Water Street Retail Makeover in Jeopardy Due to Flood Regulations

FINANCIAL DISTRICT, NY — The city's plan for a makeover of Water Street, already passed by the City Council, may now be running into problems from the federal government.

Crain's New York reports that metal flood protection barriers planned for the retail outlets may not pass the muster of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). The metal gates, which would be raised during flooding, are intended to protect the glass storefronts required by city regulations. All of Water Street is located in Zone 1, the most at-risk in the city's flood evacuation plan.

The city has reportedly reached out to the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), which uses the same guidelines as FEMA, to determine whether the storm gates will comply with federal regulations. For now, it's a waiting game.

A spokesman for City Councilwoman Margaret Chin, who represents the area and pushed for the retail makeover plan, told Patch the specific issues did not come up during the hearings on the subject earlier this year. Chin's spokesperson said they were "monitoring the issue" and would have to wait and see what the engineers ruled.

Should the gates not stand up to scrutiny, retail developers would have to come up with a new way to provide flood protections for the storefronts, such as using expensive aquarium glass. According to Crain's, the results of the ASCE study are expected "within the next few weeks."

A spokesperson for the Department of City Planning said the city always planned on store owners being able to choose between either the storm panels or water-resistant glass. Regardless of the decision by ASCE on the panels, the water-resistant glass would still be an option. The city has said it is working with storeowners to make sure the retail will be safe in case of flooding.

The City Council passed the bill approving rezoning of the area on June 21. The Department of City Planning, Downtown Alliance and New York City Economic Development Corporation all pushed for the approval of the rezoning, which would allow for existing plazas and arcades to be used by retail businesses. The rezoned area stretches along Water Street from Fulton Street to Whitehall Street.

Header photo: Patrick McFall via Flickr/Creative Commons