EAST SIDE COASTAL RESILIENCY INDEPENDENT REVIEW REPORT FINALIZED

Manhattan Borough President Gale A. Brewer and Council Member Carlina Rivera announced today the publication of the final report by independent consultant Deltares, hired for the review of the East Side Coastal Resiliency Project (ESCR) last month.

In her Uniform Land Use Review Process (ULURP) recommendation, Brewer requested an independent environmental expert to review the ESCR Project and prepare comments regarding the City’s Preferred Alternative 4 proposal and the other three alternative designs. The independent review by Deltares was led by Dr. Hans Gehrels.

Among the findings in the report, which studied resiliency in the Alternative 3 and Alternative 4 designs, are:

  • The need for improving transparency and stakeholder engagement
  • Ongoing monitoring for air quality impacts to be made available publicly
  • Release of City documents that provide evidence for the analysis underlying the Final Environmental Impact Statement
  • Further investigation of Interim Flood Protection Measures (IFPM) during the construction period
  • Phased construction for continued use of of portions of the park with additional open space mitigation
  • Additional clean fill for future flood protection against sea level rise

“We heard the requests of the community for an independent review loud and clear, and we listened,” said Manhattan Borough President Gale A. Brewer. “Deltares brought their vast experience and expertise to the analysis of this project, and I implore the de Blasio administration to take these suggestions into account before any construction begins.”

“We knew we had to bring in our own climate change and resiliency experts to ensure that ESCR, which will set the tone for all future coastal resiliency projects, is done right,” said Councilwoman Carlina Rivera. “I look forward to carefully reviewing this report and the recommendations from Deltares and hope the de Blasio administration will do the same as they work to address our other outstanding demands.”

You can view the report in its entirety here.

Translate