CIVITAS Community Announcements: October 14th

It's My Park Day at the East River Esplanade

Sunday, October 20th 10:00 am – 3:00 pm East River Esplanade 96th Street and FDR Drive (east of First Avenue) Volunteer to scrape and paint the railings along the East River Esplanade and plant bulbs that will bloom in the spring.  For more information, please visit: http://www.nycgovparks.org/events/2013/10/20/its-my-park-day-at-east-river-esplanade or call Upper Green Side at (212) 759-6895. Save the Date:  Urban Revitalization and East Harlem Rezoning Wednesday, December 4, 2013 6:30 pm - 8:00 pm Admission is FREE for CIVITAS members. Find out how to join. CIVITAS's discussion series continues this December with an investigation of Urban revitalization through the lens of East Harlem rezoning and updated land use policies. This panel will look specifically at projects currently under way in East Harlem, including the renovation of the former P.S. 109 into affordable live-work space for artists, and the transformation of La Marqueta, a marketplace under the Metro North railway tracks between East 111th and East 116th Streets that was once the economic and social center of the neighborhood. Moderator: Karrie Jacobs - Contributing Editor, Metropolis; founding editor-in-chief, Dwell Panelists: -LaShawn Henry - Chairperson, Land Use, Landmarks & Planning Committee, Community Board 11 -Peggy Shepard - Co-founder and Executive Director, WE ACT for Environmental Justice -Gus Rosado - Executive Director, El Barrio's Operation Fightback All discussions in the series will take place at the National Academy 1083 Fifth Avenue at East 89th Street. map Admission: CIVITAS members: FREE General Admission: $15 Seniors and Students: $10 For tickets, visit the National Academy online or call (212) 369-4880 x 201. CIVITAS members can RSVP by calling the museum at the above number. NYC Clean Heat Webinar on No. 2 Heating Oil Conversion NYC Clean Heat, a city government initiative to encourage the use of cleaner fuels, is holding another webinar to raise awareness of incentives and programs for buildings switching to ultra-low sulfur No. 2 fuel oil and/or biodiesel. The NYC Clean Heat ULS 2 Conversion Specialists, their incentive providers, will be on hand to explain their services and connect with your building. When: Thursday, October 17th, 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm How: All you’ll need is a phone and/or internet access to participate. Find out more at http://nyccleanheat.org/content/uls-2-conversion-specialists. Please RSVP by clicking “Attend Event” on the link above by 5pm on October 16th and NYC Clean Heat will send you the phone number and online log-in details.

What Do You Want the Future of East Harlem to Look Like?

Join Community Board 11, CIVITAS, and land use consultants Insight Associates and George M. Janes & Associates to discuss

Land Use and Zoning in East Harlem

Learn how zoning can be used to create affordable housing, promote economic development, and control building sizes and heights. 

Area Considered:

Madison to Lexington Avenues and 115^th to 132^nd Streets

(excluding 125^th Street Corridor)

CIVITAS and Community Board 11’s Zoning Task Force have been working together to plan for the future of the neighborhood and take advantage of new zoning policies. CIVITAS and Community Board 11 have collaborated in the past, including the 2003 rezoning of 99th to 122nd Streets, Third to Pleasant Avenues that brought up-to-date zoning to East Harlem and was one of the first major rezonings of the Bloomberg Administration. 


The discussion will be led by Ethel Sheffer and George Janes, principals of their respective firms, and CB11 Zoning Task Force Chair, Lashawn Henry. 

Monday, July 9^th at 5:30 pm

The Silberman School of Social Work at Hunter College

Second Floor Auditorium

2180 Third Avenue (at 119^th Street)

RSVP to the Community Board 11 Office by calling 212-831-8929


To learn more about the changes the 2003 rezoning brought to East Harlem,  please watch the 2010 video of an East Harlem walking tour led by land use planner Richard Bass.



East Harlem Walking Tour from Civitas Citizen on Vimeo.

East River Esplanade: A Gaping Hole in NYC's Waterfront

By Sharon E. Pope

Prepared for the CIVITAS Spring 2011 Newsletter

Photo by Anton Brookes, www.mockturtlemoon.com

New York City’s waterfront is undergoing an unprecedented transformation, heightened by new public and private investment and interest to enhance, repair and improve its vast waterfront. The NYC Department of City Planning has recently released its Comprehensive Waterfront Plan and several waterfront advocacy groups and water-dependent businesses have undertaken renewed efforts to bring attention to the city’s waterfront. With over 500 miles of shoreline, these initiatives comprise a massive effort to redesign the waterfront to accommodate a wide range of recreational and commercial activities; to reconnect it with adjoining upland areas; and to provide direct access to New York’s “Sixth Borough” (i.e., the waters of our bays, inlets, rivers and ocean).

