in the first year of Trump's sweetheart deal with the City of New York at the tax-payer built luxury course.   

They are also not required to  pay the city anything through the first four years of his 20-year contract.  He is allowed to charge more than four times what other city public courses are allowed to.  Trump is also permitted to increase green fees annually according to his agreement. 

Trump’s sweetheart deal doesn’t end there: The taxpayers are also responsible for paying his water and sewage bill facility which runs more than $ 1 million dollars annually. 

The publicly funded project cost close to $ 230 million dollars, the most expensive municipally built golf course in the nation. 




Alicia Glen letter released last month which finally Trump's request to expand the golf course into the waterfront.


The community’s long promised 19.5 acre waterfront esplanade park is nowhere to be found.   
   
Originally scheduled to open in 2013, today the area is filled with weeds, its topography appears just as it did more than six decades ago when Robert Moses built the crescent shaped waterfront in anticipation of building an actual public park at the site and smaller golf course. 

The public is supposedly able to track progress on agency projects on its online Capital ProjectTracker website created to “ increase transparency.”  However the project is also nowhere to be seen. 


Sign of the Times. Enter At Your Own Risk. Near the long promised waterfront park's future entrance at Emerson & Schurz Aves.  What little reference there was to the project was removed from the website long ago. 

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

Read More:

A Walk In The Park - June 13, 2016

 A Walk In The Park - April 1, 2015 

A Walk In The Park - October 16, 2013 -  By Geoffrey Croft

Donald Trump In Sweetheart City Tax-Payer Funded Golf Concession Deal
A Walk In The Park - January 9, 2013 - By Geoffrey Croft

A Walk In The Park - September 30, 2012 - By Geoffrey Croft 

 
A Walk In The Park -  August 15, 2012

A Walk In The Park - December 24, 2011 - By Geoffrey Croft

A Walk In The Park - August 17, 2009








2 comments:

  1. The original scoped out and promised paln include 37 million in wonderful (a bit over the top) waterfront...Thomas Balsey and Associates still has the plan on its website...http://www.tbany.com/projects/waterfront-parks/ferry-point-waterfront-park/ instead parks is digging up toxic ground to place a salt water marsh that no one asked for remediation of the one they removed during construction of Barretto Park....with this is promised a crumble edged asphalt road....for 9 mil....what happened to the promised 37 mil? and the multiple benefits? (multiple levels of pathways/snack bar with restroom and dining area/ kyack launch/urban beach/multiple pocket parking/ and more....

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  2. Negative articles about the Golf course....that we taxpayers invested 139 million in....Why knock something you invested in? Especially if it was without your choice...???? Why be mad at Trump if NYC made the deal???? If you are not happy...NYC is the one to blame....

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