Communities Push Back on BQE and East River Park Plans

Neighborhoods on opposite sides of the East River want more input into major projects that threaten to disrupt their communities:  the repair of the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway (BQE) in Brooklyn Heights and the East Side Coastal Resiliency project in the East Village and Lower East Side. 

City Council Members Stephen Levin (33rd District including Brooklyn Heights, Boerum Hill, the Brooklyn Navy Yard, Downtown Brooklyn, DUMBO, Williamsburg, Greenpoint, Vinegar Hill, and part of Bedford-Stuyvesant), and Carlina Rivera (District 2 including East Village, Flatiron, Gramercy Park, Rose Hill, Kips Bay, Murray Hill and the Lower East Side) discuss community push back on the plans for their respective districts.

@BrianLehrer What folks in LES are demanding re; East Side Coastal Resiliency
1. Independent expert review of 2 current plans w/ option for change 2. $700m capital commitment 3. Staged construction & alternative recreation plan 4. Efforts to mitigate #resiliencygentrification

— Naomi Schiller (@naomischiller) January 28, 2019

We definitely need a better and more complete plan for the East River Park. It’s hard to imagine the city closing Central Park eg for 3 years. LES has suffered through endless renovations, closures, elimination of trees and natural grassy areas. Drivers shouldn’t own the city.

— Laura Foulke (@laurafoulke) January 28, 2019

I called in but didnt make it on. Brian, pls consider a follow-up show looking at this option for NYC as a whole. Carlina, you can ask @cmenchaca for a reference on our resiliency work. We won a White House award for Sandy recovery work, were on Red Hook NY Rising committe + more

— PortSide NewYork (@PortSideNewYork) January 28, 2019