Wagner Park’s reopening on July 29 is a huge deal — and not just because of the star-studded lineup of musicians, comedians and Broadway stars who are headlining the celebrations.
The park closed in 2023 to make way for major renovations as part of the overall South Battery Park City Resiliency Project, a nearly $300 million plan to fortify the lower edge of Manhattan against storms and rising floodwaters. Wagner Park actually avoided heavy flooding during Hurricane Sandy in 2012, but increased risks from other storms, including the record-setting rainfall this summer, have shown the growing need for stronger storm protections across the entire waterfront.
The new Wagner Park is updated in its amenities and design, notably including its central pavilion building and an expanded lawn. The waterfront park has been landscaped with hearty, native plantings designed to withstand time and saltwater tides.
The highlight of this new version of the park, however, is something most people might not even notice: the new comprehensive flood-risk reduction system, made up of both passive measures and a flood guarding system that can be activated when needed. That includes new flood walls, as well as strategic vented openings that are able to be closed during storms. Much of the park was redesigned to raise all 3.5-acres of land by about 10 feet. The remediations include an embedded flood wall for enhanced neighborhood storm surge protection and a 63,000-gallon subterranean cistern for collecting and reusing rainwater.
The redesigned park is built out to reduce the risk associated with a so-called 100-year-storm (a storm with a 1% likelihood of happening in any given year). But the park is also looking to the future by accommodating 100-year-storm probability in 2050 as well.
Eventually, expanded plans for the park call for adding a new restaurant to the pavilion along with a rooftop deck and spacious terrace, perfect for taking in the park’s famous sunset views and appreciating the efforts that went into keeping the neighborhood resilient for decades to come.
renderings: courtesy Battery Park City Authority
