Visions of East River Waterfront Unveiled by Barry Owens The city planners and architects who are reinventing the East River waterfront as a mix of recreational and retail space unveiled their long-term visions on Oct. 6 that include wide platforms of green space built out on to the water--and residential towers cantilevered over the FDR Drive to help pay for them. The plan would call for the construction of up to seven residential buildings over the drive, between Old Slip and Maiden Lane. The ground floor of each would remain public space, as would the lawns that could front each of them. For every three square feet of residential unit, enough revenue could be generated to pay for one square foot of park, planners said. "The more buildings, the more park," explained Michael Davies with Richard Rogers Architects. The firm, along with Sharples, Holden and Pasquarelli Architects (ShoP) and landscape architect Ken Smith, are in the concept phase of the project and presented their collective ideas to a committee of Community Board 1. Davies conceded that building towers on the FDR is a "controversial" proposal, especially among building owners in Downtown's commercial sector. "I don't think it's any secret that we have some reservations about this particular concept of towers on the FDR drive," said Carl Weisbrod, president of the Alliance for Downtown New York. But he called the planning an "ongoing process." "Cleaning up and clearing out underneath the FDR Drive to make it a more accessible and attractive area is something I think everyone can agree is a step in the right direction." Robert Balder, director of Lower Manhattan development for the Mayor's office, said the cost of the full project and a way to pay for it were yet to be determined. The first phase of the plan is expected to cost about $100 million, he said. The first phase of the plan, presented to the board four months ago, includes creating an inviting walkway beneath the FDR Drive by softening the gloom with lighting, retail pavilions and cafes. New landscaping would be added, with a beach area beneath Brooklyn Bridge, rows of trees along the water and a reflecting pool at a rebuilt Peck Slip among the proposals. The plan also calls for rebuilding Pier 15 to serve as a maritime pier, and for improving the connection between Battery Park and the riverfront by converting the area in front of the Battery Maritime Building into a pedestrian plaza or using the building's portico as a pedestrian bridge. The longer term goal of building greenways (built on platforms much wider than piers) over the water to serve as the "front yard of Downtown" could take much longer and are contingent on the revenue from proposed apartment buildings above the FDR to pay for their construction, said Vishaan Chakrabarti, director of the Department of City Planning's Manhattan office. Community Board 1 is expected to come up with its position on the plan at its meeting next month. While some of the ideas are modeled after the board's own plan for the waterfront, several board members expressed concerns about the proposal. The initial phase of the project, for example, includes little green space, a much called-for amenity on the east side of Lower Manhattan. "We have absolutely no play space for our children and it is disgraceful," said Linda Roche, who chairs the Waterfront Committee of the board. Others expressed concern over the survival of year-round retail businesses beneath the FDR Drive, or shops would merely be souvenir stands for tourists. "We don't want to see it Disneyfied.," said board Member Marc Donnenfeld. "We don't want to see another Seaport." Community Board 1 District Manager Paul Goldstein called the plan "underwhelming," saying it would not provide enough immediate recreational space and amenities to "serve the community that is already here." He also complained that the project of making the Battery Maritime Building an east-west pedestrian link would be an unnecessary financial burden that could bog the project down for years. "I think it's bad planning, frankly," Goldstein said.