Content area
Full Text
Opponents of a proposed $450-million waterfront development for the East River between 16th and 24th Streets are threatening a bitter battle like the one that defeated the Westway project on the Hudson.
The developer's architects, David, Brody & Associates, argue that the Riverwalk development would open up the riverfront for recreational use for the first time. They also say Riverwalk's proposed housing density is much less than other nearby developments like Peter Cooper, Waterside and Stuyvesant Town.
"`When I lived at Peter Cooper, I couldn't take my kids to any place on the river," architect Lewis Davis said. "There is nothing there - just blight and a parking lot. With Riverwalk, the public would be encouraged to come to the river."
But most of the nearly 600 people who crowded into a lecture hall at NYU's Medical Center - 100 or so were turned away - to hear about the proposal last week sounded much less than convinced.
"We feel...