PRESS INQUIRIES
New York City Council
Committees on Resiliency and Waterfronts and Parks and Recreation
Oversight: Resiliency of the City’s Beaches and Waterfronts
Thank you for the opportunity to testify on the city’s waterfront resiliency. The Partnership for New York City represents private sector employers of more than one million New Yorkers. We work together with government, labor, and the nonprofit sector to maintain the city’s position as the preeminent global center of commerce, innovation, and economic opportunity.
The Partnership applauds the Council’s focus today on waterfront resiliency and we call particular attention to the vulnerability of the vibrant and economically significant neighborhoods that make up Lower Manhattan. The public and private sectors have invested heavily in the modernization and redevelopment of Lower Manhattan – investments that must be protected and reinforced by an aggressive program to protect the area from rising sea levels and extreme weather.
We particularly want to support the plans of the Battery Park City Authority (BPCA) to harden the coastline of the 92-acre Battery Park City community, World Trade Center site, and surrounding commercial districts that represent such an important public investment and symbol of the city’s strength and resilience. We cannot afford to delay or shortchange the resiliency program that the BPCA is prepared to undertake for this portion of our coast.
A decade ago, Superstorm Sandy exposed the substantial vulnerabilities of Lower Manhattan to the impacts of climate change such as sea level rise, more frequent and more severe storms, and storm surges. By the 2050s, 37% of buildings in Lower Manhattan will be at risk from such storm surges. Sea-level rise will submerge parts of Lower Manhattan on a regular basis and put at risk critical infrastructure and jobs. Preservation of the significant investments made in Lower Manhattan, which have contributed to the dramatic increase in residents, jobs, tourists, businesses, and infrastructure, should be a key priority for New York City and the region.
The city has developed a comprehensive waterfront resiliency strategy in its Lower Manhattan Coastal Resiliency Project that is carefully designed to reduce flood risks from coastal storms and sea level rise in Lower Manhattan. The BPCA’s South Battery Park City Resiliency Project is a critical component of the strategy. It has been developed with broad community input and includes expansive lawns and gardens as well as public programming and amenities. Once complete, it will link with adjacent projects to the south and north as part of the city’s coastal resilience plan. Thank you.