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 CITY EYES STATEN ISLAND'S WEST SHORE
| | One Goal: Expand Maritime Industry Along the Arthur Kill
Recent proposals for the vast, underutilized West Shore of Staten Island, bordering the Arthur Kill shipping channel, have not panned out. About six years ago, a proposed NASCAR speedway was shot down by local residents and politicians. International Speedway Corporation (ISC), the owner of this particular 676-acre waterfront site, then tried to sell it to KB Marine but the deal fell through last year. "This property is ideal for port-related and logistic activities and we are confident that we will come to terms with an interested buyer to redevelop this site to its highest and best use which will provide significant economic development and job creation in Staten Island, New York City and the region as a whole," said ISC's Brian K. Wilson in an announcement of the termination of the deal. Mr. Wilson doesn't have to convince the Bloomberg Administration of the value of the West Shore. Particularly eager to expand industrial maritime activity along the Arthur Kill, the Economic Development Corporation (EDC) and the Department of City Planning are in the beginning stages of a long-range plan called Working West Shore 2030: Creating Jobs, Improving Infrastructure and Managing Growth. The extensive strategic report (cover at right), which took two years to produce with input from City and State agencies and more than 300 community members, business leaders and civic stakeholders, begins with a three-year work plan that recommends actions and projects complete with timelines and responsible government agencies. In recent years, the West Shore has seen steady investment by the City and State, such as the expansion of the New York Container Terminal (read a recent WaterWire story about the terminal here) and upgrades to highways and bridges. The publication of Working West Shore 2030 makes it clear how much more investment along the Arthur Kill is planned.  One of the first actions is the EDC's Request for Expressions of Interest to redevelop a 33-acre tract of land with 2,000 linear feet of shoreline in Staten Island's Rossville neighborhood (see purple patch with words "Rossville Municipal Site" on the map at lower left). The City says this site has "significant potential" for maritime activity. Close to a highway, the property would be able to support both deep-sea and shallow draft vessels for international and domestic shipping. It also would offer berths for tugs and barges. Shipping executives are cheering. "From its earliest days, the maritime industry has been a central economic engine for New York City, the surrounding region, and the nation," said Edward J. Kelly, Executive Director of the Maritime Association of the Port of NY/NJ. "The Maritime Association of the Port of NY/NJ has been a steady supporter of Mayor Bloomberg's strong plans to sustain and expand the working maritime industry in our city, and we believe that NYCEDC's action to place an RFEI for the important Rossville site will be a major step in ensuring that our maritime resources will be put to the best possible use. The West Shore of Staten Island is located in the crux of one of the world's busiest maritime areas, and will surely be a magnet for a working maritime enterprise that will bring well-paying jobs to the area."Responses to the Rossville RFEI are due January 18 at 4pm. Click here for more information. A comprehensive land use/transportation document, Working West Shore 2030 offers a range of projects expected to be instituted in the next three years, from sewer upgrades to park creation. The following initiatives, linked to Vision 2020: the NYC Comprehensive Waterfront Plan, are related to the maritime industry: - Identify potential new Significant Maritime & Industrial Areas
- Establish task forces to focus on new docks, gray-water discharge, dredge material management, vessel repair capacity, and other maritime topics
- Establish a specific In-Water Permitting Task Force to develop permitting guidance documents, mitigation policies and standards, a one-stop shop for in-water permitting and a training program for applicants.
- Develop a wetlands mitigation bank and/or an in-lieu fee program
- Control environmental impacts, including the discharge of pollutants into the Arthur Kill
- Revise zoning to encourage redevelopment of waterfront sites by allowing greater flexibility in brownfields clean-up, adaptive reuse of outmoded buildings, and expansion of maritime uses and in-water infrastructure.
- Designate sites of ecological importance
- Pursue strategies to increase the West Shore's resilience to sea-level rise.
 Arthur Kill Photo courtesy of the NYC Economic Development Corporation |
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STATE AND CITY ECONOMIC CHIEFS HAIL MWA'S HARD WORK
| | City's Robert Steel and State's Ken Adams Praise Alliance at NYLCV Event
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Left to right: NYLCV president Marcia Bystryn, NYLCV New York City chapter head Jon Del Giorno and MWA president and CEO Roland Lewis
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For its outstanding efforts and advocacy, and for its pivotal role in the creation of Vision 2020: NYC Comprehensive Waterfront Plan, the Metropolitan Waterfront Alliance was honored November 30 with the New York League of Conservation Voters' Environmental Champion Award. Held at the New York Yacht Club, the NYLCV event broke attendance and fundraising records.
"Protecting and preserving our waterfront is essential to building a sustainable and environmentally-friendly economy for current and future generations of New Yorkers to enjoy. I commend the Metropolitan Waterfront Alliance for their outstanding efforts to transform our vibrant waterfront," said Empire State Development President, CEO & Commissioner Kenneth Adams, the keynote speaker.
