# Stuyvesant Cove Park

Stuyvesant Cove Park is a 1.9-acre (7,700 m$^2$) public park on the East Side of the New York City borough of Manhattan that runs from 18th Street to 23rd Street between the FDR Drive and the East River. Part of the East River Greenway, it is located to the south of the Waterside Plaza apartment complex, to the east of Stuyvesant Town–Peter Cooper Village, and to the north of the East River Park, and connects to the Captain Patrick J. Brown Walk on the south end. Stuyvesant Cove is served by the NYC Ferry Soundview route.

## History
### Planning and construction

Located on the what was once the brownfield site of a former ready-mix concrete plant and a parking lot, the park was created after the failure of the proposed Riverwalk mixed-use development that would have included residential units, offices, a hotel and a marina. Surplus concrete dumped from trucks into the East River has created a small beach in the middle of the park near the end of 20th Street, which is not intended to be accessed by pedestrians.
After the Riverwalk proposal was withdrawn, Manhattan Community Board 6 commissioned the landscape architecture firm of Heintz/Ruddick Associates to prepare an open space study for the site. The "Stuyvesant Cove Open Space Study" was completed in June 1993 in collaboration with Karahan/Schwarting Architecture Company and included plans for a waterfront park with a pedestrian esplanade, bike path, beach, boathouse for kayaks, dock with barges for sunbathing, 5,000-square-foot (460 m$^2$) environmental & education center, and restaurant and deck to be built above the parking garage at the adjacent Skyport Marina. The results of the open space study were incorporated into a 197-a plan submitted by Manhattan Community Board 6 in 1995, which was modified by the City Planning Commission and adopted by the City Council in 1997.
Advocates for a new waterfront park from Citizens United Against Riverwalk (CUAR), a neighborhood group that had opposed the Riverwalk mixed-use development proposal, formed a new group called the Stuyvesant Cove Park Association, which obtained federal, state, and city funding to finance the construction of the new park. The park, which was completed in 2002, cost $8.3 million and was designed by Donna Walcavage Landscape Architecture. Roadways in the surrounding area were reconfigured to maximize the size of the park, which included shifting the northbound service road of the FDR Drive from the east side to the west side of the elevated viaduct, converting Avenue C into a two-way boulevard between 18th Street and 23rd Street. The changes to the surrounding roadway network also extended northwards towards 25th Street where a new point of egress was added from Waterside Plaza to allow vehicles exiting the apartment complex to travel south and then under the FDR Drive viaduct to get to 23rd Street. Before the park was constructed all traffic exiting Waterside Plaza had to travel northbound to 34th Street.

### Opening and early years

Solar 1, an environmental learning center with a small outdoor stage for public performances, opened at the north end of the park in 2003. The facility was a 500-square-foot (46 m$^2$) solar powered pavilion that was intended to be replaced by a larger building in the future. Community Environmental Center (CEC) agreed to maintain the new park for the New York City Economic Development Corporation in exchange for the use of city land for the environmental education center. CEC established "CEC Stuyvesant Cove, Inc." as a separate non-profit entity in 2004, which began using the name "Solar One" the following year.
Since its opening, Stuyvesant Cove Park has been planted with a variety of native plant species. In 2018, park manager Emily Curtis-Murphy embarked on a program to showcase plant species originally native to Manhattan and Long Island in a manner that positions the park as an outdoor classroom for students attending local schools.
The western edge of the park contains a two-way bike path that runs alongside the FDR Drive viaduct. The eastern side of the park was designed to include a curved walkway of varying width that alternates between sections located adjacent to the bulkhead and others set back behind planting beds. Seating areas located within the park included covered gazebos, tables, chairs and benches designed by Carr, Lynch & Sandell.
In 2018, ferry service was added to the park with a stop on NYC Ferry's Lower East Side route. A new ferry landing was constructed near East 20th Street to accommodate NYC Ferry service, which consists of two 80-foot-long (24 m) gangways leading out from the bulkhead to a 35-by-90-foot (11 by 27 m) barge. The ferry landing has been served by NYC Ferry's Soundview route since 2020, when the Lower East Side route was discontinued.

