Parks Department

Councilman Advocates Building of Two-Block Park Over Brooklyn-Queens Expressway In Williamsburg

6:00 am on May 10, 2016 By Reid Wilson

After former Mayor Michael Bloomberg, in 2010, rejected plans to build a public park over a two-block span of the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway between South 3rd and 5th streets in Williamsburg, Councilman Antonio Reynoso is re-proposing the project. Dubbed BQ Green, the $200 million project could potentially be incorporated into the city’s $2.265 billion budget for park capital spending, according to Gothamist. As currently envisioned, a concrete platform would completely cover two blocks of the BQE, while partially covering the below-grade expressway one block in either direction. The part of South 4th Street that currently spans over the BQE would be reconstructed as parkland, and the existing green space lining the expressway will be revitalized. The proposal also includes a baseball diamond, a waterpark, and wooded and landscaped areas. DLANDstudio is behind the design of the 2010 proposal. The project is expected to be discussed before the city’s budget is adopted.

Final Approvals Granted for Pier55 Park Off the Meatpacking District

6:00 am on April 28, 2016 By Reid Wilson

In June of 2015, slight changes to Pier55’s design were revealed as the park project was making its way through the approval process. Now, the Hudson River Park Trust has announced that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has green-lighted the project, according to Crain’s. The 2.7-acre, 62-foot-tall structure, to be built off the Meatpacking District in the Hudson River, will include grassy hills, recreational event space, and an amphitheater. It will connect to Manhattan via a pedestrian bridge at West 13th Street. The bridge will be funded with federal money, but the park itself is being financed by a non-profit partnership between Barry Diller and Diane von Furstenberg. The duo have already contributed $113 million, and construction is expected to kick off in early May.

City Plans to Build Underground Sewage on Alloy Development Site in Gowanus

6:30 am on April 27, 2016 By Reid Wilson

Back in December of 2015, Alloy Development proposed to build two 104,000-square-foot office buildings, along with 138,000 square feet of public park space, at 234 Butler Street and 242 Back in December of 2015, Alloy Development and the property owners of 234 Butler Street and 242 Nevins Street proposed to build two 104,000-square-foot office buildings and, along with a 50,000 square-foot public park, in northern Gowanus. The proposal aimed to convince two city agencies, the Department of Environmental Protection and the Parks Department, to build two underground sewage tanks mandated by the Environmental Protection Agency under Thomas Greene Park—instead of seizing, through eminent domain, the properties currently ground-leased by Alloy. The EPA has been pushing to install the tanks beneath the park, because it’s already owned by the city and will need to be excavated eventually to clean up contaminants.

The Bronx’s Crotona Play Center Getting New Entrance, 1700 Fulton Avenue

7:30 am on April 11, 2016 By Evan Bindelglass

A WPA-era park in the Bronx is getting a bit of an update. Last Tuesday, the Landmarks Preservation Commission approved construction of a new entrance and pathway at the Crotona Play Center, located on the grounds of Crotona Park with the address 1700 Fulton Avenue.

City Acquires Large Swath Of Planned Bushwick Inlet Park At 1 North 12th Street, Greenpoint

6:00 am on March 11, 2016 By Reid Wilson

Since the 2005 rezoning of Greenpoint and Williamsburg, the city has slowly been building out Bushwick Inlet Park, which was planned to span the waterfront from North 7th to 15th streets when combined with the East River State Park. A large swath of the waterfront is still occupied by CitiStorage warehouses between North 10th and 12th streets, and that site is expected to be sold to a team of developers, but the city is moving in to acquire the swath of land at 1 North 12th Street, between North 12th and 14th streets. The city is paying $53 million for the seven-acre plot of land, currently occupied by a three-story warehouses and the Bayside Fuel Oil Depot’s storage tanks, according to The Real Deal. If the initial plans are executed, the city will demolish everything and convert the entire lot into public park space. The new park space would be located right across Bushwick Inlet from the planned USS Monitor Park.

