Infrastructure

Orchard Beach pavilion

Bronx Borough President Proposes Upgrading Pelham Bay Park’s Orchard Beach Pavilion

Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. is proposing to redevelop the Orchard Beach pavilion, an individual landmark, that currently serves as the focal point for Pelham Bay Park, in the East Bronx. The structure, which was completed in 1936, would be transformed to allow for more event space, food concessions and retail space, according to The Real Deal. Nearby the pavilion, the park includes picnic areas, the Pelican Bay Playground, and a beachfront. The pavilion portion of the project is being estimated to cost $40 million, although plans have been in the works for some time to upgrade the rest of the beach, which could cost up to $200 million in total. Diaz has designated $10 million in capital toward the project. The Landmarks Preservation Commission would have to approve any alterations to the Orchard Beach pavilion.


Big U

City Selects Team To Design Lower Manhattan Section Of Flood Protection System

In the wake of Superstorm Sandy in 2012 and the realization of rising sea levels, YIMBY, in 2013 and 2014, wrote on “Seaport City,” which was the Bloomberg administration’s ambitious proposal to mitigate flood waters in Lower Manhattan. But the city’s Economic Development Corporation is moving forward with another, less expensive plan, once dubbed the Big U and later the Dryline. The latest news concerns transforming the current shoreline from Harrison Street, in TriBeCa, to Montgomery Street, on the Lower East Side. This section would measure roughly 3.5 miles, and last week the city selected AECOM, who leads ONE Architecture and Bjarke Ingles Group (BIG), and Dewberry to officially design and engineer it, Crain’s reports.


Mayor Proposes Transforming Governors Island Into Year-Round Mixed-Use Community

In Mayor Bill de Blasio’s State of the City speech given last Thursday, a significant mixed-use development initiative was proposed that would transform Governors Island, which measures 172 acres in the Upper Bay just off the southern tip of Manhattan, into a year-round community. According to Politico New York, the car-free island has 900,000 square feet of development potential on 33 acres, and the mayor is seeking to utilize it to build cultural, educational, and commercial properties. The project will be handed over to the Trust For Governors Island and a Request for Proposals (RFP) should be launched later this year. Construction could begin as soon as 2019, although the Hills, a 10-acre man-made park designed by West 8, is slated to open this summer. The National Park Service oversees two 19th century forts (22 acres) on the island and roughly 92 acres on the historic northern end is a U.S. National Historic Landmark.


215th Street staircase

215th Street Pedestrian Staircase Opens Following Its Reconstruction, Inwood

The newly redesigned and constructed 215th Street staircase in Inwood – which connects pedestrians at Park Terrace East to Broadway and West 215th Street, sitting 50 feet below – is expected to open today after two years of construction. According to Curbed NY, WXY Studios designed the staircase, which is essentially being treated like public park space. The passageway features new vegetation, cobblestone paths, new stairs, and a bike channel. Two lampposts from the original staircase, built in 1911, were incorporated into the renovations since they’re designated city landmarks. The city’s Department of Design and Construction was behind the project.


Fordham Plaza

Pedestrian-Friendly Fordham Plaza Opens To Public In West Bronx

The $34 million renovation and redesign of Fordham Plaza – bound by East 189th Street and East Fordham Road, and Park Avenue and Firefighters Boulevard in the West Bronx – has recently been completed, according to the Architect’s Newspaper. The plaza was designed by Grimshaw Architects and features a café, market canopies, public toilets, vegetation, and seating. It also serves 12 bus lines and is directly above the Fordham station on the Metro-North Railroad. The initiative behind the project was to reduce traffic accidents and to create a more pedestrian-friendly experience. The city’s Department of Design and Construction and Department of Transportation were behind the project.


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