BY BILL BOROCK, for the Council of Chelsea Block Associations | The NYC Department of Transportation (DOT) recently granted a request made by our Manhattan Community Board 4 (CB4) to install a protected bike lane on Sixth Ave. — from W. Eighth St. to W. 33rd St. — which will feature 33 pedestrian refuges located between the vehicle traffic lanes.
These islands will be too small for trees — as compared to the bike lane sites on Eighth and Ninth Ave., where members of the Chelsea Garden Club have done an outstanding job of adopting “tree pits,” and filling them with beautiful flowers and small shrubbery. On Sixth Ave., the planting areas will be much smaller — but at 4′ x 5′, they will be large enough to create “micro-gardens.”
From the north side of W. 14th St. to the south side of W. 32nd St., there will 27 pedestrian island sites in Chelsea that have the potential to become micro-gardens (with more potential sites below 14th St.).
I say “potential” because the DOT has let the community know that all unadopted islands will be solid cement upon their installation. To prevent this scenario, the Council of Chelsea Block Associations (CCBA; a coalition of 15 block associations covering 25 blocks in Chelsea) has been trying to get every potential site adopted by individuals, groups, businesses and other entities. CCBA’s mission includes improving the quality of life for those who live in, work in, or visit our neighborhood — and that is why our members have answered the call to find adopters.
Who asked CCBA to do this? Chekpeds did. They are a community group that works directly with elected officials, businesses, Business Improvement Districts, local institutions, CB4, block associations, and residents of the community to obtain critical traffic relief and pedestrian safety measures.
To date, the joint efforts of Chekpeds and the CCBA have resulted in the adoption of all 19 sites between W. 14th and W. 26th Sts.
There are two areas that CCBA was not dealing with, that still have sites in need of adoption. One area is from the north corner of W. 27th St. to the south corner of W. 32nd St. Anyone interested in one of these sites should contact Christine Berthet, at cberthet@me.com. The second area runs from the north corner of Christopher St. to the north corner of W. 13th St. Anyone interested in one of these sites should contact Shirley Secunda, at secunda@cb2manhattan.org.
The name of every adopter will be sent to the DOT — which will convene a meeting for all these new Sixth Ave. gardeners to share their plans and ideas (it is our understanding that the bike lane will be completed by this summer).
If you have any further questions, or would like to become involved with the CCBA, contact me at wborock@hotmail.com.
See you around the neighborhood,
Bill Borock
