City Council members will vote Wednesday whether to allow rezoning on Pier 17 and the East River waterfront in Lower Manhattan, a move which would allow the iconic, city-owned Fulton Fish Market buildings to be destroyed and replaced with a luxury high-rise complex whose details have not been disclosed to the public.
Robert LaValva, organizer of the weekly New Amsterdam Market held in that site (and featured here in Edible Manhattan last summer) reached out to us for help:
“We believe this deeply historic site is not only a valuable public asset but also a powerful cultural icon preserving the memory of our city’s earliest relationship with the water and the development of our first food system. We are concerned not only with the market but with public space, the waterfront, and how our city should be making plans for it ongoing evolution that keep us, the public, fully involved. If these concerns align with your beliefs we would very much appreciate your forwarding information to your lists!”
LaValva gathered the troops for a rally on the steps of City Hall Tuesday at noon to urge city council members to protect the historic site. He’s asked that anyone who wishes to save the New Amsterdam Market email, Facebook, tweet and call everyone they know and ask them to contact their local Council Member BEFORE WEDNESDAY and tell them to vote “NO” on the Pier 17 ULURP. Instructions are here.
