Lowline's Proposal Promises Winding Gardens and Casual Dining

LOWER EAST SIDE, MANHATTAN — The Lo-Down gained access to the entire approved proposal for the Lowline underground park on Delancey Street, and it's pretty exciting stuff. An old underground trolley station is poised to be transformed into the first underground park in the world with new technology that transfers solar light dozens of feet below the ground.

The Lowline's proposal was preliminarily approved by the Economic Development Corporation in July, which paves the way for community engagement on the project. The project's cost is an estimated $83 million, and construction is estimated to be finished by 2021, according to the proposal.

Details of the Lowline group's plans paint the picture of an ambitious undertaking. The site, which spans from the end of the Williamsburg Bridge to Norfolk Street, will present a "grand staircase" that winds down to an open public plaza and a gift shop. The site will feature gardens and event space bound by the original cobblestones of the trolley terminal that used to be there, as well as a 1,600-square-foot cafe and bar.

The technology behind the park is groundbreaking, as Patch learned back in July touring the Lowline lab, where experts have been testing Lowline's solar technology for years.

The project is planned to be open 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. five days a week. The entire park proposal can be seen at the Lo-Down.

Everyone's invited to attend the Community Engagement Committee meeting on the Lowline, which meets Thursday from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Lowline Lab at 140 Essex St.

Photo by Sarah Kaufman/Patch