The East River Esplanade on the Upper East Side and in East Harlem stretches from 60th to 125th Street. For these communities it is the portal to the river and their “living room” on the water, providing serene and stunning views of the East River, Roosevelt Island and the Robert F. Kennedy (Triborough) and Hell Gate Bridges. Residents visit the Esplanade to pause and reflect as well as to fish. It also serves as a significant recreational resource used by strollers, joggers, and bicyclists.New York City’s waterfront is undergoing an unprecedented transformation, heightened by new public and private investment and interest to enhance, repair and improve its vast waterfront. The NYC Department of City Planning has recently released its Comprehensive Waterfront Plan and several waterfront advocacy groups and water-dependent businesses have undertaken renewed efforts to bring attention to the city’s waterfront. With over 500 miles of shoreline, these initiatives comprise a massive effort to redesign the waterfront to accommodate a wide range of recreational and commercial activities; to reconnect it with adjoining upland areas; and to provide direct access to New York’s “Sixth Borough” (i.e., the waters of our bays, inlets, rivers and ocean).

The East River Esplanade on the Upper East Side and in East Harlem stretches from 60th to 125th Street. For these communities it is the portal to the river and their “living room” on the water, providing serene and stunning views of the East River, Roosevelt Island and the Robert F. Kennedy (Triborough) and Hell Gate Bridges. Residents visit the Esplanade to pause and reflect as well as to fish. It also serves as a significant recreational resource used by strollers, joggers, and bicyclists.

CIVITAS has had a long history of advocacy for an improved East River Esplanade. In February and March 2011, members of CIVITAS walked the length of the Esplanade to assess and document its existing condition; to identify areas of infrastructure distress; to note areas of limited or impeded access; and to highlight related critical needs.

They documented a shockingly deteriorated Esplanade that included breaches of the bulkhead, crumbling infrastructure, unsupported rails and sidewalk sink holes, buckling or bulging sidewalks, and piers and platforms in need of such dire repair as to necessitate fencing to protect the public.

The worst sections were found north of East 110th Street. To rescue the East River Esplanade much has to be done. As a start:

• Document, evaluate and repair the Esplanade’s pedestrian walkways.
• Repair sinkholes at 110th and 111th Streets, 114th and 115th, and at 124th Street. These are not the only sinkholes; however, they are the ones that could impact public safety. They require immediate repair.
• Increase signage at pedestrian entrances. Many entrances do not have any signage indicating access to the Esplanade.
• Enhance the 60th and 96th Street Esplanade entrances. These entrances serve as major access points and should be welcoming, safe and easily accessible.
• Install noise attenuation barriers to reduce automobile traffic sounds and exhaust pollution.
• Add sufficient quantity and variety of seating along barren stretches of the Esplanade.
• Replace trees in existing empty tree pits.

Despite its degraded condition, the Esplanade is still actively used by the public. Accordingly, its rescue and restoration are of critical importance. To restore the Esplanade will require the combined resources and efforts of Community Boards 8 and 11, community-based organizations, local businesses, adjoining institutions and elected officials. Funding will have to come from city, state and federal agencies, and possibly from the private sector. Only then will the Esplanade be able to fulfill its promise of park space for the communities of the Upper East Side and East Harlem, as well as a destination for visitors and tourists.

Since its founding as a Dutch trading post, New York City’s shoreline contributed substantially to the growth of the city with significant maritime trade. Although New York remains a premier port city, its traditional shoreline uses have been declining due, in part, to changes in shipping operations and an overall decline in the city’s manufacturing and industrial base. With waning traditional waterfront use (abandoned piers) its infrastructure fell into disrepair and subsequent physical decay. In 1992, the Manhattan Borough President unveiled a grand vision for Manhattan’s waterfront: a near continuous, publicly accessible esplanade around the entire island. It is this grand vision that many have today for Manhattan’s shoreline.

The East River Esplanade as a public open space has the promise of a vibrant gathering point for residents and visitors alike. With the renewed focus on the city’s waterfront and its adjoining “Sixth Borough,” we have an opportunity now to ensure that this promise is fulfilled.

Community Forum & Presentation on April 27

You are invited to a Community Presentation & Forum
The results are in!

In Winter 2011, CIVITAS and the NYU Wagner School administered a Community Engagement Survey to take stock of community views on neighborhood concerns and future needs of the Upper East Side and East Harlem.

We hope you will participate in the Community Presentation & Forum when we present the survey results addressing the following areas: Transportation, Land Use, Streetscape, and Environmental Quality

Wednesday, April 27, 2011
6-8pm
Museum of the City of New York
1220 Fifth Avenue (103rd street entrance)

RSVP required:
info@civitasnyc.org or 212-996-0745

For more information and project updates, visit: www.civitasnyc.org/publicneedssurvey <http://www.civitasnyc.org/publicneedssurvey>