Project Description
The New York City (NYC) Mayors Office of Resiliency (MOR), in collaboration with the NYC Economic Development Corporation (EDC), is undertaking the Raise Shorelines Program to address vulnerability of NYC shorelines due to sea level rise. Funded through community development block grant funds for disaster recovery (CDBG-DR funds) received by MOR from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), a citywide study evaluated over 600 miles of shorelines to identify and prioritize locations in need of heightened coastal edges and/or reinforced shorelines due to their vulnerability to sea level rise. One of the vulnerable shoreline areas identified is the Old Howard Beach neighborhood, located in Queens Community District 10. Two water bodies, Shellbank and Hawtree Basins, border the Old Howard Beach neighborhood to the west and east, respectively. The shorelines of these basins are characterized by bulkheads and small docks, many of which are decaying, missing, or at low elevations, which makes adjacent land uses vulnerable to sea level rise. The proposed project includes two individual street dead-end areas in the Old Howard Beach neighborhood (the project sites). These project sites are located at 95th Street (northern terminus) on Shellbank Basin (Project Site 1) and 165th Avenue (eastern terminus) on Hawtree Basin (Project Site 2). Both project sites are located on city-owned property under the jurisdiction of the New York City Department of Transportation (DOT). The proposed improvements for two identified locations in the Old Howard Beach neighborhood would be constructed using New York City Capital funds. The proposed project would include a vehicular impact-resistant crown wall with the dual-purpose of providing vehicular safety and neighborhood flood protection against sea level rise in both Project Site locations. These crown walls are replacing aged guard rails and are therefore considered maintenance or repair involving no substantial changes in an existing structure or facility and replacement, rehabilitation or reconstruction of a structure or facility, in kind, on the same site, including upgrading buildings to meet building or fire codes, unless such action meets or exceeds any of the thresholds in section 617.4 of this Part as per NYCRR Part 617.5(c)(1) and 617.5(c)(2), which are Type II actions for which no environmental review is required.
