Harlem River Waterfront

Amtrak and Henry Hudson Bridges over the Harlem River, Spuyten Duvyil HARLEM BRONX RIVER WATERFRONT MANHATTAN Linking a River’s Renaissance to its Upland Neighborhoods Brownfied Opportunity Area Pre-Nomination Study prepared for the Bronx Council for Environmental Quality, the New York State Department of State and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation with state funds provided through the Brownfield Opportunity Areas Program. February 2007 Acknowledgements Steering Committee Dart Westphal, Bronx Council for Environmental Quality – Project Chair Colleen Alderson, NYC Department of Parks and Recreation Karen Argenti, Bronx Council for Environmental Quality Justin Bloom, Esq., Brownfield Attorney Paula Luria Caplan, Office of the Bronx Borough President Maria Luisa Cipriano, Partnership for Parks (Bronx) Curtis Cravens, NYS Department of State Jane Jackson, New York Restoration Project Rita Kessler, Bronx Community Board 7 Paul S. Mankiewicz, PhD, New York City Soil & Water Conservation District Walter Matystik, M.E.,J.D., Manhattan College Matt Mason, NYC Department of City Planning David Mojica, Bronx Community Board 4 Xavier Rodriguez, Bronx Community Board 5 Brian Sahd, New York Restoration Project Joseph Sanchez, Partnership for Parks James Sciales, Empire State Rowing Association Basil B. Seggos, Riverkeeper Michael Seliger, PhD, Bronx Community College Jane Sokolow LMNOP, Metro Forest Council Shino Tanikawa, New York City Soil and Water Conservation District Brad Trebach, Bronx Community Board 8 Daniel Walsh, NYS Department of Environmental Conservation Project Sponsor Bronx Council for Environmental Quality Municipal Partner Office of Bronx Borough President Adolfo Carrión, Jr. Fiscal Administrator Manhattan College Consultants Hilary Hinds Kitasei, Project Manager Karen Argenti, Community Participation Specialist Justin Bloom, Esq., Brownfield Attorney Paul S. Mankiewicz, PhD, The Gaia Institute, Environmental Analysis Luke Mitchell, Office of the Bronx Borough President, Maps Wilhelm Ronda, Office of the Bronx Borough President, Director of Planning & Development Contributors Cy Adler, Shorewalkers Harry Bubbins, Friends of Brook Park Nestor Danyluk, NYC Department of City Planning (Bronx) Lee Illan, NYC Office of Environmental Coordination Mary Ellen Kris, New York State Office of Parks and Historic Preservation Tom Lunke, Empire State Development Corporation Barbara R. Michaels, Bronx resident since 1924 Robert F. Rothschild, Bronx resident from 1918 - 1985 Josslyn Shapiro, NYS Department of Environmental Conservation Matt Shurtleff, Trust for Public Land Matty Stanislaus, New Partners for Community Revitalization Teresa Toro, Tri-State Transportation Campaign Eric Wilson, NYC Economic Development Corporation Wilbur Woods, NYC Department of City Planning Jeffrey Zupan, Regional Plan Association EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The Brownfields Opportunity Area (BOA) Program is the planning arm of the New York State Brownfields/Superfund Law. Its purpose is to promote area-wide planning in communities with multiple Brownfields. This study analyzes the potential of seven miles of the Bronx waterfront of the Harlem River to catalyze the revitalization of the river and waterfront for the benefit of its upland neighborhoods, the City of New York, and the Harlem River itself. The proposed BOA is a seven-mile sliver of land wedged between the Harlem River and the Major Deegan Expressway at the foot of a steep slope in the Bronx. More than half is owned by a railroad. Four characteristics make this waterfront an exceptional resource of New York City and the metropolitan region. Unfortunately, these assets are of no benefit to its upland neighborhoods. • A rare and valuable urban landscape: a river flanked by sheer cliffs and forested slopes coupled with monumental and historic infrastructure (five bridges, an aqueduct and a viaduct) • One of the last tidal wetlands in New York City and the potential to rehabilitate others, restoring the river’s ecological and recreational value • The opportunity to create a Harlem River Park district encompassing both the Bronx and Manhattan shores of this protected waterway highly suitable for recreation • A multi-modal transportation corridor used by more than one million passengers and slated for expansion Section I.A describes the four Bronx neighborhoods fronting on the Bronx River: Morris Heights, Highbridge, University Heights, and Spuyten Duyvil. For 150 years each has been denied easy physical access to the waterfront by steep terrain and the railroad that lies along the edge. All but Spuyten Duyvil are burdened with the additional barrier of the expressway. As a result they have benefited less from their proximity to the waterfront, and suffered more ill effects. Each of these communities