NEW YORK—Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s vision for Lower Manhattan, Seaport City, will be studied by a Dutch company to see if it is feasible.
The company, Amsterdam-based ARCADIS, will spend the last few months of Bloomberg’s administration investigating the mayor’s possible solution to protect Lower Manhattan from future hurricanes.
The idea involves building a multi-purpose levee system along the shore of Lower Manhattan where it meets the East River.
ARCADIS will also study whether it would be possible to develop real estate on top of the levee as a means to finance the project.
At community board meetings in September, Daniel Zarrilli, director of resiliency for the mayor’s office assured concerned residents that the plans are at “step zero.”
