City Seeks Seaport Proposals

Mayor Bloomberg's sweepingly ambitious idea to build a Battery Park City-like extension of Manhattan on the East River has moved one step closer, in theory, to becoming reality.

Last week, the city's Economic Development Corporation issued a Request for Proposals for the first stages of the grandiose project, called Seaport City, beginning a process that will barely get off the ground before the next mayoral administration takes over in 2014, but giving legs to a legacy that Bloomberg hopes to leave in his wake.

The request asks for "a consultant or consultant team to study the feasibility of developing a multi-purpose levee (MPL) along the eastern edge of Lower Manhattan. The levee would first seek to address coastal flooding and enhance resiliency in Lower Manhattan and also create economic development opportunities in the area that could fund resiliency measures citywide." Proposals are due August 22, 2013.