Nonprofit Proposes 280 Affordable Units, Homeless Shelter At 149 West 108th Street, Upper West Side

6:30 am on February 26, 2016 By Reid Wilson

The West Side Federation for Senior and Supportive Housing is proposing to demolish three city-owned parking garages at 151 West 108th, 143 West 108th, and 103 West 108th Street, and the five-story Valley Lodge 92-bed homeless shelter at 149 West 108th Street, on the Upper West Side. According to DNAinfo, the nonprofit is planning to build a new facility with a 110-bed homeless shelter and at least 280 residential units in two separate buildings. All of the apartments would be rented at below market-rates to a mix of seniors, singles, and families. The plans will be taken through the city’s Urban Land Use Review Procedure (ULURP) so larger buildings can be built, possibly generating an additional 90 residential units in the process. The nonprofit will also build a public bathroom at the adjacent Anibal Aviles Playground. Construction is expected to begin in 2017 and be completed in 2019.

Glass Installation Wraps Up On 52-Story 10 Hudson Yards Office Tower

6:00 am on February 22, 2016 By Reid Wilson

YIMBY last reported on 10 Hudson Yards – the 52-story, 1.8-million square-foot office tower at the corner of Tenth Avenue and West 30th Street – last November when the structure officially topped out. Now, new photos taken by Tectonic show that glass installation is nearing completion and close to reaching the structure’s 895-foot-tall pinnacle. Earlier this month, office space in the building was roughly 100 percent leased, as Real Estate Weekly reported. Coach Inc. will occupy floors nine through 23 and part of 24, VaynerMedia will take the rest of floors 24 and 25, Intersection and Sidewalk Labs will take floor 26 and part of floor 27, L’Oréal USA will occupy the rest of 27 and floors 28 through 36, the Boston Consulting Group is leasing floors 42 through 47, and finally SAP is taking floors 48 through 52. Related Companies and Oxford Properties Group are the developers and Kohn Pedersen Fox is the design architect. Occupancy is expected in the spring.

Landscape Renovations Underway At NYU’s Bleecker Street, LaGuardia Place Plazas, Greenwich Village

6:30 am on February 19, 2016 By Vitali Ogorodnikov

New York University’s 1.6-million-square-foot expansion looms on the horizon, in anticipation of its distant 2035 completion. However, well ahead of any significant redevelopment, a smaller overhaul of street-adjacent community space is already underway. NYU is collaborating with the NYC Department of Parks and Recreation to upgrade two linear, street-facing plazas at LaGuardia Place and Bleecker Street.

Bronx Borough President Proposes Upgrading Pelham Bay Park’s Orchard Beach Pavilion

6:00 am on February 19, 2016 By Reid Wilson

Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. is proposing to redevelop the Orchard Beach pavilion, an individual landmark, that currently serves as the focal point for Pelham Bay Park, in the East Bronx. The structure, which was completed in 1936, would be transformed to allow for more event space, food concessions and retail space, according to The Real Deal. Nearby the pavilion, the park includes picnic areas, the Pelican Bay Playground, and a beachfront. The pavilion portion of the project is being estimated to cost $40 million, although plans have been in the works for some time to upgrade the rest of the beach, which could cost up to $200 million in total. Diaz has designated $10 million in capital toward the project. The Landmarks Preservation Commission would have to approve any alterations to the Orchard Beach pavilion.

Former Allen Street Bathroom Facility Could Be Converted To Food Concession, Lower East Side

1:00 pm on February 17, 2016 By Reid Wilson

The city is expecting to launch a Request for Proposals (RFP) this March to redevelop the long-vacant Allen Street pedestrian mall (public bathroom), located at Delancey Street on the Lower East Side, into a food concession facility. The Low-Down reports the city’s Parks Department is hoping a restaurant operator will lead renovation on the single-story structure, although already $2 million has been raised for the project. Other considerations for the building include community facility space, a library, a visitor’s center, or a return to the facility’s original use of bathrooms. The Lower Manhattan Development Corp. is also invested in the project.

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