A new man-made island could be going up in the Hudson soon, after a judge tossed out a lawsuit holding up the project over environmental concerns.
Media mogul Barry Diller has sunk tens of millions of dollars into renovating Pier 55 over the years, and his plans for an island in the Hudson off the West 13th Street site are the finishing touch.
The 117k SF project includes grassy fields, walking paths and three performance spaces, and would be connected to the city by two ramps off the Hudson River Greenway.
A similar island project has been proposed a few streets up by architect Eytan Kaufman.
The $130M project has been stalled since last year, when the City Club of New York brought a suit alleging the project would kill off local species like the American eel and shortnose sturgeon, the New York Post reports.
On Thursday, a judge ruled that the project had already gone through the necessary environmental review process. An earlier study found the project “would not cause significant adverse impacts on the aquatic habitat,” Manhattan Supreme Court Judge Joan Lobis wrote in her decision.
After the ruling, construction is expected to begin this year. Richard Emery, an attorney for the City Club, says he plans to appeal. “It’s a major blight on the waterfront as far as we’re concerned,” he tells the Post. [NYP]
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