River Ring Master Plan

As part of an evolving Brooklyn waterfront, the River Ring Master Plan is an extraordinary opportunity to provide a new model for urban shorelines that will enhance access and connectivity of the public waterfront, restore natural habitats, elevate the standard for urban waterfront resiliency, and transform the way New Yorkers interact with the East River. River Ring raises the bar for industry-leading resilient design and privately-funded infrastructure while responding to longstanding community plans and real-time feedback, resulting in a groundbreaking mixed-use development and living waterfront. In total, River Ring will add more than 6 acres of public open space, including a 3-acre waterfront park and 3 acres of protected in-river access—far beyond the 0.7 acres required under zoning regulations. River Ring will complete the continuous public waterfront that stretches from Domino Park to Bushwick Inlet Park, addressing a major missing link between Williamsburg and Greenpoint and re-naturalizing the urban shoreline. The waterfront park features a circular esplanade that extends into the East River, connecting a series of nature trails, amphitheater, boating cove, children’s natural play area, and sandy beach, all promoting access in and around the river. Borrowing from models used in places like the Netherlands and drawing inspiration from Jamaica Bay, River Ring embraces the river instead of building walls and hard surfaces that accelerate storm surge and push it to adjacent waterfronts. Waterfront infrastructure and open space will feature breakwaters, marshes, wetlands, and a tidal basin that will dissipate wave action from storm surges to increase resilience and create calmer waters for safe in-water recreation. The expanded shoreline will also sustain intertidal habitat including salt mashes, wetlands, oyster beds, and tidal flats, enriching wildlife and habitat while providing ecological education for the community. Unique park programming directly reflects input from a series of pre-design visioning sessions with the community. This feedback included the desire for the park to be a model for resiliency, engage the river, provide waterfront access, create a natural environment including places for respite and access to nature, and foster an educational environment that supports youth-based activities for nature and estuary education. The new public park enlists the private sector for resilient infrastructure and will be maintained and operated by the Client, a private developer. River Ring also seeks to maximize affordable housing, minimize the burden on existing infrastructure, and employ architectural strategies responsive to site conditions and constraints. The master plan features a pair of buildings that coalesce with the public space to offer a mix of uses vital to the community—housing, community space, local retail, and offices. In addition to over 70,000sf of public-facing programs, the two mixed-income buildings will provide 1,050 total units of housing with 263 units of low-income housing. By blending the tower and podium, the relationship between building and park is softened to welcome the community to the water. In conclusion, the River Ring Master Plan sets a new precedent for urban resiliency in New York and how climate-conscious design can contribute to thriving mixed-used communities.