Sherman Creek Waterfront Esplanade Master Plan

Last Updated November 14, 2012 at 12:08 pm

NYCEDC has developed a plan to revitalize the Harlem River waterfront in Inwood.

Overview

NYCEDC developed this plan working with a multi-disciplinary team of experts, as well as the City's Departments of Parks & Recreation and City Planning.

The plan builds on a study that the City conducted in 2004. In that study, the Inwood community expressed its desire for a waterfront esplanade to revitalize the area traditionally known as Sherman Creek.

Background

Sherman Creek lies along the Harlem River within the neighborhood of Inwood, in Upper Manhattan. Once a hub for water-related recreational activities, Sherman Creek began to change in the early 1900s with the arrival of power generation, rail maintenance, and heavy industrial facilities to the area.

By the 1970s, Sherman Creek had become neglected and inaccessible to Inwood residents, and it has largely remained in this condition to this day.

In 2003, several City agencies joined together to conduct a year-long study to identify the community's main concerns regarding planning and development in Sherman Creek. The study found that there was a strong desire to reclaim and enjoy the waterfront once again.

At the public workshop that closed the study in 2004, the community recommended that a pedestrian esplanade, or "malecón," be created to bring new life to Sherman Creek. Download a summary of the workshop

Since 2004, NYCEDC and the City's Department of Parks & Recreation have worked together to implement the study's recommendations that relate to waterfront access, parks, and recreation.

Work to date includes:

The clean-up of the upland area just south of the Sherman Creek Inlet, in partnership with New York Restoration Project (NYRP), a local non-profit organization,
The creation of a pedestrian trail next to P.S. 5, a local elementary school, also in partnership with NYRP, and
The creation of five pocket parks at the Harlem River ends of West 202nd, 203rd, 204th, 205th, and 206th streets.

Sherman Creek Waterfront Esplanade Master Plan

NYCEDC launched this initiative in the fall of 2009 to continue advancing the 2004 study recommendations. NYCEDC engaged the local community through this planning process to identify a shared vision for a Sherman Creek waterfront esplanade. The resulting master plan builds on the work already completed in Sherman Creek and includes a conceptual design for the esplanade and an implementation strategy.

NYCEDC worked on this initiative with a team of planning, design, engineering, and other experts, as well as the City's Departments of Parks & Recreation, Transportation, and City Planning.

The Sherman Creek Waterfront Esplanade Master Plan has been made possible, in part, through a grant from the New York State Department of State's Division of Coastal Resources and was released in the Fall 2011.

Community Engagement

The NYCEDC team held several small-format meetings with community members and elected officials between December 2009 and March 2010 to present and gather preliminary feedback on this planning process.

The meetings were followed on March 20, 2010 by a public workshop where more than 70 people discussed their needs, desires, and concerns regarding a Sherman Creek waterfront esplanade. Please scroll down to download the presentation that was developed for the workshop.

At the public workshop, NYCEDC announced the creation of an Advisory Committee. The committee provided a forum for additional input from key stakeholders, including City agencies, local elected officials, community board members, residents, property and business owners, and non-profit organizations.

The Advisory Committee met for the first time on August 5, 2010, at the Dyckman Houses Seniors' Center. Please find below the presentation to the Advisory Committee.

At the meeting, the NYCEDC team presented a set of initial design options for the waterfront esplanade. Based on the Advisory Committee's valuable feedback, the NYCEDC team began to develop a preferred design direction for the waterfront esplanade.

On February 1, 2011, the NYCEDC team gave a preliminary presentation of this preferred direction to the Parks & Cultural Affairs Committee of Manhattan Community Board 12. Please find this presentation below.

NYCEDC presented the final design direction to the Advisory Committee on July 13, 2011. More than 60 people attended the meeting, which was held at P.S. 5 - Ellen Lurie, and provided valuable feedback on the final design and the overall planning process. Please find the final presentation below.