Leaked Docs Say City To Expand Manhattan Into East River: Report

FINANCIAL DISTRICT — The city could return to a Bloomberg-era proposal to build out Lower Manhattan into the East River to protect the city from some of the impacts of climate change, Gothamist reported.

Gothamist obtained a leaked planning document that says the de Blasio administration could propose to build new land south of the Brooklyn Bridge and around the Manhattan Tip to the Battery to protect Lower Manhattan from the impacts of climate change like sea level rise and storm surges.

The land would be built out to the edges of the piers along the waterfront, a person briefed by the plan told Gothamist.

In 2013, Mayor Bill de Blasio's predecessor, Mayor Michael Bloomberg, proposed a similar plan to build the so-called "Seaport City" to mirror Battery Park City on the other end of the Manhattan tip. The proposal would have been what the city called a "multi-purpose levee" that would pay for itself through development on the elevated land. A study in spring 2014, when de Blasio was mayor, found Bloomberg's plan physically, legally and financially "feasible," Politico reported at the time.

The person who Gothamist spoke with denied the Seaport City plan and the apparent de Blasio plan were comparable, but also said the project would likely be a public-private partnership. It is unclear whether development would be permitted on the new land.

"Seaport City was primarily for economic development. This is going to be a resiliency measure first and foremost," that source told Gothamist. "The reality is that this is the only way to protect many billions of dollars of private and public property, and this option is by far the most expensive one to do."

Phil Ortiz, a mayoral spokesperson, did not confirm or deny Gothamist's report.

Ortiz said in a statement: "Rising sea levels are an existential threat to our city. It’s no secret that we are working hard to develop different ways to address the challenge. There are lots of ideas out there and many different versions of potential proposals for this area — many of which are significantly outdated, or no longer under consideration. When we select a final approach for community consideration, we’ll certainly be making it public."

Last April, the city told Community Board 1 that 50 percent of buildings in Lower Manhattan are at-risk from a 100-year storm surge of 9- to 16-feet by 2100. By 2050, 30 percent of buildings would be exposed to 100-year storm surges.

Since Hurricane Sandy in 2012, none of the city's major waterfront resiliency projects in Downtown Manhattan have broken ground.

Downtown Manhattan's resiliency projects are broken into several parts. The Battery Park City Authority has its own separate resiliency project in the planning process.

The East Side Coastal Resiliency project, overhauled last fall, covers 25th St. down to Montgomery expects to bury and rebuild the East River Park next March.

Two Bridges' resiliency project, a part of the Lower Manhattan Coastal Resiliency project, is planned for Brooklyn Bridge up through Montgomery St., though the last public meeting for the project was last July.

"I'm a little concerned primarily because the city has been silent on the Two Bridges plan," said Trever Holland, a Community Board 3 member who lives in Two Bridges. The city could "pull an ESCR on us," he said, referring to the overhaul of the east side resiliency project last fall that has outraged many Downtowners because it will require closing East River Park during construction.

Holland added he's concerned another Seaport City-esque proposal would allow for massive development on new built-out land — which is why Holland's group Tenants United Fight for the Lower East Side (TUFF-LES), Good Old Lower East Side, CAAAV and Community Board 3 are pushing to rezone the Lower East Side and Two Bridges waterfront out into the river itself.

The groups' proposal would rezone underwater lots to be parkland and extend the East River Park — in anticipation of plans to build land into the East River for development, according to Holland.

As for the Financial District's resiliency strategy south of Two Bridges, Gothamist reported that the de Blasio administration is expected to announce the new plans in the coming weeks.

For the full Gothamist report, click here.