A proposal to transform a 116-year-old abandoned trolley terminal on Manhattan's Lower East Side into the world's first underground park has moved one step closer to reality.
The city's Housing and Economic Development conditionally threw its support behind the Lowline project on Wednesday.
It calls for street-level solar collectors to filter sunlight underground, turning the dark subterranean space into a luminous, plant-filled oasis.
Deputy Mayor Alicia Glen says "we can't wait to see this experiment unfold."
Dan Barasch, who co-founded the nonprofit Lowline, says he's thrilled to have the city behind the project.
Over the next year, the project's developers have agreed to expand community engagement, raise $10 million and develop a complete schematic design for approval.
