Park Archives - Page 3 of 3

Developer seeks rezoning for McCarren Park apartments

webadmin on May 26, 2021

It is possible that the view from McCarren Park will radically change once again.
A developer is applying to rezone 840 Lorimer Street in order to build a ten-story, mixed-use building across the street from the North Brooklyn park. Applicant Shabsi Parnes is requesting a C4-5D zoning for the property, which would allow for retail and office space beyond the building’s ground floor.
The property has been zoned MX-8 since the large Greenpoint-Williamsburg rezoning in 2005.
If approved, the new construction would build a ten-story building with 74 apartments, 30 parking spaces, and office space and retail space. Nineteen of the apartments would be affordable housing with income restrictions and rent regulations in line with the mayor’s Inclusionary Housing program.
However, developers’ affordable housing commitments have recently been facing heavy skepticism regarding the starting price for units in affordable housing lotteries (the affordable units at 1 Boerum Place in Downtown Brooklyn recently sold at a starting price of $2,000 per month).
The proposed building would wrap around the current building on the corner, home to the bar-restaurant Bernie’s. The location was previously home to the iconic Park Luncheonette Diner for over 30 years, which was known for the feathers customers would sometimes find in their food that were blown in from a nearby factory.
If approved, the rezoning would radically change the corner of Lorimer and Driggs Street and would add to a trend of development along the perimeter of McCarren Park.
Bernie’s is located next to the Grand McCarren park, a new six-story rental building that opened in 2019 in a refurbished industrial building. Rentals at the Grand McCarren average $3,972 per month.
The project at 840 Lorimer Street is the latest of many Greenpoint properties eyed by developers. The Meserole Theater on Manhattan Avenue is currently set to be replaced by a five-story apartment building.
A passionate Facebook group called The Meserole Theater Project is fighting to halt the developer.
Additionally, developer Schlomo Karpen is seeking a rezoning at 1 Wythe Avenue to build an eight-story, mixed-used structure on the triangular lot.
Hudson Companies, Inc. is also preparing for the land-use review process for the massive Greenpoint Hospital redevelopment at 288 Jackson Street across the street from Cooper Park.
Elsewhere in Brooklyn, the Gowanus Rezoning is currently entering the land use review process after a prolonged legal battle.
The project would rezone 80 square blocks of the neighborhood to make way for new developments, including a controversial plan to build housing on the highly polluted “Public Place” site along the Gowanus Canal. The project is currently facing significant community push back.

Mayor announces $31 Million for Brooklyn park projects

webadmin on May 19, 2021

This past Monday, Mayor Bill de Blasio and Parks Commissioner Mitchell Silver announced that construction has begun on four new capital projects in Brooklyn.
Representing more than a $31 million investment, the projects are focused on adding to and improving green space throughout the borough.
“A recovery for all of us means increasing access to parks in historically underserved neighborhoods and creating greener, healthier communities,” de Blasio said. “These four Brooklyn parks will bring joy to and serve New Yorkers for generations to come.”
The four projects include the construction or renovation of parks in multiple neighborhoods.
In Williamsburg, new recreational facilities will be added to Bushwick Inlet Park at 50 Kent Avenue. The additions include new seating areas, expansive lawns with views of Manhattan, and water sprinklers for the summer.
“For years, North Brooklyn has been asking ‘where’s our park?’” said Assemblywoman Emily Gallagher. “With this historic investment at 50 Kent, we’re one giant step closer to making the full Bushwick Inlet Park a reality.”
In Ocean Hill, Callahan Kelly Playground will receive its own renovation. The project will add fitness equipment and a skate park.
“This needed upgrade continues the legacy of Ocean Hill-Brownsville, as a neighborhood where residents can live, play, and raise a family,” said Assemblywoman Latrice Walker.
DUMBO’s Susan Smith McKinney Steward Park will be reconstructed with a new playground, fitness area, synthetic turf, and performance stage. Formerly Bridge Park II, Susan Smith McKinney Steward Park was officially renamed last December as part of Parks’ efforts to honor the Black experience.
Susan Smith McKinney was the first African-American woman in New York State to receive a license to practice medicine. She was born, raised, lived, and practiced in Brooklyn.
“Green spaces are critical for wellbeing, for children to play and as a gathering point for the community,” Congresswoman Nydia M. Velázquez agreed in her own statement. “These new projects will go a long way in bringing park equity to places like North Brooklyn and throughout the borough.”
Lastly, La Guardia playground in Williamsburg will be furnished with new play equipment, seating, landscaping, and a spray shower.
The La Guardia renovation will be completed through the Community Parks Initiative (CPI), the City’s first-ever parks equity initiative. Phase I of this CPI project was completed in fall 2020 and reconstructed the sports courts and plaza in the southern part of the park.
“It’s great to see our Parks capital projects getting underway again,” said Councilman Steve Levin. “Both of the long-awaited projects in District 33 will add much needed open space for people to use.”

