Hudson River Park Project Opponents Given Time to Prepare Arguments

The Hudson River Park project called Pier55 halted its construction Thursday after the New York State Appellate Division issued an injunction requiring it to do so in order to give opponents more time to prepare their arguments against the park. The $130 million park project's construction began earlier this summer.

A civic group called the City Club of New York sued the Hudson River Park Trust and a Diller entity in April to block the project. They argued the park was planned out of a "secretive process designed to reach a preordained outcome that lacked the transparency required by state law and was not designed to elicit meaningful public scrutiny," the New York Times reported. Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Joan Lobis ruled that the project had gone through the necessary environmental reviews and could go through with construction. The City Club then appealed the decision in June and won the injunction on Thursday.

Michael Gruen, president of the City Club, said the injunction was a "valuable step in ensuring that this secretive and misguided project will not get off the ground, potentially damaging the environment of the Estuarine Sanctuary in which the island would be located, until the courts have definitively determined whether all applicable laws have been complied with."

City Club's attorney Richard D. Emery said in a statement Thursday:

"This project is illegal because the Hudson River Park Trust cut corners, deceived the Legislature, and gave away public parkland to a private entity without the proper checks and balances. Today’s decision confirms that Diller Island would cause irreparable harm to the Hudson River and to the public, and that we are likely to succeed in stopping it for good."

Pier55 issued this statement Thursday:

"By continuing its misguided crusade, the City Club is obstructing the will of the local community and undermining a much-needed effort to create new public parks in New York City. This is a temporary delay for a project that has won approval from all levels of government and consistently withstood legal scrutiny. We are committed to making Pier55 a reality and providing nearly three acres of public green space for all New Yorkers to enjoy."

The Hudson River Park Trust issued this statement Thursday:

"This time-wasting and out-of-touch lawsuit is an insult not just to the local community board, which overwhelmingly supports this project, but to the New Yorkers from across the city who will enjoy this park for years to come. We're surprised by today's decision, which directly contradicts not only what a Federal District Court Judge ruled yesterday, but the array of State and Federal agencies that unanimously determined the project would not cause any significant adverse environmental impacts – much less any irreparable harm. It has become dishearteningly clear that this case has nothing to do with environmental impacts, and not once have the plaintiffs produced an expert who can say the project will cause environmental harm. Rather, this lawsuit is simply about a small group of people who want to determine – outside the public process – how the Hudson River Park Trust is governed and how Mr. Diller’s money should be spent."

The park is supposed to be 2.7 acres with paved walking paths and three performance spaces. It's planned to be part of Hudson River Park and accessible from two ramps off the Hudson River Greenway.

Image by Heatherwick Studio