East River Park Action and their supporters are taking their park plight to the very top.
For years avid East River Park-goers have been pushing back against the controversial flood protection plans that look to completely upend the popular Lower Manhattan park by removing some 1,000 trees and filling the land with industrial soil. Although the development is proposed to protect the East Side from coastal torrents like that of superstorm Sandy, critics feel the destruction outweighs the benefits of a refurbished park.
On July 27, park advocates rallied outside of Comptroller Scott Stringer’s office in a plea for the former mayoral candidate to decline signing off on the East Side Coastal Resiliency (ESCR) project contract, and in what was a major win for activists, he returned the contract to the City’s Department of Design and Construction (DDC) unsigned requesting further information.