Upper East Side Hopes to Create High Line-esque Park Over Garbage Transfer Site
What is it they say about one man’s trash being another man’s treasure? Well, after failed attempts to stop construction of the Upper East Side‘s inevitable new garbage dump, community groups have chosen the next best route: give the dump a makeover. That’s so Upper East Side, isn’t it? The idea, according to the NY Daily News, is to transform the garbage-transfer station into a community park. The plan, a collaboration with Sam Schwartz Engineering, would relocate a quarter-mile long garbage truck ramp to the side of the Asphalt Green complex. The ramp would be covered by a green High Line-esque walkway.
“Instead of seeing a 10-story ugly gray building, people would see a lovely park and outdoor space that can be used by anybody in the community,” says Andy Nussbaum, board president of the Asphalt Green recreation center.
The dump is making its way to the Upper East Side thanks to a 2006 proposal by then-Mayor Michael Bloomberg. The point is to have each borough handle their own garbage disposal. Current Mayor Bill de Blasio has taken up the torch, despite opposition from neighborhood residents who are not too thrilled about a new dump ruining the classic Upper East Side aesthetic. The creation of a park may help mitigate the problem.
While the price of the new plan hasn’t been determined, it’s expected to be more expensive than the initial plan. However, champions for the new plan advocate reducing the size to lower costs. A spokesperson for Sanitation Commissioner Kathryn Garcia says the commissioner has seen the plan and is “committed to continuing open dialogue with the community to find a reasonable, cost-effective solution to their concerns,”
This isn’t the first time a park has been built to dress up a less attractive neighborhood feature. Residents of West Harlem were treated to a beautiful park to distract them from the addition of the North River Wastewater Treatment Plant. Now locals get to enjoy the facilities at the resulting Riverbank State Park, while raw sewage is treated directly underneath them. We know where we’re planning our weddings.
[via NY Daily News]
Renderings courtesy of Michael Singer Studio/Thomas O’Connor
