The United Nations Consolidation and Robert Moses Park
Moses and the UN
From East 41st Street to East 48th Street the water’s edge is occupied by the FDR Drive and the United Nations (UN), which platforms over the FDR. There is no public access at these sites due to security concerns at the UN and lack of space along the FDR. Plans to build a waterfront esplanade along the United Nations campus have long been discussed and usually come up when the UN talks about its need to expand.
From the 2004 Manhattan Waterfront Greenway Master Plan:
Currently, however, the UN is planning a major renovation of its headquarters. In order to facilitate this construction it seeks to build a new structure on Robert Moses Park, adjacent to its property. The loss of parkland must be mitigated, and the UN has agreed to build an esplanade on its property from East 41st Street to East 51st Street that connects to First or Second Avenue or to Sutton Place. Designs for the esplanade are not yet complete; currently an EIS is being produced. All plans for an esplanade have it running outboard of the FDR. The UN esplanade is tentatively scheduled for completion by 2008.
2004 Master Plan rendering of proposed esplanade
The Waterfront Master Plan was published in 2004.
It is now 2010 and no esplanade has been built along the FDR Drive. However the United Nations has finally begun to renovate its headquarters. After a cursory review of the UN Capital Master Plan web-site, it is unclear whether plans for a waterfront esplanade will be included in the renovation. According to sources, the UN is still interested in expanding their campus as detailed in the 2004 Master Plan. Any taking of Robert Moses Park would constitute alienation of NYC parkland which must then be mitigated. Whether or not the UN would still agree to build an esplanade as a mitigation measure remains unclear at this moment. In addition, some local community stakeholders have also expressed concerns about the proposed taking of Robert Moses Park.
ACTION: The East River Greenway Initiative must work together with local stakeholders to allay concerns about the proposed parkland alienation, including to help find and advocate for innovative new uses of land within the project’s community district.
