Decried UWS Boat Basin Plan Panned By Feds Posed To Provide Funds

UPPER WEST SIDE, NY — A much decried plan for a new Hudson River dock house on the Upper West Side had the wind taken out of its sails this week by a federal agency posed to provide tens of millions of dollars in funding, Patch has exclusively learned.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency Tuesday raised concerns over the already controversial proposal for the new 79th Street Boat Basin boathouse, telling the New York Landmarks Conservancy it would have an "Adverse Effect to Historical Properties."

In his letter, James Zwolak, FEMA's Environmental & Historical Preservation Advisor, argued a planned two-story dock house would wreck the views from the Hudson River Greenway.

"The construction of the two-story dock house elevated on pilings at the 79th Street Boat Basin would obstruct clear views to the Hudson River from the Riverside Park and Drive Historic District," reads letter shared with Patch.

"Therefore, [it] would be an Adverse Effect to Historic Properties."

Peg Breen, president of New York Landmarks Conservancy, told Patch the designation could put the kabbash on the Parks department's original plans.

“I think it would be impossible for parks to go ahead in the design given the FEMA decision,” Breen said. “I am an Upper West Sider, Riverside Park saved me, it was everything to me during the pandemic. The first priority is keeping that park respected and to pay attention to all that use and love it.”

This opinion aligns with those of local residents and elected officials who have argued the Parks department's design wasn't appropriate for the waterfront, and it was celebrated by local Council Member Gale Brewer.

“We were just ecstatic about this letter,” Brewer told Patch. “I think this designation (Adverse Effect) is really helpful and it will make it so the Park’s Department has to pay attention."

The Parks Department told Patch that it is "committed to putting forth a design with our partners at EDC that meets all environmental permitting requirements, and provides a functional space for both boaters and Parks operations."

The spokesperson also mentioned that the development team would be presenting again to Community Board 7 on Monday, as part of the review process.

Plans for a new dock house were launched years after Hurricane Sandy damaged an older dock house that hadn't been upgraded in nearly 80 years.

The Parks department applied for federal assistance through the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Act and FEMA offered roughly $28.3 million, according to initial estimates when the project was announced.

The city would then provide over $60 million in funding, to complete the almost $90 million project.

But the dock house's location in the Riverside Park and Drive Historic District means FEMA must first complete a four-step review process of its National Historic Preservation Act before handing over the cash.

And the Adverse Effect designation means it must now check in with interested parties, such as the Landmarks Conservancy moored to the boathouse rebuild due to its location in the historic district.

The review process lasts up to 15 days and could result in a request for a redesign, according to federal regulations.

It represents yet another ripple in plans, first announced in June 2021, that have experienced less-than-smooth sailing.

The original plans called for a 6,000-square-foot structure, columns to protect the dock house from storm surges, and ADA upgrades to make it more accessible, according to a presentation given to Community Board 7 in the fall of 2021.

Locals had concerns.

"This thing is neither heavy nor airy," Ira Mitchneck, an Upper West Side architect, said at the time. "This is certainly an improvement of what you had before, don't get me wrong, but it's still way too solid."

Vadit Suwatcharapinun, the designer overseeing the project, argued city codes made it difficult to bring that more airy feel to the design.

“I would love nothing more than to make this look lighter and more open," Suwatcharapinun said. "But we sort of have to balance with what’s going on inside the building and complying with the energy code that gets more strict with every passing year."

But the city went back to the drawing board and, in March, presented new plans to reduce the square footage to a 4,070 square-foot dock house and a 695-square-foot deck.

But FEMA's designation this week suggests the downsizing didn't go far enough to address fears raised by groups such as the Riverside Park Conservancy.

"We are deeply concerned about the proposed design of the 79th Street Dock House," it wrote in 2021. "It is boxy & dense, and incongruent to the surrounding area of the Park."