The Villager: East River Park is expected to undergo massive changes in the coming years.

As early as March 2020, the city could begin burying the park with 8 feet of soil, closing it for three-and-a-half years, in order to rebuild the park anew to protect thousands of nearby residents from coastal flooding and storm surges.

But with all the new changes also comes skepticism that the city would be able to meet its deadlines. A new report commissioned by research and design firm Rebuild by Design and local affordable housing organization Good Old Lower East Side (GOLES) says communities bordering East River Park should form an alliance to ensure the community’s voice is listened to.

The idea is that an “East River Park Alliance” would be a more organized entity, bringing together many of the East Side’s myriad park groups. The $1.45 billion project to redo East River Park would benefit from such an alliance’s input and help on the new, rebuilt park’s facilities, spaces, programming and ultimately maintenance, according to the report. READ MORE>>