Last week, plans to revive Waterside Pier were put into action along the East River in Murray Hill. Officials hope to turn the area between 38th Street and 41st Street into a public park—a project funded through a $13 million payment from Con Edison, fulfilling its lease, explains the NYCEDC press release. Luxury rental apartments available in Murray Hill will soon have some new, green waterfront space in the neighborhood.
And there you have it; the East River is getting a three-block makeover thanks to Mayor Bloomberg’s Waterfront Vision and Enhancement Strategy (WAVES) initiative. The initiative was introduced back in May of 2011 and projected both long-term and short-term projects, all with goals to improve Manhattan’s waterfront space and give the city a sustainable blueprint. The East River’s Waterside Pier was included in these plans and its development was kicked off early last week.
The pier has been otherwise unused by Con Edison over the past few years and will be rehabilitated to turn the unused space into a 34,000 square-foot public park. This renovation will renew the pier’s piles and decking, stabilizing the pier and ultimately making it accessible to the public. This project in particular is good start to developing and closing the gap along the East River greenway that stretches from 38th Street to 60th Street where the waterfront isn’t accessible. Adding another park to Manhattan’s waterfront makes it more eco-friendly and sustainable. Murray Hill residents in luxury rental buildings like Archstone East 39th Street, Paramount Tower, Archstone Murray Hill, and the Montrose have nice open space to look forward to with great East River Views. So in the end, three more blocks of Manhattan park space along the East River will join beautiful waterside parks like Battery Park and East River Park.
