The local paper for the Upper East Side FANCY FEET ◄ P.12
WEEK OF MAY
3-9 2018
REDEEMING AN UPPER EAST SIDE EYESORE WATERFRONT Brearley will contribute $1 million to rebuild and rehabilitate a reviled rust bucket that casts dark shadows over the East River Esplanade BY DOUGLAS FEIDEN
curb parking for residents via a new permit system. One bill would apply citywide; the other, sponsored by Manhattan Council Members Mark Levine, Helen Rosenthal and Keith Powers, would include all of Manhattan north of 60th Street. Rosenthal said the bill she sponsored would allow the city to begin addressing potential parking issues that could arise in her Upper West Side district if the state implements a congestion pricing policy, which
It was 1939, construction was wrapping up on the East River Drive, the waterfront was being reinvented and dozens of property holders were cutting deals as their riverside rights began to vanish. Case in point: The Brearley School. It limited its claim for the loss of air and light and the surrender of riparian rights to a symbolic $1 when the city obtained an easement for its playground and pier. It did not, however, walk away empty-handed: In return for getting out of the way of the highway, Brearley got the city to build a new elevated structure above the promenade deck for its use as a play space. And for the past 79 years, the private all-girls school has been leasing the 3,720-square-foot, steel-and-concrete platform that rises above the East River Esplanade’s John Finley Walk between 82nd and 83rd Street. Unfortunately, for the past halfcentury, the city-owned hulk — called “The Pier,” for the jetty it replaced, and “The Overhang,” because it juts out over the Esplanade — has become one of the most detested and unsightly visual objects on the Upper East Side. “I have spent my entire life walking
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The City Council is considering legislation that would reserve up to 80 percent of parking on residential streets for drivers who live nearby. Photo: Stephen Strasser
SAFE SPACES STREETS Legislation would reserve parking for residents BY MICHAEL GAROFALO
Most parking spots on residential blocks could soon be set aside for drivers who live in the surrounding neighborhood. The City Council is considering two bills that would require the Department of Transportation to reserve
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The overhang structure above the East River Esplanade at 83rd Street, enveloped in pigeon netting. The Brearley School uses the overhead platform as a playground for its students and is ready to commit to repair it. Photo: Douglas Feiden
It [the netting] drops — I don’t know what — on people’s heads.” City Council Member Ben Kallos
Jewish women and girls light up the world by lighting the Shabbat candles every Friday evening 18 minutes before sunset. Friday, May 4 – 7:37 pm. For more information visit www.chabaduppereastside.com
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