Work will make Firefighter Memorial accessible via paved curvilinear pathways. Landmarks issued a binding report approving the design for new pathways at Riverside Park, a scenic landmark built in 1873-1875, designed by Frederick Law Olmsted, and located between West 99th Street and West 101st Street in Manhattan.

In the Landmarks application, the Parks Department proposed to connect the Fireman’s Memorial Monument, at West 100th Street on the Hudson River, to existing paths located at West 99th Street and West 101st Street by installing six-foot wide curvilinear pathways with asphalt pavement, granite block edging and drainage channels. The plan will also replace damaged plants and asphalt pavement on adjoining pathways.

In approving the work, Landmarks found that the pathways were simple in design and harmonious with Olmsted’s original design. Landmarks also said that the proposed pathways will provide barrier-free access to the Fireman’s Memorial Monument and repair degrading and drainage problems. Finally, Landmarks determined that the proposed work would not detract from the significant architectural and historic character of the park. (more…)

New park would preserve natural features. The Department of Parks and Recreation sought a map amendment and approval of the acquisition of a 1.65-acre wooded parcel of private land to facilitate the creation of Manor Park on the southeasterly corner of Altamont Street and Manor Road in Staten Island.

The proposed park site, currently owned by Kanaga Corporation, includes a series of kettle ponds, vernal ponds, and young and mature trees. The site is used by the public and an adjacent Boy Scout camp for nature walks and camping. Almost half of the park has been designated federal and state protected wetlands. Parks has no immediate plans to improve the site and will maintain it in its natural state. (more…)

Bridge will provide four traffic lanes, two bike paths, two walkways and a needed cross-town connection. The Department of Transportation sought a City Map amendment for the construction of a new East 153rd Street bridge in the Bronx to span the Metro North railroad tracks and reconnect the east-west linkage of East 153rd, between Morris Avenue and the Grand Concourse. DOT closed the original 1899 two-lane bridge in 1988, due to safety concerns, and demolished it in 1992. The new $40 million cable-stayed bridge, envisioned to be a showpiece for South Central Bronx, will have four traffic lanes, two bike lanes, and two sidewalks, and will require the widening of East 153rd Street to accommodate the added traffic lanes. The existing right-of-way will be expanded from 113 feet to 143.3 feet and two other portions of East 153rd Street, from Grand Concourse to Concourse Village West and from Concourse Village East to Morris Avenue, will be widened and realigned. DOT will acquire four privately-owned lots and demolish two buildings for the expansion of East 153rd Street.

At the Commission’s April 13, 2005 public hearing, only a DOT representative appeared. The Commission unanimously approved on May 25, 2005, finding that the bridge will provide a needed cross-town connection and ease congestion on East 149th and East 161st Streets, South Central Bronx’s east-west thoroughfares. The Commission noted that DOT sent a letter addressing each recommendation of Bronx Borough President Adolfo Carrion, Jr., which confirmed Parks’ approval of the traffic island at Grand Concourse and East 153rd Street as green space and DOT’s commitment that lighting would extend to Grand Concourse and Morris Avenue. (more…)

Opponents filed claim 31 months too late. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, which leases the land in Central Park from Parks under an 1871 directive of the state legislature, proposed to renovate the museum in 2000 and presented a detailed plan to Parks and Landmarks. The plan called for a new loading dock, the addition of public cafeterias and new auditoriums. Parks Commissioner Henry Stern signed off on the plan in December 2002, noting that the proposal would not expand the museum beyond its existing footprint, and Landmarks approved in early 2001. Due to September 11th, the Museum scaled back its plans, reducing the proposed addition from 200,000 to 40,000 sq.ft. and abandoning the loading dock plan.

After the Museum started work, the Metropolitan Museum Historic District Coalition, a group of Upper East Side residents concerned about the renovation’s potential traffic, pollution and safety problems, sent a letter to the Museum and the City, complaining that the Museum’s renovation work violated a long-standing commitment against expansion onto additional Parks land. The Museum responded by letter in July of 2003. (more…)

Dock to be located on the East River next to the Schaefer Landing luxury building. The Planning Commission unanimously approved an application by the Department of Parks and Recreation for the construction of a water taxi dock in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. The dock is to be located on the East River adjacent to the waterfront esplanade of the Schaefer Landing luxury apartment building, west of Kent Avenue between South 8th and South 11th Streets.

The floating 600 square-foot dock and 36-foot long gangway required a special permit to allow its construction in an R7-3 residential district. The dock will be moored to four steel piles anchored in the East River bed, and the operation will not require a ticket booth or other structure on the waterfront esplanade. The Economic Development Corporation will be responsible for construction and the developers of Schaefer Landing will maintain the dock under an agreement with Parks. The water taxi itself is expected to provide transportation to and from Lower Manhattan for up to 100 passengers per trip. Currently, New York Water Taxi operates 13 different routes and 13 docks throughout the New York metropolitan area, including eight docks in Manhattan at: West 44th, West 23rd and East 34th Streets; Greenwich Village, the World Financial Center, Battery Park, Wall Street and South Street Seaport. New York Water Taxi currently lists fares for a one-way trip as between $4 to $6. (more…)