Rediscover Forest Park’s living monument

webadmin on May 13, 2021

Just over 100 years ago, a beautiful tradition was launched in Forest Park. It was the creation of a living, breathing memorial to 70 young men from Woodhaven who lost their lives in World War I.
Although our country’s time in the war was brief, we suffered many casualties and Woodhaven was hit very hard. Week after week, the front page of the Leader-Observer announced the names of the newly dead and wounded.
It was a dramatic turnaround from the early days of our involvement in the war, when the newspapers and the public were quite enthusiastic, sending our young men off with rousing cheers and festive parades.
In the days and months after the war ended, residents of Woodhaven wanted to create a unique monument to the young men whose lives were lost. The idea they finally settled upon was original indeed, and the press stated that it was the first of its kind in the United States.
In May of 1919, 53 trees were planted along the road entering Forest Park at Park Lane South and Forest Parkway, each to honor a soldier that perished. Over time, as more names were added to the Honor Roll, the number of trees grew to approximately 70.
And every Decoration Day (as Memorial Day was originally known), families would gather in Forest Park and decorate the memorial trees. A large granite monument with a plaque listing the names of the dead was erected atop that hill, across from the golf clubhouse.
The residents of Woodhaven referred to that hill as Memorial Knoll, and the annual parade would end there among the memorial trees.
Chairs would be set out on the lawn in front of the clubhouse and hundreds and hundreds of veterans, family members and residents would march up that hill to pay tribute to the dead.
According to reports in the Leader-Observer, veterans from the Civil War marched up that hill and took part in ceremonies.
It was a beautiful tradition that faded away due to a series of events triggered by the widening of Woodhaven Boulevard in the late 1930s and early 1940s.
The American Legion headquarters sat on the old Woodhaven Avenue, and it had to be torn down to make way for the ten-lane Woodhaven Boulevard.
The city reimbursed the Legion and they built a new headquarters at 88th Avenue and 91st Street behind PS 60, where it sits today.
And since they had a nice new building with a lovely front yard, they decided to move the monument from Forest Park to its current location. If you’ve ever been to a WRBA meeting or at the senior center, then you’ve seen this monument. It’s still there, listing the names of these young heroes.
But once the monument was moved the parade route was switched, and as families moved away or died off or just plain forgot, the tradition of decorating the trees disappeared.
But the trees are still there.
Sure enough, time has been harsh to the trees and many of them have fallen, but quite a few of these trees have passed the century mark. They still stand proudly on Memorial Knoll high above Woodhaven.
The Woodhaven Cultural & Historical Society and American Legion Post 118 worked together to revive the tradition of decorating the trees in 2015. They have been decorated every Memorial Day since then.
It’s a beautiful walk, and as the road from the bandshell to Oak Ridge is still currently closed to vehicular traffic, it’s a walk that can really be savored and enjoyed.
If you’re going to get out and walk in the park any time soon, please consider making Memorial Knoll a part of your route.