### East Side Coastal Resiliency project

The park was closed at the end of 2020 and rebuilt to allow for the construction of a new floodwall with flood gates as part of the city's East Side Coastal Resiliency project. The park was completely demolished in order to build the flood protection system. Prior to construction, thousands of native plants from the old park were donated by Solar One to over 30 community organizations in New York City. This project also removed the gazebos and some seating from the park, replacing it with stadium style seats and more tables. The northern section of the park was reopened to the public on May 31, 2023. The southern section of the park (south of 20th Street) was reopened in December 2023. The current park was designed by Mathews Nielsen Landscape Architects.
The parking lot under the FDR Drive viaduct adjacent to the park, which had been closed during construction of the floodwall, reopened at the beginning of 2024. Manhattan Community Board 6 and local residents have called for the parking facility to be converted into public space, similar to sections of the FDR Drive viaduct further downtown along South Street that include seating areas and recreational facilities such as courts and exercise equipment.
A groundbreaking ceremony for the construction of a new two-story environmental education center at the north end of the park was held on September 13, 2023. The 6,500-square-foot (600 m$^2$) building was designed by Bjarke Ingels Group and will include flexible indoor space that can be used for classrooms or community functions as well as office facilities, storage areas, and a 25kW rooftop solar array with a battery energy storage system. The new building is expected to be completed in 2025.

