Mayor Bloomberg, NY state legislative leaders, and elected officials representing Manhattan’s East Side announced at a Wednesday City Hall press conference that the city and state had signed an agreement to close the gap in the East River Greenway between 38th and 60th Streets and improve other open spaces in the area. State Senator Liz Krueger, Assemblyman Brian Kavanagh, City Councilman Dan Garodnick, and Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney were instrumental in brokering the agreement, which they hailed as a victory for the East Side and the entire city.

Under the terms of a signed memorandum of understanding, the United Nations will be allowed to construct a new building on the western end of what is now Robert Moses Playground, on First Avenue between 41st and 42nd Streets. Replacement park space would be provided before the playground is taken, according to Assm. Kavanagh. The UN’s new building would also need to clear the city’s Uniform Land Use Review Process.

In return, the UN would pay the city $73 million and move out of two city-owned buildings that would then be sold on the market, eventually providing a total of $200 million, according to city estimates. These funds would be used to complete the Greenway and improve other parks. A new public committee, the Eastside Greenway and Park Board, would provide oversight and input into how the open space funds are spent. In addition, ConEdison has agreed to convert an old pier between 38th and 41st Streets into a park.

A land-swap proposal of this type had been discussed for decades, but the process received a jolt after the State Legislature passed legislation creating what East Side officials said was an ironclad framework guaranteeing that funds from a deal would go to open space improvements. East Side elected officials convened three public forums this summer to receive public testimony, and also received thousands of comments online. The community response was not unanimous, but was “overwhelmingly supportive,” Councilmember Garodnick said at the press conference.

The ConEd pier improvements will start immediately, with the rest of the construction timeline dependent on when the United Nations moves forward with a new building. The UN hasn’t yet committed to doing so, though it has expressed interest in a new building for many years. If all goes according to plan, construction of a second portion of the Greenway will start in 2016, and work on the final piece will begin in 2020 (see map at right).

Graphic: Wall Street Journal.