Dear Red Hook Resident,

The Red Hook New York Rising Community Reconstruction Planning Committee (RH-NYR-CRP) is happy to announce that the New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) and the Mayor’s Office of Recovery and Resiliency (ORR) have officially kicked off the Feasibility Study on an Integrated Flood Protection System for Red Hook. This is one step in a long process, and it is our committee’s goal to push our local, state, and federal agencies to provide such protection systems for Red Hook. We believe that this is a vital and critical physical infrastructure necessary to ensure our safety for the future. During the CRP process the community came together to develop the following tenets for the vision of the IFPS, and we believe that these remain important principles to guide the design process in these next steps.

IFPS Red Hook Community Principles
+ Enhance Public Waterfront Access
+ Preserve and Respect the Character of the Neighborhood
+ Maintain Maritime Capacity and Enhance Water-based Uses
+ Design Protective Infrastructure to be Multi-functional and to Provide Community Amenities
+ Maximize the Protection of Building Stock
+ Address Flood Protection Needs of Sites and Structures Outside as Well as Inside the Line of
Protection, and in the Interim While the System is Built:
+ Encourage Everyone to Build Resiliently
+ Address Flood Insurance Premiums
+ Address and Improve Current and Future Drainage Issues
+ Employ Local Residents in the Implementation and Construction of an Integrated Flood Protection System
+ Be Carbon Neutral
+ Be Flexible towards Future and Changing Community Needs
+ Encourage Economic Development
+ Be Informed by On-Going Community Input from Red Hook Residents

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A note from EDC and ORR
The New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) and the Mayor’s Office of Recovery and Resiliency (ORR) have engaged a consultant team, led by Dewberry Engineers, Inc., to conduct a feasibility study to develop an integrated flood protection system for Red Hook to protect the neighborhood from coastal flooding and projected future coastal risks from sea level rise. The study will build upon substantial previous planning and outreach work and is envisioned as a comprehensive and detailed assessment to inform the development of a technically and financially viable integrated flood protection system (IFPS) for Red Hook.

The City and State have each committed $50 million, for a total of $100 million, for the IFPS project including design, engineering, environmental review and implementation. The funding sources include FEMA Hazard Mitigation Program Grant (HMGP) and HUD CDBG-DR. The study will incorporate the planning principles of the NY Rising Community Reconstruction Committee and will develop a preferred project and two alternatives for an IFPS incorporating long-term/permanent protection and of independent utility. The study will evaluate options to address severe coastal flood events with consideration of projected sea-level rise while maximizing opportunities for economic development, enhanced waterfront access and navigability, greater connectivity for the neighborhood and sustainable design.

The feasibility study will include extensive community engagement so please be on the lookout for forthcoming meeting notices.

The consultants selected for this Feasibility Phase include a wide array of experts, Dewberry as lead engineer, Hatch Mott MacDonald (engineer), Cooper Robertson and Partners (urban design), Grain Collective and Hester Street Collaborative (outreach), Sustainable Ports (waterfront development), Toscana Clements Taylor (cost estimating), BJH Advisors (economic development).

The RH-NYR-CRP Committee has many other projects underway . We will be sending out a more detailed update in the coming weeks. Should you have any questions or comments feel free to email us at [email protected]