## Native Plants of Stuyvesant Cove Park

As of 2016, these are the native plant species that vegetate at the park:
2016 Native Plants of Stuyvesant Cove Park :
| SYMBOL | Botanical Name | Common Name |
| ACRUR2 | Actea racemosa | red baneberry |
| ACMI2 | Achillea millefolium | common yarrow |
| AMCA4 | Amelanchier canadensis | Canadian serviceberry |
| AMST80 | Amelanchier stolonifera | running serviceberry |
| AMFR | Amorpha fruticosa | desert false indigo |
| AMTA2 | Amsonia tabernaemontana | eastern bluestar |
| ANCA8 | Anemone canadensis | Canadian anemone |
| ANTUT2 | Anemone virginana | tuber anemone |
| AQCA | Aquilegia canadensis | red columbine |
| ARNU2 | Aralia nudicaulis | wild sarsaparilla |
| AGAL5 | Ageratina altissima | white snakeroot |
| ARUV | Arctostaphylos uva-ursi | kinnikinnick |
| ASIN | Asclepias incarnata | swamp milkweed |
| ASSY | Asclepias syriaca | common milkweed |
| ASTU | Asclepias tuberosa | butterfly milkweed |
| ASVE | Asclepias verticillata | whorled milkweed |
| BAHA | Baccharis halimifolia | eastern baccharis |
| BASE2 | Baptesia tinctoria | serrate balsamroot |
| BEPO | Betula populifolia | gray birch |
| CARA2 | Campsis radicans | trumpet creeper |
| CACA18 | Carpinus caroliniana | American hornbeam |
| CAPE6 | Carex pensylvanica | Pennsylvania sedge |
| CACA18 | Carpinus caroliniana | American hornbeam |
| CEAM | Ceanothus americanus | New Jersey tea |
| CEOC | Celtis occidentalis | common hackberry |
| CHLA5 | Chasmanthium latifolium | Indian woodoats |
| CHVI3 | Chionanthus virginicus | white fringetree |
| CLVI5 | Clematis virginiana | devil's darning needles |
| CLVI5 | Clematis virginiana | devil's darning needles |
| CLAL3 | Clethra alnifolia | coastal sweetpepperbush |
| COPE80 | Comptonia peregrina | sweet fern |
| COCO13 | Conoclinium coelestinum | blue mistflower |
| CORA6 | Cornus racemosa | gray dogwood |
| COLA5 | Coreopsis lanceolata | lanceleaf tickseed |
| COVE5 | Coreopsis verticillata | whorled tickseed |
| CORO | Coreopsis rosea | pink tickseed |
| COWR3 | Coreopsis zagreb | rock tickseed |
| DEPU2 | dennstaedtia punctilobula | eastern hayscented fern |
| DICU | Dicentra cucullaria | Dutchman's breeches |
| DILO | Diervilla lonicera | northern bush honeysuckle |
| DIVI5 | Diospyros virginiana | common persimmon |
| ECPU | Echinacea purpurea | eastern purple coneflower |
| ELHY | Elymus hystrix | eastern bottlebrush grass |
| ERSP | Eragrostis spectabilis | purple lovegrass |
| ERYU | Eryngium yuccifolium | button eryngo |
| ERAM5 | Erythronium americanum | dogtooth violet |
| EUDI16 | Eurybia divaricata | white wood aster |
| EUGR5 | Euthamia graminifolia | flat-top goldentop |
| EUPU21 | Eutrochium purpureum | sweetscented joe pye weed |
| FAGR | Fagus grandifolia | American beech |
| GEMA | Geranium maculatum | spotted geranium |
| GEMA4 | Geum macrophyllum | largeleaf avens |
| GITR6 | Gillenia trifoliata | Bowman's root |
| GRRU | Grass? (bed | San Francisco River leatherpetal |
| HAVE2 | Hamamelis vernalis | Ozark witchhazel |
| HAVI4 | Hamamelis virginiana | American witchhazel |
| HEAU | Helenium autumnale | common sneezeweed |
| HEHE5 | Heliopsis helianthoides | smooth oxeye |
| HENO2 | Hepatica nobilis | hepatica |
| HEVI2 | Heuchera villosa | hairy alumroot |
| HIMO | Hibiscus moscheutos | crimsoneyed rosemallow |
| ILGL | Ilex glabra | inkberry |
| IRVE2 | Iris versicolor | harlequin blueflag |
| LISC2 | Liatris scariosa | devil's bite |
| JUVI | Juniperus virginiana | eastern redcedar |
| LOSE | Lonicera sempervirens | trumpet honeysuckle |
| LIAS | Liatris aspera | tall blazing star |
| LISP | Liatris spicata | dense blazing star |
| LISU | Lilium superbum | Turk's-cap lily |
| LOSI | Lobelia siphilitica | great blue lobelia |
| MEVI3 | Mertensia virginica | Virginia bluebells |
| MODI | Monarda didyma | scarlet beebalm |
| MOFI | Monarda fistulosa | wild bergamot |
| MOPU | Monarda punctata | spotted beebalm |
| MOUT | Morus alba | Utah mortonia |
| MORU2 | Morus rubra | red mulberry |
| MUCA2 | Muhlenbergia capillaris | hairawn muhly |
| MYHA | Myrica pensylvanica | Sierra bayberry |
| OEFR | Oenothera fruticosa | narrowleaf evening primrose |
| OSCI | Osmunda cinnamomea | cinnamon fern |
| PAAM2 | Panicum amarum | bitter panicgrass |
| PAQU2 | Parthenocissus quinquefolia | Virginia creeper |
| PECA6 | Penstemon calycosa | California penstemon |
| PEDI | Penstemon digitalis | talus slope penstemon |
| PHPA9 | Phlox paniculata | fall phlox |
| PHST3 | Phlox stolonifera | creeping phlox |
| PHVI7 | Physocarpos opulifolius | roundtip twinpod |
| PHVI8 | Physostegia virginiana | obedient plant |
| PIVI2 | Pinus virginiana | Virginia pine |
| PORE2 | Polemonium reptans | Greek valerian |
| PRMA2 | Prunus maritima | beach plum |
| PRPE2 | Prunus pensylvanica | pin cherry |
| PRSE2 | Prunus serotina | black cherry |
| PYMU | Pycnanthemum muticum | clustered mountainmint |
| PYTE | Pycnanthemum tenuifolium | narrowleaf mountainmint |
| QUAL | Quercus alba | white oak |
| QUBI | Quercus bicolor | swamp white oak |
| QUCO2 | Quercus coccinea | scarlet oak |
| QUIL | Quercus ilicifolia | bear oak |
| QUMA2 | Quercus macrocarpa | bur oak |
| RHAR4 | Rhus aromatica | fragrant sumac |
| RHGL | Rhus glabra | smooth sumac |
| ROCA4 | Rosa Carolina | Carolina rose |
| RUAL | Rubus allegheniensis | Allegheny blackberry |
| RUTRT | Rudbekia fulgida | browneyed Susan |
| SAAN | Sabatia angularis | rosepink |
| SCMA2 | Scrophularia marilandica- | carpenter's square |
| SIVI4 | Silene virginica | fire pink |
| SOCA4 | Solidago caesia | wreath goldenrod |
| SOGR4 | Solidago graminifolia | Virginia goldenrod |
| SOSE | Solidago sempervirens | seaside goldenrod |
| SOST | Solidago stricta- | wand goldenrod |
| SPPA | Spartina patens | saltmeadow cordgrass |
| SPHE | Sporobolus heterolepis | prairie dropseed |
| SYOR | Symphoricarpos orbiculatus | coralberry |
| SYLA3 | Symphyotrichum laeve | smooth blue aster |
| SYNO2 | Symphyotrichum novea-angliae | New England aster |
| SYOB | Symphyotrichum oblongifolium | aromatic aster |
| THPU2 | Thalictrum pubescens | king of the meadow |
| ULRU | Ulmus rubra | slippery elm |
| VEHA2 | Verbena hastata | swamp verbena |
| VENO | Vernonia noveboracensis | New York ironweed |
| VIPR | Viburnum prunifolium | blackhaw |
| VILA10 | Viola labradorica | alpine violet |
| VISO | Viola sororia | common blue violet |
| XASI | Xanthorhiza simplicissima | yellowroot |
| ZIAP | Zizia aptera | meadow zizia |
| ZIAU | Zizia aurea | golden zizia |