includes many members with limited mobility, raising the importance of disability access. The proposed BOA is a major transportation corridor for the region, and figures importantly in several plans now being developed independently. Railroads (passenger and freight) are preparing for expansion that holds the promise of reducing highway traffic now burdening the area. At the same time the highways and bridges are in the process of being reconfigured to expand capacity and reduce congestion. The Harlem River Greenway and the Harlem River are important links in the city and regional networks being developed to encourage these two emerging modes. All of this dynamism presents the BOA with many opportunities. Section I.B describes the project: why connecting the upland and waterfront is integral to the revitalization of both. The most obvious opportunities are the valleys cut in the ridge (Depot Place, University Heights, Kingsbridge), where pedestrian-accessible bridges meet at-grade local streets. Less obvious opportunities exist around the four train stations that now exist on the waterfront. Finally, but potentially boldest, are opportunities to couple development with decking infrastructure, as was done by the City and State in the 1970’s to create the 27-acre Robert Clemente State Park, affordable housing for 4,000 people, two access roads, and a school. This solution has produced the only true integration between the community and the waterfront. Twenty-five years of community-based planning have produced a consensus that the Harlem River should be a public waterfront that is recreation-oriented and hosts a continuous greenway. City and State parks now account for 26.3% of the total acreage. Even if all sites that have been identified for potential acquisition are included, however, parkland will still be less than a third. The railroad is a permanent and dominant partner. Section I.C describes the evolution of a strong consensus on the future of the waterfront. While the emphasis has shifted over 25 years from esplanades that were part of the upland neighborhoods to greenways and parks at the river’s edge, the overarching vision has endured -- a waterfront park that it contiguous, linear, and public. Section II.A is a preliminary analysis of the 45 sites along the waterfront presumed to be brownfields and/or underutilized, and their potential for reuse and redevelopment. Maps and a table showing the patterns of land use, ownership, and zoning reveal the most salient characteristics of the waterfront as: • High degree of public ownership. Two thirds of the sites (30) and 82.6% of the total acreage are owned by City or State agencies or public authorities. • Active railroads (public and private) as dominant land use. Tracks, yards, and maintenance facilities occupy 16 sites (55.2% of the acreage) and are barriers to physical and visual access of the waterfront. • New York City’s primary ownership and interests are in completing a waterfront greenway and park (currently 42.3 acres, or 26.3% of the total) Section II.C describes the environmental and other factors that have limited the optimum development of the waterfront for the public benefit. Section II.D describes the area’s principal natural resources as the river, the soil profile, and open space. Section II.E shows how these assets can work together to create a waterfront park linked to the upland, by: • Restoring wetlands and natural shoreline to improve the river for fishing and swimming • Using bioremediation as an effective long-term, low-cost strategy for cleaning the waterfront sites • Using landscaping and green infrastructure to capture stormwater, reduce combined sewer overflows to the river and clean waterfront sites • Using transportation infrastructure to create bold new access across the barriers to the waterfront • Combining all of the above tools to stitch the waterfront to the upland – visually, functionally, and economically – by extending the waterfront park, the transportation infrastructure, and their economic vitality into the adjacent communities. Section III includes profiles of each of the 45 sites in the proposed BOA, grouped by common points of existing access. Springboard to Community Revitalization Based on the findings and community outreach reported in this Pre-Nomination Study, the Bronx Council for Environmental Quality, with the approval of the Harlem River BOA Steering Committee, submits this report as part of its application for funding to advance to Step Two of the Brownfield Opportunity Areas Program (Nomination). Hilary Hinds Kitasei Project Manager, Harlem River Brownfields Opportunity Area February 2007 CONTENTS Introduction....................................................................................................................................

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