A People's Plan for the East River Waterfront

Replace a proposed restaurant with open grass. Replace an expensive gym with a multi-purpose community center and open plazas for farmers' markets and vendors' carts. These are some of the development ideas to be found in the People's Plan for the East River Waterfront.

The People's Plan, which was announced at a press conference on October 17, counters development ideas put forth by the NYC Economic Development Corporation several years ago for the Lower East Side shoreline, including piers 35, 36 and 42. Proponents of the People's Plan say their proposal is more responsive to the needs of the community.

The people behind the People's Plan are optimistic. "We've been meeting with the EDC consistently and we're beginning to build a constructive working relationshp," said Esther Wang, project coordinator of CAAAV Organizing Asian Communities Chinatown Tenants Union and a member of the O.U.R. Waterfront Coalition.

The Plan was produced after a year-long process sponsored by the newly formed O.U.R. (Organizing and Uniting Residents) Waterfront Coalition that involved surveys, visioning sessions, a town hall meeting and a financial analysis and business plan produced by the Pratt Center for Community Development. Congresswoman Nydia Velasquez, Metropolitan Waterfront Alliance president Roland Lewis and members of the community praised the plan and the community-based process by which it was developed, and pledged support as the community moves forward.