Speaker guest Robert Steel, Deputy Mayor for Economic Development, said, "Roland and the team at MWA have been tireless champions of and advocates for the region's waterfront. Without their support and contributions to the planning and execution of the waterfront plan, none of the progress that has been made so far would have been possible. And thanks to their continued stewardship, I am confident that we will continue to make progress toward making the vision of the waterfront as the 6th borough a reality."
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FORMER PORT AUTHORITY LEADER CHRIS WARD JOINS THE BOARD OF THE MWA
| |  Ward's Work and the
MWA Mission Long Intertwined
This past May, aboard a yacht in New York Harbor, Port Authority executive director Chris Ward addressed hundreds of attentive waterfront advocates and elected officials (right). It was the Metropolitan Waterfront Alliance's Floating Follow-Up, and Mr. Ward, a great champion of the region's waterways, was the event's keynote speaker.
On November 30, Mr. Ward, recently freed from the confines of the Port Authority by Governor Cuomo, was voted onto the board of the MWA. "I'm delighted to join the Metropolitan Waterfront Alliance," he said, reached on his cellphone the next day. "My work and the MWA's mission have long been intertwined."
Board chair John Watts is pleased. "Having Chris Ward join our board is marvelous news for MWA, for its 500+ member organizations and for everyone in New Jersey, New York and the world who love and depend on our harbor and its waterways," he said. "His extrordinary leadership in top roles in the port, in industry, in city government and in environmental protection, and as a professor at Columbia will strengthen the movment to keep our Harbor at the front of the world's 'Cities of Water.' "
"Chris Ward was been a great friend of the MWA and a champion of the Port," said the equally delighted MWA president/CEO Roland Lewis. "We look forward to his counsel as we move forward in our mission to having a world class harbor."
For his part, Mr. Ward is clear about his waterfront goals. "Finding a way to finally combine economic development and public access in a longterm thoughtful way will be our number one challenge," he said.
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REVIVAL OF VOLUNTEER SATURDAYS AT SOUTH STREET SEAPORT MUSEUM
| | There's Plenty to Do!
South Street Seaport Museum invites old and new volunteers to attend the first volunteer day of the new South Street Seaport Museum this Saturday, December 3, starting at 9am. All are welcome; please RSVP to volunteer coordinator Beth Childs in advance. According to the folks at Save Our Seaport (SOS), there's plenty to do: "All of our vessels, barges, and floats are in need of attention and we're lining up a list of projects to kick off the new maintenance season." SOS reprints a note from the Museum's new Waterfront Director Jonathan Boulware, who reports that the Lettie G. Howard will take advantage of Mystic Seaport Museum's hospitality and lift dock this winter. When she returns to Lower Manhattan in the spring, she'll be ready to sail.  Mr. Boulware also announced a generous gift from author Ted Scull that will pay for numerous repairs to the Pioneer (right), along with new sails and a new transmission. "Hats off to Ted! This is the kind of response that will make it possible for us to succeed in saving the Seaport Museum and her ships," wrote Mr. Boulware.
More volunteer ship work can be yours aboard the tanker Mary Whalen on Sunday, December 4 at PortSide New York. Email director Carolina Salguero before heading over to Red Hook. |
DEP ANNOUNCES ROUND TWO OF THE GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE GRANT PROGRAM
| |  Up to $4 Million will be Awarded
A rooftop planted with shrubs, grasses, trees and flowers is not only lovely and cooling; it helps absorb excess rainwater before it flows into the sewer system. A rain garden, bio-swale or planted tree pit has the same effect.
With the 2012 Green Infrastructure Grant Program, the NYC Department of Environmental Protection is hoping to help private property owners, businesses, and not-for-profit organizations fund projects that use green infrastructure techniques to reduce or manage stormwater. The first round of grants was awarded earlier this year, with 13 out of 52 applicants receiving funding for their projects.
Preference for grants will be given to projects that show extra benefits such as increased shade, decreased energy use, increased awareness about stormwater management and increased community stewardship. The main goal of stormwater management projects, of course, is to lessen the intensity and frequency of combined sewer overflows (episodes when stormwater mixes with wastewater and is discharged into waterways) by reducing the amount of water flowing into the sewer system.
Applications are due by 11:59pm on Wednesday, February 15, 2012. To assist applicants, the DEP is hosting three green infrastructure grant workshops, each of which will cover eligibility criteria, the grant program timeline, application tips and other important information. Applicants will also find pertinent information in the agency's Guidelines for the Design and Construction of Stormwater Management Systems and Green Infrastructure Plan.
