[IMGCAP(2)]In addition, a new request for proposals for the development of Pier 57 is to be released within the next couple of months. The 300,000-sf pier at West 15th Street, a city bus garage until 2003, will be offered for redevelopment with uses that are allowed under the Hudson River Park Act.

Since construction of the park began in 1999, roughly $350 million in capital funds from the state and New York City and the federal government have been used to build 10 new piers and about 2.5 miles of upland park area, according to Taylor. It is the largest recreational amenity and open space to be built in Manhattan since the opening of Central Park more than 150 years ago, she told attendees at a media briefing Thursday morning. Hudson River Park Trust is a partnership between New York State and City charged with the design, construction, operation and maintenance of the five-mile Hudson River Park.

[IMGCAP(3)]Early this summer, the newest section of the park, running from Laight Street in Tribeca up to Houston Street will open to the public, and another new public pier in Chelsea is expected to open by the end of the year. The Tribeca section of the park was built with $70 million in funds obtained from the federal government through the Lower Manhattan Development Corp. to assist in New York City's recovery from the 9/11 attacks, as GlobeSt.com previously reported. The Tribeca section will include a playground, practice recreation field, mini-golf and snack bar, beach volleyball courts, historic ships, mooring field , skate park, basketball, comfort station, boathouse and waterside café, an estuary research center, dog run, tennis and public art. A mile-long waterfront esplanade will offer native grasses, trees and gardens, landscaped seating areas, and a seaside boardwalk. The northern half of this section will open this summer, according to Taylor.

[IMGCAP(4)]"Commercial activities such as parking at Pier 40 and Chelsea Piers Sports and Entertainment Complex generate most of the funds needed to maintain and operate the park on an annual basis; in the future however we know that those funds will not meet our entire fiscal need," Taylor said, which is the reason for issuing a new RFP for the development of Pier 57. "We are also hoping to conclude our review of proposed uses for a development at Pier 40 in the next several months to create a mix of recreational playing fields, parking and new commercial or educational uses on that 15 acre site. These two developments will help produce the money needed to maintain and operate a great park well into the future."

[IMGCAP(5)]As the park continues to take shape, the level of funding needed to maintain it and offer high quality programming increases, added Fishman. "Therefore, it is essential that we move forward with the development of the revenue-generating commercial nodes in a way that supports the park and guarantees its future."