Parents at P.S. 290 are steamed that a new Citi Bike station has been installed outside of the school — creating a safety hazard for their kids who use the street to play during recess.
The first Citi Bike stations rolled out on the Upper East and Upper West sides on Tuesday morning. To celebrate the opening, City Councilman Ben Kallos is offering Upper East Side residents who are not yet members and who attend a bike safety class a free day pass and a $25 discount on annual memberships, which usually cost $149, he said.
Help decide what neighborhood projects should get $1 million from City Councilman Ben Kallos' capital budget next year.
City Councilman Ben Kallos, who hosted the meeting at the Lenox Hill Neighborhood House, and other elected officials urged residents to rally for a height cap in zoning districts where one doesn't exist.
New York Presbyterian Hospital/Cornell-Weill Medical Center and the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center have also agreed to coordinate with the city as it upgrades the waterfront, according to City Councilman Ben Kallos.
New York-Presbyterian is currently constructing an ambulatory care center and Sloan Kettering's new outpatient cancer care facility and science and health building are also under construction.
"Revitalizing and improving the East River Esplanade has been one of my top priorities and one of the best ways to do this is to engage in active public-private partnerships, like this one with HSS," said City Councilman Ben Kallos. "Everyone benefits when the Esplanade is improved and maintained, especially in a part of the city that has one of the lowest amounts of open space.”
City Councilman Ben Kallos is fed up with super tall skyscrapers he says are leaving Upper East Side residents in the dark — literally.
City Councilman Ben Kallos allocated $38,500 from his budget to put toward the esplanade project, which is also receiving another $3 million from Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito. Kallos serves on the East River Esplanade Task Force, which advocates for improvements to the park.
The Council’s allocation for the project “should be over and above any previous funding commitments,” said Kallos spokeswoman Sarah Anders. “It is great that the Council has made this such a high priority, because open space on the East Side is so rare and very much needed.”
Nonetheless, City Councilman Ben Kallos is urging constituents to voice their concerns during the comment period.
"With a public comment period for the permits up for review, our community has an opportunity to make our voices heard," he said in a statement. "I urge the DEC to fulfill its mandate to protect our neighborhoods and our environment by stopping the permits for the irresponsible and ill-conceived Marine Transfer Station."
After receiving a flood of complaints from residents, City Councilman Ben Kallos, who represents the Upper East Side, sent a letter to the DOB's Manhattan commissioner, Martin Rebholz, on May 11 demanding the agency limit the number of after-hour variances the city grants to developers.
"As you are well aware, City Council District 5 is a densely packed residential area which makes any construction work done in the area extremely disturbing to residents," the councilman wrote. "This problem has only worsened with the increase in the approval of new construction projects and the Department of Building's willingness to grant after-hour variances to this project despite the negative impact on the quality of life of the residents in this area."
A Department of Buildings spokesman said the agency is reviewing Kallos' concerns with the site.
Civitas’ study also outlines long-term projects that would dramatically change the look of the East River Esplanade.
Those plans include reconstructing Pier 107 into a large multi-use cove-like structure that sticks out into the East River and turning the pedestrian bridge that connects Thomas Jefferson Park to the Esplanade into a land bridge that is integrated with the two parks.
"I definitely think this is the start of something special,” Bologna said. "If we all work on this together we can create an amazing waterfront park."
Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer, who hosted the unveiling of the study, lauded Councilman Ben Kallos and Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito for securing $35 million for immediate repairs.
But more needs to be done to bring the East River Esplanade up to par with waterfront parks on the west side, she said.
“I know to the credit of the mayor he put in some money but we need much more,” she said. “It’s small steps, that’s how it starts.”
