There is no question that the creation of Pier 55 was one of the most secretly managed modifications of public space ever accomplished in NYC. It is a project which has been years in the making, and which, when announced, was so far along that the communities it is designed to serve were told “take it or take it.”
The process was horrific. It was horrific because the community played no role in the design of the space, which will probably look hideous from the shoreline, even if beautiful once inside. But even more so, if the master negotiators, who apparently got the Diller/Von Furstenberg duo to move from $25 million to $115 million, and possibly more, had consulted the community, there may have been some far more constructive and creative ways to spend all of that money.
I don’t need to rewrite what George Capsis and others write elsewhere in this newspaper, but as a founding Board member of Friends of Hudson River Park, which was founded as an advocacy and fundraising group—and has now morphed into the cheerleading and fundraising arm of the Hudson River Park Trust—it is clear that a critical voice has been lost. If it weren’t for Friends and the folks who started it, there wouldn’t be fields at Pier 40, there would be garbage trucks perpetually at the Gansevoort Peninsula, and tourist helicopters landing non-stop at the 26th Street Heliport.
The original Friends never feared being critical of the Hudson River Park Trust, forced debate over key issues, made sure that the process of developing the Park was a public process, and, when necessary, sued the Trust to make sure that the Trust enforced the provisions of the Hudson River Park Act. But four years ago, Friends ousted Al Butzel, its founding President and guiding light, along with most of the activists on the Board, after Trust President Diana Taylor threatened to start a rival group to raise money for the Park. So now Friends has galas which cost oodles of money to attend, and a critical, activist voice has been lost. It is a voice which would be very useful as the Pier 55 adventure moves forward.
Arthur Schwartz is the former Chair of the Community Board 2 Waterfront Committee and a founding member of Friends of Hudson River Park.
