By: Bob Schein

The controversial plan to redesign East River park, just hit another snag when a third- party consultant hired by local politicians, says the city should consider adding two feet to its current storm protection plan, which calls for burying and rebuilding the East River Park 8 to ten feet higher under the $1.45 billion resiliency project, Patch reported.

The city’s original plan was to construct flood barriers and berms along FDR Drive. But in September 2018, the city changed course to a design that could be implemented more quickly and raise more of the park above storm-surge levels. The revised plan includes elevating the park by eight feet using landfill, reconstructing its entry points and connecting bridges, redesigning the drainage system along the coastline, and installing flood gates at key locations Gothamist reported.

“Based on the community’s resistance to the removing of trees and vegetation,” reads the report from Deltares, a Netherlands-based firm, “it is recommended including the additional two feet of fill to be considered in the current project, rather than leaving it as a future option.”

The estimated cost of the project—which would be funded by the state and federal government—rose from $760 million to $1.45 billion, according to Gothamist.

City agencies now plan to close the entire park starting in March 2020, with the project slated for completion by late 2024.

Hans Gehrels, a Dutch consultant said he had trouble evaluating certain aspects of the project’s design because technical documents were not public.

He said the city needs to be more transparent to “help rebuild trust and gain support of the community,” including making documentation available.

Gehrels told The Post if the city doesn’t add enough fill to raise the level of the park by two feet at the outset of the project now, it will have to go back to the drawing board and rip up the park again in about 30 years

A spokesperson for Mayor Bill de Blasio said the administration has received the report from Gehrel’s firm and is reviewing it now Patch reported.

“We are confident in our ESCR design and phased implementation plan which will keep nearly half of the park open throughout construction,” mayoral spokesperson Seth Stein said. “We look forward to continue working with local elected officials and community stakeholders as we deliver flood protection to the 110,000 residents living in the area.”

The project is going thru public review with a City Council committee and then City Council vote in the coming weeks. The project has sparked controversy among neighbors since it requires destroying the park, though city officials contend the construction plan is less disruptive to residents than a previous design and will protect the park itself from increasing flooding too, Patch reported

Neighbors have called for an independent review, phased construction or scrapping the plan altogether.