Rediscover Woodhaven’s living monument

webadmin on May 13, 2021

Public sounds off on updated W’burg park redesign

webadmin on May 4, 2021

The controversial renovation of Marsha P. Johnson State Park in Williamsburg continued its long and winding journey towards reopening during three design review sessions this past week.
In early 2020, the park officially changed its name from East River State Park to Marsha P. Johnson State Park to honor the legacy of the notable LGBTQ+ activist and 1969 Stonewall Uprising leader.
The site was closed soon thereafter due to the pandemic, and remains closed to renovate and redesign the park in honor of its new namesake.
However, the proposed redesign, which would include the installation of a large, plastic mural on one of the park’s two concrete slabs, drew the ire of community organizers and Williamsburg residents.
In a series of public hearings last months, community members and the family of Johnson criticized the redesign for failing to properly honor the activist’s legacy. They demanded the state Parks Department abandon its redesign in exchange for one that would reflect Johnson’s well-documented love of flowers.
The department complied, and for the past three weeks landscape architecture firm Starr Whitehouse has been working on a new design.
This past week, the department and firm held three public review sessions to gather community feedback for the proposal. Two of the design reviews were held in person at the park at 90 Kent Avenue and one was held virtually.
“This has been the most iterative process I’ve even been involved in,” explained Laura Starr, a founding partner of Starr Whitehouse, at the virtual design review. “I think we have included almost every suggestion in some way. I love all of the feedback we’ve received at the in-person meetings.”
While some elements of the park’s original design have been kept, including the playgrounds, many other aspects have been completely redeveloped. Most notably, the plastic mural was scrapped in favor of more green space and flowers.
Starr Whitehouse is also still in the process of implementing additional community suggestions into the design. These include an amphitheater space, an entrance gate, narrative plaques to tell Johnson’s life story, and several safe spaces and resources for the LGBTQ+ and Trans communities.
“We are still massaging the design drawing,” Starr explained. “We are taking in all our input now, even if we won’t be able to implement it until later.”
However, Monday’s design review still garnered a fair amount of criticism.
“In my opinion, the park looks a little commercial like,” said Anika Dorsey Good, Johnson’s great-niece. “It has green space, but it isn’t very vibrant. As a family member, we don’t want the only thing commemorating Marsha when this park opens to be a metal plaque. We want the park to really embody who Marsha was.”
New York City regional director for State Parks Leslie Wright pushed back against the critics.
“We are not in a position to parse it tree by tree,” Wright said. “We are here to figure out what the greatest consensus is on the biggest points, so we can get the park open as soon as possible.”
While not discussed at Monday’s event, the redesign has also drawn criticism for its relationship to the Smorgasburg Food Festival traditionally held every Saturday at the site.
In past design reviews, proponents of Smorgasburg have lobbied for more concrete space in the park to house food trucks and tents. Critics of the food festival have pushed back against such suggestions.
After two final public review sessions this coming week, the Parks Department and Starr Whitehouse will finalize their plans and move forward with a new design. The park is then expected to fully reopen at some point in 2021.

Wind turbine plant opens in Sunset Park

webadmin on April 27, 2021

Sunset Park celebrated Earth Day early with the opening of a new wind turbine assembly site on the 39th Street pier on Monday.
This past January, the Norwegian energy company Equinor was given the greenlight by the state Energy Research and Development Authority to construct three offshore wind farms near off coast of Long Island.
The company decided on the 39th Street Pier as their assembly site for the new turbines, placing the southern Brooklyn neighborhood at the forefront of New York’s fight against the climate crisis.
The project will also reconstruct the derelict pier, which has been abandoned for decades. The revitalization project will be funded by the company and by state-matched funds. The wind turbines assembled at the site will be as tall as the Chrysler Building.
“Today we are here to honor the progress that Sunset Park and Brooklyn’s working waterfront are making in the path to the greener future,” said Congresswoman Nydia Velazquez during an event on Monday. “The victory for the community brings us one step closer to a working sustainable waterfront by creating a production hub for the offshore industry in New York City.”
The 73-acre facility will operate as the staging, installation, and maintenance for the planned wind farms, two of which will be located about 50 miles away from the Verrazano Bridge. The third farm will be located further East off the coast of Long Island.
Assembly at the Sunset Park site is expected to begin in three years, after a long process of permitting, construction, and repair.
It will also generate new jobs for residents of Sunset Park and the surrounding area, and Equinor is planning on sourcing materials from local businesses.
“A more resilient New York must be a place where we provide opportunities, investment, and good union jobs as part of our adaptation, especially for often neglected communities in the outer boroughs that have borne much of the brunt of climate change,” said Councilman Justin Brannan of Bay Ridge. “Utilizing our unique waterfront and ports in southern Brooklyn to manufacture renewable energy like wind turbines is one major way we can do that.”

Macy’s volunteers help clean LIC park