River Walk was a proposal in the 1980s to construct a large mixed-use development on a concrete platform in the East River along the east side of the FDR Drive adjacent to the Kips Bay and Stuyvesant Town–Peter Cooper Village neighborhoods in Manhattan, New York City. The project site ran from 16th to 24th streets, in an area of the river known as Stuyvesant Cove, and was located immediately south of similar platforms that had been constructed over the river for Waterside Plaza and the United Nations International School. Initial plans called for the development of nearly 1,900 apartments contained in townhouses and towers up to 32 stories tall, a hotel, commercial space (including offices, shops, restaurants and movie theaters), a marina, and a park with a waterfront promenade.
Although River Walk was supported by Mayor Ed Koch, the project was opposed by residents of neighboring communities and the elected officials representing their districts. The proposal was ultimately withdrawn by the developer in 1990 and officially terminated by the city in 1992. The landside portion of the project site was subsequently developed by the city as a waterfront park, which opened as Stuyvesant Cove Park in 2002.
Background
In 1965, Title 33 of the United States Code was amended to designate the segment of the East River from 17th to 30th streets along the Manhattan shoreline within the pierhead line as non-navigable, so the federal government could not expropriate the property under its powers to regulate navigable waters. The matter to change the designation of the river segment had been brought before Congress at the request of Mayor Robert F. Wagner Jr. by Emanuel Celler, a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from New York's 10th congressional district. This allowed for the subsequent construction of platforms in the river containing Waterside Plaza, located between 25th and 30th streets, and the United Nations International School (UNIS), located at 25th Street. The segment of the waterfront to the south of Waterside Plaza and the UNIS was known as Stuyvesant Cove and included the Skyport Marina, a gas station, and parking. The portion of the waterfront near 20th Street was formerly occupied by the Transit Mix Concrete Corporation.
In 1975, Manhattan Community Board 6 requested the city build a $10 million waterfront park at Stuyvesant Cove, but the city turned down the request due to the fiscal crisis and mentioned that park space could potentially be included in plans put forth by private developers. Two years later, Manhattan restaurateur Melvin Stier approached the city's Department of Ports and Terminals with a proposal to redevelop the site in a manner similar to Faneuil Hall in Boston. After obtaining a positive reception from the city and financial backing from Alfred Bloomingdale and hotelier Edwin Linquist, his team proceeded to work on detailed designs and feasibility studies for the proposed project. The same site had also been talked about by other developers as a potential location for residential housing or a waterfront restaurant. The site had also been identified as a potential location for housing and recreational use in a 1965 report by the Department of City Planning.
On January 18, 1979, City Planning Commission Chairman Robert F. Wagner Jr. announced plans for a $150 million development designed by architect Ulrich Franzen on about of land to the south of Waterside Plaza with of retail space containing restaurants and shops, a 300-room hotel, 200 apartments, a pier, and a marina for 300 boats. Plans for the project had been submitted to the City Planning Commission and were under review. Wagner's announcement came at a conference held at Cooper Union in which Mayor Koch spoke about his administration's goal of redeveloping the city's waterfront and specifically called for the construction of new marinas, restaurants and parks similar to those in San Francisco at Fisherman's Wharf in all of the boroughs of New York City, not just Manhattan. Wagner did not reveal the name of the developer or further details about the proposed project, but promised that more information would be provided by the end of the month.
However, later that year the city announced that it would be soliciting proposals from developers interested in building $100–$200 million worth of residential, commercial and/or recreational facilities on the same plot of land.
Solicitation of proposals An announcement for a nationwide search for firms interested in developing the site along the East River from 16th to 24th streets was made by city's Department of Ports and Terminals Commissioner Susan M. Heilbron and Deputy Mayor for Economic Development Peter J. Solomon on November 27, 1979. The city was not specific about what should be built on the site, but called for a mix of uses and included requirements that each plan include a waterfront esplanade and preserve views of the river from 20th Street, 23rd Street and Avenue C. The city also provided a list of land uses that it did not want proposals to include, such as casinos, discos, drive-thru restaurants, and music halls. The overall site consisted of of property in the East River (to be decked over by a platform) and of existing land on the shoreline. The city's request for proposal (RFP) had been prepared in consultation with Community Board 6; the board had obtained assistance from the Harvard Graduate School of Design in making modifications to the RFP.