Green infrastructure grant workshops will take place:
- Dec. 6, 6pm to 8pm
Brooklyn Borough Hall Courtroom, 209 Joralemon Street - Dec. 14, 4:30pm to 6:30pm
Queens Botanical Garden Meeting Room, 43-50 Main Street
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| HISTORIC FLUSHING MEADOWS BOATHOUSE IS RENOVATED | | Local Rowers and Sailors are Appreciative
On the edge of Meadow Lake -- at 93 acres, New York City's largest lake -- in the middle of Flushing Meadows Corona Park, there sits an old boathouse. Constructed for the 1939 World's Fair, the boathouse is in great demand today, used by the American Small Craft Association in teaching sailing; Row New York in teaching competitive rowing; and the Hong Kong Dragon Boat Festival, which sponsors an annual dragon boat extravaganza in August. Click here to see a video that gives a sense of how much Queens residents appreciate the lake and the boathouse.  Recognizing the value of a boathouse in the middle of Queens, the NYC Department of Parks & Recreation just concluded a $7.3 million renovation -- modernizing the facade and roof, installing new mechanical, plumbing and electrical systems, and creating new storage space. Two new roll-down gates were added and the old wooden dock was replaced with a new dock made of recycled plastic.  "Row New York is thrilled to be back in the Flushing Meadows Corona Park boathouse," said Amanda Kraus, Row New York's founder and executive director. "We are indebted to Queens Borough President Helen Marshall and Commissioners Lewandowski and Cooper at the Parks Department for the enormous resources they put into renovating the boathouse. Row New York operates free programs for youth out of the boathouse, year-round, both during the school day and after-school. Every afternoon, we have over 100 girls and young women learning to row and training on the lake. Many of our participants go on to row in college on partial or full athletic scholarships. We also run programs for youth with disabilities as a part of their PE programs and rowing for wounded warriors. None of this would be possible without this boathouse!" A $1 million construction project to upgrade the paths extending from the boathouse alongside Meadow Lake will begin soon. Another upcoming project will restore the natural habitat and reconstruct paths along the lake's southwestern edge. Top photo by Daniel Avila, NYC Parks Dept. Bottom photo courtesy of Row New York |
| MWA PARTNER SPOTLIGHT |
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Expanding every week, the Metropolitan Waterfront Alliance is more than a coalition; it's a force. We are ferry captains, shipping executives, park directors, scientists, sailors, paddlers, swimmers, teachers, urban planners, architects and more. Together, we advocate for the best possible waterfront in the best possible city, a waterfront that is clean and accessible to all, with a robust maritime workforce and efficient, affordable waterborne transportation. Join us! Contact Louis Kleinman at lkleinman@waterfrontalliance.org. Meet some Partners of the Metropolitan Waterfront Alliance:
- Hackensack River Canoe & Kayak Club http://www.hrckc.org/
Incorporated in 1985, the Hackensack River Canoe & Kayak Club encourages canoeing and kayaking with a positive social experience while fostering a spirit of respect and conservation toward our rivers and lakes. - Hackensack Riverkeeper http://www.hackensackriverkeeper.org
The primary Mission of the Hackensack Riverkeeper, Inc. is to provide representation for the natural living resources of the Hackensack River. This representation is manifested in the Hackensack environmental advocacy, education and conservation programs. The focus of Hackensack Riverkeeper, Inc. is to protect and defend the environmental quality of the eco-system of the estuary, river and watershed and the quality of life for the people and other creatures that inhabit the Hackensack River watershed.. - Halcrow http://www.halcrow.com/
Halcrow has been delivering world-class infrastructure solutions since 1868. We're a multi-disciplinary consultancy with a hugely diverse range of design, engineering and business skills. Our focus is on the big issues society faces today - water, transportation, energy, and the need for places to live and work - and how these fit sustainably into the world around us. - Harlem River Community Rowing http://www.harlemrivercommunityrowing.org
Harlem River Community Rowing is committed to expanding waterfront access options for all New Yorkers and increasing the non-motorized boat presence-including traditional rowing and sculling, canoeing and kayaking-on the Harlem River. (back to top)
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| WATERFRONT NEWSLINKS |
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Portion of Hudson waterfront walkway near hotel, close to Weehawken/Hoboken border, almost complete "...According to Ron Simoncini of Hartz Properties, the final 30-foot portion of Weehawken's section of the Hudson River Walkway behind the Sheraton hotel area is set to be completed by the end of 2011."HudsonReport.com, November 30, 2011 Keep the Clean Water Act Strong"...If we narrow our vision of the Clean Water Act, if we buy into the misguided notion that reducing protection of our waters will somehow ignite the economy, we will shortchange our health, environment and economy."The New York Times, November 28, 2011 At Harbor, Answering an S.O.S."...If she succeeds in resurrecting the Seaport Museum, it will be the third time in Ms. Jones's late-blooming 17-year career as a "museum person" - previously she worked in urban housing, landmark preservation, her family's New Jersey manufacturing business, and banking - that she has taken control of a moribund institution, rendered it solvent and made it a player on the cultural map."The New York Times, November 25, 2011 Jamaica Bay's Rebirth: Despite Years Of Industrial Neglect, Boro National Park Makes Comeback"...In the future, the Bloomberg administration said it would revisit transit options connecting the city to the bay, including buses and ferries to places like Floyd Bennett Field and Jacob Riis Park."Queens Tribune, November 23, 2011 Visions of a Development Rising From the Sea"...The neighborhood would be created by connecting Lower Manhattan and Governors Island with millions of cubic yards of landfill, similar to how Battery Park City was born in the 1970s."The New York Times, November 22, 2011
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