September 29, 2017Mayor Bill de Blasio: Well, first of all, I want to say a thank you to Borough President Brewer, who we’ll hear from here in a moment. Thank you to you and your team for a wonderful week in Manhattan. We’ve been all over the borough this week. My team has criss-crossed the borough with the help of the Borough President’s team, and we’ve gotten a lot done. Today is a very important day and another step in something that’s literally been talked about for 20 or 30 years in this city, but never been achieved, which is a greenway all the around Manhattan island. And I want you to take a moment to think about what that would mean. To me, it’s a very, very compelling vision – the notion that this place, the center of our city, home to so many, but also a place that people from all five boroughs come to. Imagine if you could go all the way around it on foot or on a bike and experience the whole thing – really unlock this waterfront and make it available to every-day people all the time – that’s what the vision is and the goal is. But do you know the phrase, Rome wasn’t built in a day? To achieve that vision, we’re going to have to go step by step, because even though there are some great places in this city where you can get close to the waterfront, there are also some places where we’re totally cut off – parts of Manhattan where there’s just no access – and we have to overcome that step by step. So, it’s something I want to see for every Manhattanite and every New Yorker.Let me start by thanking two members of my administration who are working hard on the project that we’re going to talk about today – and you see this beautiful rendering of it. I want to thank the Parks Commissioner Mitch Silver and the President of the Economic Development Corporation James Patchett. This is going to be a labor of love for both of them to get this done for this community and for all New Yorkers. Now, I want to just give you a perspective during Manhattan week here, so let’s start with Gale’s home neighborhood, the West Side. If you think about the West Side, you think about what Hudson River Park has meant and the greenway along the West Side has meant, and how different it has been. So, when I started at NYU in 1979, there was nothing like that on the West Side, and to see year by year West-Siders get more and more access to the water has been a really wonderful thing. But, you know what? East-Siders deserve it too – simple, simple point. East-Siders deserve access to the water too, and we have the opportunity to do it. So, that’s what we’re here to make sure happens.
When I went a few years later – I went to Columbia – I lived at 104th and West End, I used to spend a huge amount of time in Riverside Park. That access to the water changes your life, it makes it better, and it should be for everyone. Another great example – you know – and this is for anyone who says, can it ever be done? Is it possible? When I went into the City Council in Brooklyn, in 2002, they had been fighting over the potential for Brooklyn Bridge Park for about 20 years previous. And there were many, many people who said it would never be done. You go to Brooklyn Bridge Park today – 80 acres – it has been an extraordinary success and people from all over Brooklyn and all over the city go to it and enjoy it. So, when you look at the example behind us and you think about what this will do to change people’s lives, but then what it would mean to have all of Manhattan surrounded by greenway. It can be done and it will be done, and we’re going to start right here. So, we announced some months ago $100 million – $100 million in City funds to contract an esplanade between East 53rd Street and East 61st. This is one of the biggest elements of the East Side waterfront that does not have access right now. We want to close that gap. And this would be one of the biggest steps we could take towards that vision of a full Manhattan Greenway. So, this money will cover the distance between East 53rd and East 61st. The design process to make this a reality begins next week. So, now it becomes tangible – the money is ready, the design begins immediately, construction will begin in 2019 and be completed in 2022. So, this is going to be a major, major project, and a complicated project, but we’re going to get it done quickly. Again, the ultimate goal – 32 mile loop. Just want to put it in perspective just how extraordinary it would be – a 32-mile loop around all of Manhattan. It is our ultimate goal. And this is complimented by other things we’re doing, and this continues an effort over many administrations to reconnect us to the water. But another key piece we’ve done in this administration is NYC Ferry. And the response already in just months has been outstanding, and NYC Ferry has also drawn people back to the water and giving them an opportunity to experience the water in a new and better way. So, we’re going to keep doing these things. This is how we create a more livable city. This is how we create a more equitable city. The waterfront is for everyone. We want everyone to be able to enjoy it. And it’s going to take a lot of work, but it’s going to change this borough and this city for the long haul, and I want to thank everyone who’s a part of it. And again, one person many people have advocated for, but one of the loudest voices always when it comes to improving life in Manhattan – the Borough President of Manhattan, Gale Brewer. Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer: Thank you very much, Mr. Mayor. And as somebody who lives on the West Side, I come to the East Side now often, and all I hear is – how come the East Side can’t be like the West Side. But you’re going to make it so, and I also love the fact that when we do these waterfront projects, there’s a lot of community input, and I know that makes for a better project. But I just want to let you know that the 32 miles can be walked, because [inaudible] they walked with a million other people the entire 32 miles. And they’re very excited that they’re going to be able, in the near future, to complete it in a much more satisfactory manner. Of course, they, being Manhattanites, in particular, gave me a list of other parts the walkway that need to be fixed. Mayor: I’m shocked. Borough President Brewer: But I won’t go through them. But just so you know that this is always part of our agenda. There’s always more to do. But this is a complicated project and it will make a big difference for those of us who love the outdoors and love the waterfront, and I think this shows the administration’s commitment to East Midtown, because, of course, we just finished with the amazing Council member Garodnick in the City Council. This will add to the expertise and the green space – although not exactly in East Midtown, it’s certainly part of it. And I certainly want to thank Congresswoman Maloney and Council member Kallos, because they have been co-chairs of the East River Esplanade Taskforce, and that has helped to get both East Harlem and the Upper East Side to advocate for waterfront needs. This $100 million investment will better connect the waterfront of the surrounding communities, and it will complete, but not completely, according to my friends, the 32 mile coast. And I know they will have more cyclist than walkers, although we’ve learned from Riverside Park the two do not mix well, so we have to figure out a way that they can mix well in a new –Mayor: Look behind you [inaudible] Borough President Brewer: I know, they’re two different places to go. I got it. We""ve learned from our mistakes, so it’ll be fabulous. And so, I’m really proud that in my office, as Borough President, we’ve been working on these greenway projects, particularly the pier at 107th Street, which is part of the East Harlem esplanade. Congratulations, Mr. Mayor, and we’re that you enjoyed the Waivertree – which is a wonderful boat at South Street Seaport – yesterday, also part of our waterfront. Thank you very much.