Repair East Harlem Esplanade ASAP, New Coalition Demands

EAST HARLEM, NY — When the city revealed in January that a badly decaying stretch of the East River Esplanade would receive $284 million in repairs, the announcement lacked one piece of information: when the work would begin.

Now, a newly formed coalition of 25 neighborhood groups is pressing Mayor Bill de Blasio's administration to include the money in this year's city budget proposal, which will be presented to the City Council later this week.

"Considering the deteriorating condition of this section of the Esplanade, we urge you to include these funds in your [Fiscal Year] 21-22 capital budget and do everything in your power to move this project forward in the most expeditious possible manner," wrote the Coalition for the East Harlem Waterfront in a Tuesday letter to the mayor.

The $284 million pledged by the de Blasio administration will pay for repairs along the waterfront between 94th and 125th streets, where large swaths of the pedestrian walkway have been blocked off for years. It will also rebuild Pier 107, a once-popular gathering spot that has been fenced off since 2018.

The promised funding came after years of complaints by neighbors about deteriorating conditions on the waterfront, despite previous repair commitments by the city and state.

That includes a $75 million investment that the city pledged in 2019, but that advocates say has borne little fruit in East Harlem.

"The concern is that this $284 million might 'disappear' just like the $75 million for the same purpose/area that was announced to much fanfare," wrote Jennifer Ratner, president of Friends of the East River Esplanade, in an email to Patch.

Groups signing onto the letter include community boards 8 and 11; the nonprofits CIVITAS and WE ACT for Environmental Justice; the El Barrio Fishing Club; Transportation Alternatives and Assemblymembers Robert Rodriguez and Rebecca Seawright.

In addition to rebuilding Pier 107, the coalition hopes the repairs will reopen the three-block stretch between 114th and 117th streets that currently severs the Esplanade in two, patch up sinkholes that dot the walkway and fix "over 1,300 feet of crumbling seawall."

A Parks Department spokesperson did not respond to questions about whether the full $284 million would be included in the upcoming budget.

The department will present the budget proposal to the City Council's parks and recreation committee at 10 a.m. on Friday.

Related coverage:

• East Harlem Pols Praise Esplanade Funding, Demand Quick Repairs
  
• Crumbling East Harlem Esplanade To Get $284M In Repairs
  
• East Harlem Waterfront Repairs Languish As Esplanade Crumbles