Learn About Battery Park Flood Plan That May Take Down Pavilion

BATTERY PARK CITY, NY — The Battery Park City Authority will update the public about its design plans for a resiliency project that could require razing a beloved pavilion at Wagner Park on Monday.

As various projects to protect the waterfront from the devastating impacts of storms like Superstorm Sandy are ongoing, Battery Park City also has plans. A proposed four-part resiliency project in Battery Park City would protect the neighborhood from Wagner Park up through Stuyvesant High School.

But building a flood wall to protect the southern portion of Battery Park City from sea level rise and coastal flooding could require demolishing a beloved pavilion building at Wagner Park.

In March, neighbors voiced concerns about how the resiliency project would impact Wagner Park, known for its sweeping views of the Statue of Liberty near the Manhattan tip. At the time, the Authority's Vice-President of Real Property Gwen Dawson told Patch, "The Authority has determined that we believe that the best approach is going to be to replace that building."

The Authority has scheduled another meeting to provide updates on the southern portion of the resiliency project with the firm AECOM on Monday, June 24 at 6 p.m., located at 6 River Terrace.

There will also be a question and answer session, according to the Authority.

Remediating the existing building in a flood protection design could be costly, block views of the Statue of Liberty and would fail to protect the building itself from flooding, Authority reps have previously said. In March, options presented for Wagner Park's pavilion structure included: elevating the building, moving it closer to the street, or demolishing it with no replacement — which would be the cheapest.

"It's not done in a way to dishonor what's there now," Dawson, of the Authority, said. "We love the building. We love the park. It's what can we do now given the hand we've been dealt with climate change."

The Authority held another meeting April 15 to garner feedback from neighbors. You can watch the video of that meeting here.

Read more about March's meeting on the southern portion of the Battery Park City resiliency project here.