Submissions In April 1980, the city received four development proposals in response to its RFP: East Cove: This proposal was submitted by a joint venture between Rose Associates and Francisco Macri working with the I. M. Pei & Partners. The project was to contain 1,840 apartments in four 70-story circular apartment towers (two on the north end of the site and two on the south end) with of park space. The apartment towers would have been the tallest residential buildings in the city. Paul Goldberger, an architectural critic for The New York Times, noted that Pei's designs for the towers drew comparisons to Chicago's Lake Point Tower. According to Frederick Rose and Daniel Rose of Rose Associates, their plan did not include commercial space because they felt it was infeasible based on their experience as the management agent for housing complexes at Waterside Plaza and on Roosevelt Island. East River Development: Michael O'Keeffe, owner of The River Café in Brooklyn, who was also preparing to open another waterfront restaurant in Manhattan located a few blocks to the north of the project site (The Water Club), led a proposal working with the Hillier Group (and later Edward Durrell Stone Associates) for a group of developers including Norman Kalikow and Harry Helmsley. The plan included 1,800 apartments in 5- to 15-story buildings on the north end of the site, a 300-room hotel on the south end of the site, and of commercial space; the buildings were to be arranged around a central marina and stepped back to form an amphitheater-like shape. According to O'Keeffe, portions of the project could have been constructed offsite in a shipyard and floated into place. River Cove: Developers Alfred Bloomingdale and Melvin Stier of the River Cove Development Corporation worked with architect Ulrich Franzen on this proposal, which called for 500 apartments contained in two 29-story buildings and townhouses located at the south end of the site, a 600-room hotel, of commercial space, and an expansion of the existing Skyport Marina to accommodate 400 boats. The plan included a shopping center on a floating barge, restaurants, and a recreation center with an indoor ice rink. The primary emphasis of the plan was to make the site a tourist attraction and a destination for residents living in other parts of the city. According to Franzen, the design of River Cove followed the philosophy of Jane Jacobs and was "a plan that comes out of a view of the city as active and lively and with appeal to everyone." River Walk: Cadillac Fairview Manhattan Corporation, a subsidiary of Toronto-based Cadillac Fairview, in a joint venture with New York-based developer Related Housing Companies, partnered on this proposal with architects Gruzen & Partners and the Hooker/Siskind Partnership along with landscape architect M. Paul Friedberg. The plan included 1,888 apartments contained in townhouses and towers up to 32 stories tall, a 245-room hotel, of commercial space (including offices, shops, restaurants and movie theaters), a marina for 203 boats, a health club, of park space, and about 1,900 parking spaces.
The costs of the proposals were $200 million for River Walk, $250 million for both East River Development and River Cove, and $350 million for East Cove.
Review of proposals The proposals were reviewed by Community Board 6, city agencies, and financial and design panels to provide their preferences to the Department of Ports and Terminals, which expected to make its decision of the winning proposal by the middle of the year. The winning bid would then need to negotiate a lease for the land with the city, obtain environmental approvals from city, state and federal agencies, and undergo the city's Uniform Land Use Review Procedure (ULURP), the latter of which involved advisory reviews from the local community board and borough president, and approvals by the City Planning Commission, City Council, and Board of Estimate.
With a number of politically connected lawyers representing each of the development teams—including Harold L. Fisher (a former chairman of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority), Judah Gribetz (a former deputy mayor and former chief counsel to Governor Hugh Carey), Howard Squadron, and John Zuccotti—an article in the New York Daily News said "it's the political clout of the lawyers that will determine final approval from City Hall." This comment was rebutted in a letter to the editor by Ports and Terminals Commissioner Susan Heilbron, who said that the selection was being made "through an open and accountable process, and not on the alleged political influence of any of the respective development teams."
The River Walk team also engaged the assistance of the politically connected public relations expert Howard Rubenstein. In addition to having Harold L. Fisher for legal representation, the River Walk team retained lawyer Charles Moerdler (a former commissioner of the city's Buildings Department), and added James Greilsheimer after he left his position of first deputy Corporation Counsel in February 1980.
On June 9, 1980, the Waterfront Committee of Community Board 6 selected the East Cove proposal as its preference with modifications to the plan to eliminate the two towers on the north end of the site and reduce the height of the two towers on the south end of the site. The modifications recommended by the committee were agreed to by developer. Later that month, the full community board voted on the proposals, but did not have a clear-cut favorite with 16 votes going to East Cove (with the amendments), 11 votes for River Cove, 8 votes for River Walk, and no votes for East River Development.
Selection of developer On July 17, 1980, the River Walk proposal was announced as the winning bid at a news conference held on the waterfront at the project site, which was attended by Mayor Koch, Ports and Terminals Commissioner Susan Heilbron, and Stephen M. Ross of Related Housing Companies.