Cadman Plaza Park, Brooklyn, almost completely empty on a sunny spring day. Image Credit: CityLand
Team sports are prohibited and recreation centers are currently closed to the public, but parks remain open. City and State governments continue the fight to control the spread of the coronavirus, instituting policies to encourage and enable as many people to stay at home as possible. Understanding the challenges of asking citizens to spend as much time as possible indoors as the weather continues to improve, the City aimed to keep City parks open as an outlet for physical exercise. (more…)
Image Credit: NYC Parks Department.
The $1 million project is the latest in a series of renovations of the Triborough Bridge Playgrounds. On July 16, 2019, the Parks Department announced the completion and opening of a new dog run and revamped basketball courts at Astoria’s Triborough Bridge Playground C with a ribbon-cutting ceremony. Triborough Playground C is one of six in a family of playgrounds, located on Hoyt Avenue North and Hoyt Avenue South between 21st and 26th Streets, that provide the neighborhood with a variety of athletic and recreational spaces. Playground C is the latest to receive attention, with Playground A having debuted a new soccer field and adult playground two summers ago and Playground B getting a similarly refurbished basketball court in Winter 2018 as the result of a partnership between Parks and the Big Ten Network. (more…)
Illustrative Rendering of the envisioned street view. Image Credit: DCP.
Before reaching the City Council, the project received mixed support over concerns that the area was ill-equipped for the increased density. On June 26, 2019, City Council voted to approve with modifications an application that would help implement a major City-initiated plan to redevelop Staten Island’s Bay Street Corridor, which connects the St. George, Tompkinsville, and Stapleton neighborhoods. The comprehensive plan will redevelop the Bay Street Corridor into a walkable, transit-oriented community that provides housing, jobs, and local businesses. The plan had been in the making for over four years and is the result of a coordinated effort among various City agencies and the community. The development is projected to bring 1,000 new jobs, 1,300 new affordable homes, investments in parks, schools and sewers, and a new recreation center. To help implement the plan, the Department of City Planning, the Department of Administrative Services, and the Department of Housing Preservation and Development brought several actions subject to the public review process, ULURP. To read CityLand’s coverage on the earlier stages of the public review process, click here. (more…)
The new play equipment at Saw Mill Playground in Mott Haven. Image Credit: NYC Parks Department
The playground provides new community amenities and improves the health of the Harlem River. On June 7, 2019, the Department of Parks and Recreation announced the completion of an $8 million upgrade to Saw Mill Playground in the Mott Haven section of the Bronx. The playground is located on East 139th Street between Brook and Willis Avenues. (more…)
Central Park. Image Credit: Google Maps.
The website provides information on the City’s 1,700 parks including park amenities and maintenance funding. On May 24, 2019, City Council Speaker Corey Johnson and the City Council announced the launch of an interactive map of the City’s public parks. The map can be accessed on the Council’s Parks in NYC page, offering information on the City’s 1,700 parks including the location of 2,856 playgrounds, 557 basketball courts, 546 handball courts, 34 running tracks, 69 barbecue areas,112 food concessions, 136 dog runs, and 95 pools. The page also provides information on events taking place in parks across the five boroughs within the next 14 days. The information for the amenities locations and events locations can also be viewed as a list. (more…)
