Mayor Eric Adams and NYC Parks Commissioner Sue Donoghue have announced an additional $30 million to fund the acquisition of vacant lots as part of the “Vital Parks for All” initiative. The program, which comes on the heels of an initial $50 million investment, aims to transform vacant, underutilized, and abandoned lots into new green spaces, targeting neighborhoods currently lacking public park access. So far, funding has added more than 86 acres of parkland to the city, bringing green space within walking distance for 37,000 more New Yorkers.
Brooklyn Community District 5 sites. Credit: NYC Parks
To streamline the selection process for new vacant lots, the city is utilizing neighborhood-wide Uniform Land Use Review Procedure (ULURP) applications to secure land in bulk. The first two ULURP submissions were made earlier this month in Brooklyn Community District 5 (East New York and Cypress Hills) and Queens Community District 3 (Jackson Heights, East Elmhurst, and Corona). These applications, covering 44 sites in total, are designed to reduce bureaucratic delays and increase efficiency in park development. Not all submitted sites will be converted, but successful applications will allow NYC Parks to purchase them from private sellers.
Brooklyn Community District 5 sites. Credit: NYC Parks
In addition to private acquisitions, many of the new park spaces will come through property transfers from other city agencies, often at no cost. NYC Parks worked with the Department of City Planning and the Department of Housing Preservation and Development to evaluate which sites are more suitable for parkland or housing, factoring in location, size, and surrounding use.
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Well, maybe if you add phone charging outlets to every new park bench, it will be useful.
Meanwhile, our ridiculous “mayor” is insisting on building over the Elizabeth St. Garden, which is a fabulous place in a very underserved neighborhood.
Agreed. The destruction of this beloved, well-maintained, unique space is continually tops on the Mayor’s “Must Go” list. It’s elimination will be a severe loss to the community that has extremely little open space. A shameful loss.
Not to mention that due to chronic underfunding, the Parks Department can’t adequately maintain the parks we already have. Often relying on volunteer neighbors to do the job
At present there is no NY STATE law that directly protects our parks and playgrounds .All of our parkland is at risk from greedy individuals .Legislation that protects our public parkland would be a game changer !
Use the streets. Plenty of streets could be closed to cars and designated parks, or at least dead end them and designated a section.
Find it really interesting that one of the mayor’s goals is that NYers should be within a 10 minute walk of a “skatepark” while so many skateparks have fallen into disrepair and meanwhile Mt Prospect Park is going to be developed into one. What a waste of green parkland! And where did the money come from?