The New York City government is facing mounting legal pressure due to its East River Park redevelopment plan. The most obvious sample is the one that has already temporarily stopped all construction on the site, despite the fact that more than half a year has passed since such work should have begun.
Last Friday, a non-profit organization legally sued the Municipality for alleged breach of labor contract requirements that require the inclusion of female employees and racial minorities.
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During the previous week, in another lawsuit, a judge issued a restraining order to stop preliminary tree removal work in some areas. And a third lawsuit, filed by a contractor who participated in the tender, could further delay the project. The municipal government prevailed in both ongoing trials, before they were appealed.
Nearly a decade ago, Hurricane Sandy hit the area with storm surge; however, the effort to remodel the current state of the park and build it on an 8-foot fill and build a barrier has had little transparency. Although on the other hand, the Municipality has been clear when indicating that the remodeling work would extend until 2026.
However, lawsuits around large developments are common and in this particular case, also some condominiums in the housing complexes near the park say they feel at risk due to climate change.
For his part, Mayor de Blasio considers that these complaints against his climate resilience project are an intrinsic part of the litigation in this city.
During the past week, in one of his regular press conferences, the Mayor defended the redevelopment of the park saying that it is “fair” and that it is “the best thing to protect this community after the devastation left by Sandy.” And he added: “I know it is a good project and I am confident that it will advance, ultimately, after winning in court.”
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