The New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) and Mayor Bill de Blasio’s Executive Office of Housing and Economic Development (EOHED) have selected the team behind the Lowline proposal to lease the vacant, 60,000-square-foot Williamsburg Bridge Trolley Terminal, located under Delancey Street between Clinton and Norfolk streets on the Lower East Side. This marks the first city approval for the project, bringing it significantly closer to reality. The public park would take up roughly 43,500 square feet of the abandoned terminal.
Original Williamsburg Bridge Trolley Terminal.
Skylights will bring sunlight underground, allowing for natural vegetation to flourish. In addition, cultural and educational elements will be included, along with seating. The next step is for the Lowline to form a community engagement plan, and to raise $10 million and present design plans to the city by next summer. James Ramsey and Dan Barasch co-founded the Lowline, while Sangyun Han is behind its design. Last fall, the NYCEDC and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) (which currently leases the terminal from the city) launched a request for expressions of interest (RFEI) to redevelop it. A prototype of the park, dubbed Lowline Lab, will remain open to visitors through March 2017. It’s located just north of the Essex Street Market.
Lowline Lab,
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Talk about beautiful public gardens, very nice with natural resources like grass and flower.