East Side's Clara Coffey Park Reopens After Yearlong Closure

SUTTON PLACE, NY — More than a year after it closed down, a small park on the East River waterfront has reopened to the public as the city makes progress in its major expansion of the East River Greenway.

Clara Coffey Park, a "vest-pocket park" nestled along the FDR Drive between East 53rd and 54th streets, welcomed back its first visitors on Dec. 3, a Parks Department spokesperson told Patch. The quiet reopening stood in contrast to the fierce legal battle waged by neighbors starting in 2019, seeking to stop the closure. (A judge shot down the lawsuit in May 2020.)

The city said it needed to close the park as it prepared to construct a new pedestrian-and-bike bridge that will span the F.D.R. Drive at East 54th Street. The bridge is itself part of the $100 million East Midtown Greenway project, which will construct a new pedestrian walkway over the East River between East 53rd and 61st street — connecting to the existing East River Esplanade.

New plantings, lighting and more

Besides closing the park for a year, the project also necessitated reducing Clara Coffey Park's size by about 25 percent to accommodate the bridge, according to opponents, who also claimed the bridge would limit the park's access to sunlight. (The city counters that the 25 percent figure is misleading, since the ramp and bridge will be integrated into the park.)

The newly completed renovations added plantings, lighting and an expanded curb to Clara Coffey, while rebuilding pedestrian ramps in and around the park to be ADA-accessible, a spokesperson for the city's Economic Development Corporation told Patch.

The new bridge will be placed in early January, and the entire bridge and greenway are expected to open in 2023, spokesperson Brian Zumhagen said.

Construction began in November 2019 on the greenway extension, and continues today after a six-month pause during the pandemic. As part of the project, Andrew Haswell Green Park near East 60th Street will also be extended to connect to the new section of the esplanade via an ADA-accessible pedestrian bridge.

City Councilmembers Ben Kallos and Keith Powers, as well as Councilmember-elect Julie Menin, will gather at the park Tuesday afternoon to celebrate the reopening.

"This park has been a particular favorite of the community, especially the disabled and seniors," said Pat Scharlin Taylor, president of the Sutton Place Parks Conservancy, in a statement. "Now we have some of the original park back with easy access to the benches."

Related coverage from Patch:

• Work Set To Resume On East River Esplanade Extension
  
• City Breaks Ground To Fill 8-Block East River Esplanade Gap
• Judge Denies Challenge To Planned Sutton Place Bike Bridge
• Sutton Place Preservationists Sue To Block Esplanade Expansion