City Planning Harlem River Testimony

See our testimony from the April 1st hearing of the City Planning Commission. We have been advocating for access to the Harlem River for many years, and the rezoning proposal for the Lower Concourse is an ideal opportunity! Send a note to your Council Member about this today.
Click on the images to the right to see our testimony.

And:
City Planning Commission
22 Read Street
New York, NY 10007 April 10, 2009

Re: Lower Concourse Re Zoning Proposal - Inclusion of Park Ave Waterfront Site.

Dear Commissioners,

We strongly support expanding the Lower Concourse Re Zoning proposed zoning foot print approx. 150 feet South/West to include the Park Avenue waterfront site, located btw. Exterior Street & the Harlem River.

For more than half a century residents living in the Bronx have been prevented from accessing much of their waterfront. The Lower Concourse Re Zoning Proposal provides a unique opportunity to address some of these inequities. For decades people from the community have been using a small sliver of land between Exterior street & the Harlem River just north of the Third Avenue Bridge in the South Bronx for a variety of both passive and active recreation uses. However, the proposed map currently stops mere feet from the site and is not currently included in the rezoning proposal. This is an obvious and natural site for a community park, with true waterfront access.

Extending the foot print approx. 150 feet would provide desperately needed access to the water front. The site provides wonderful panoramic views of the Harlem River and would be an ideal opportunity to create safe, legal access to the area. Possible uses include such activities as a launch area for human powered water craft, picnicking and other park and open space uses. It should be noted that the public has been using the area for these activities for years. However, the property currently creates a barrier for access because people using the site risk arrest. Including the site would also help achieve one of the major stated goals of the rezoning, which is to “Provide new waterfront open space to an under-served community.”

Using the word underserved is an understatement is this community. Currently there is not a single legal access point along the waterfront for more than 2 miles south of the site and more than a mile North. The community has been advocating for its use as a park space for over ten years. This site is even featured on the cover of the NYC Department of City Planning’s Bronx Harlem River Waterfront Bicycle and Pedestrian Study, August 2006.
Expanding the footprint would also work to support the longer-term efforts which has been advocated by many to create a continuous promenade along the Harlem River and connect the proposed parks to the north with the existing Port Morris community to the south.

Its inclusion would have a measurable impact not only on the surrounding community but on visitors alike who are being encouraged to explore the city by having increased access to bike lines and greenways from projects undertaken by various city, state and federally funded initiatives. I have personally seen a markedly increased interest in the Park Ave site from bike riders who are venturing out to this section of the city. This positive use will only increase if the public were encouraged to use the site.

Including the Park Ave site for proposed parkland and waterfront access would be a small but important step to help rectify historical inequities. It should also be pointed out that the CSX railway along the Western border of the Bronx prevents any park space that is blocked by the raised rail in the Harlem River. This prevents the public from being able to truly access the "waterfront." The rails also create barriers for water recreational opportunities.
The nearest waterfront site being proposed - btw. 145/147th street - suffers from this rail barrier as well. The proposed park space there is contingent on highway and building development and is somewhat speculative and most likely would not occur for a decade or longer if at all. While we support this proposed site including the Park Ave site would have an immediate impact.
The Lower Concourse rezoning proposal public review is currently going through environmental review and the ULURP process. We strongly encourage the City Council to hold a public hearing on this issue. I do not believe many people in the community are aware of the plan. Many people I've spoken to in the area do not know anything about it.
While we are encouraged that the Harlem River and this area are getting much needed attention, we feel it is very important to highlight one area that needs to be included before you approve the final version. Creating real waterfront access is vital for a community that has been prevented from having access to it for the better part of a century.

We strongly support expanding the proposed zoning footprint South/West to include the Park Avenue waterfront location and respectfully request the City Planning Commission include it in the Lower Concourse Re Zoning Proposal plan. Not doing so would be a wasted opportunity.

Sincerely,
Geoffrey Croft- president
NYC Park Advocates

NYC Park Advocates Inc. is a non-profit, non-partisan watchdog group dedicated to improving public parks, restoring public funding, increasing public recreation programs, expanding open space and accessibility, and achieving the equitable distribution of these vital services in New York City for all. We are the only non-profit park advocacy group dedicated to all City, State and Federal parkland in New York City. For more information please visit us at http://nycparkadvocates.org