It’s all part of “River Ring,” an innovative redevelopment that was just officially approved by the New York City Council for construction, set to begin in 2024.
The project, helmed by Two Trees Management with Bjarke Ingels Group and James Corner Field Operations, will completely transform the industrial site alongside the Brooklyn waterfront at River St. between North 1st and North 3rd Sts., formerly fuel oil storage for Con Ed.
According to their website, the development will include:
- A spectacular new waterfront park that restores critical habitat and includes three acres of public open space + three acres of protected in-water access
- The park design, by James Corner Field Operations, was derived from community input and desire for more direct interaction with the natural East River habitat
- 1,050 new homes, including 263 affordable housing units at deep levels of affordability (60% and 40% of AMI)
- Storm resilient edge protecting over 500 inland properties from flooding
- New, custom-designed YMCA with youth swimming program for local community
- A commitment to local, independent retail
- Green technology that is designed to create independence from the City’s sewer, stormwater and electrical grid
In order to get approval from the City Council, the height of the apartment buildings was decreased slightly from the original plan, from 650 feet to 560 feet.
The waterfront park will also include an amphitheater, large sandy beach, tidal pools, and a salt marsh, as well as a circular esplanade extending into the East River, that “connects to the park’s breakwaters which provide protection and form a series of nature trails that extend out to the existing concrete caissons.” There will also be a “boating cove” at North 1st Street that includes a series of community kiosks and a children’s natural play area.
The design and operations team will be the very same that brought NYC Brooklyn’s nearby Domino Park.