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Barry Diller is planning a $170 million island park in the Hudson River

Barry Diller is planning a $170 million island park in the Hudson River

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Pier55, Inc. / Heatherwick Studio

There isn't much free land left in Manhattan, so Barry Diller is building his own. The New York Times is reporting that the IAC billionaire is currently raising money to build 2.4 acres of new land off the west side of Manhattan, designed as a combination park and performance space. Diller will be raising $130 million himself and plans to gather an additional $40 million from the city, the state, and additional donors.

The curved structure would rest on 300 concrete pylons, ranging from 70 feet to 15 feet, the recommended sea level rise for post-Sandy constructions. Building on a curved platform allows designers to mimic the rise and fall of natural land, as well as allowing sunlight into the underneath of the platform, enhancing the possibility for marine life to take shelter among the pylons. The plans would still require approval from both the Army Corp of Engineers and New York State's Department of Environmental Conservation, but experts say construction could begin as early as 2016.