Public Meeting for the Future of New York's Waterfront - this Thursday

Do you have an opinion about what our waterfront should look like in 10 or 20 years time? Are you interested in the plans for the Revere Sugar site, the Atlantic Basin or the Brooklyn waterfront in general? Do you have a vision for Red Hook's waterfront and wish you had a chance to put in your "2 cents' worth"?

Well here's your opportunity (both in person and on-line) -

This from the Metropolitan Waterfront Alliance (MWA) -

Don't miss the kick-off meeting for New York City's Comprehensive Waterfront Plan update this Thursday. Your input is critical to this year-long visioning process. When put into place, the updated plan will have the potential to profoundly transform New York City's Waterfront.

You can help set the direction for future discussions and the vision for the waterfront on April 8th by lending your voice at this first public meeting of the year:

April 8, 2010
6:00 pm - 8:30 pm
Murry Bergtraum High School
411 Pearl Street, Manhattan
Map It

Click here for the meeting flyer

You can have your say regarding the future of our waterfront during this first meeting convened by the City's Department of Planning regarding the update of their 1992 Comprehensive Waterfront Plan, which they're calling Vision 2020. From the City's web site (here) -

Vision 2020 will include the following components:

• Expanding public access to the waterfront on public and private property.
• Enlivening the waterfront with attractive uses, high-quality public spaces, and publicly oriented water-dependent uses, integrated with adjacent upland communities.
• Supporting economic development activity on the working waterfront.
• Restoring degraded natural waterfronts and protecting wetlands and shorefront habitats.
• Enhancing the public experience of the “blue network” by expanding waterborne transportation, in-water recreation, as well as water-oriented educational and cultural activities.
• Maintaining and improving the environmental quality of our water bodies.
• Pursuing strategies to improve the sustainability of the city’s waterfront, including increasing resilience to climate change and projected sea-level rise.

The MWA is saying that the City has "committed to extensive public involvement to identify the goals and issues to be addressed by the Plan" and that following this initial meeting there will be follow-up meetings in the individual boroughs that will focus on their particular needs (so stay tuned), but this first meeting will surely be a chance to participate in the process from the beginning.

Can't make this meeting? The MWA says this -

What if you have a big idea but can't get to a meeting? The Department of City Planning has a created an online form to submit comments and questions about Vision 2020. Click this link to access the Comment Form.

So make your voices heard. As the MWA states,

"This is our opportunity to ensure important improvements continue in ways that balance many important waterfront needs."

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