Regional Parks
Eight sites across the city at least one in every borough have been re-envisioned as regional parks. The Parks Department plans to enhance these existing green spaces and turn them into destinations for the 21st Century green gems admired by residents and visitors from across the City and around the world. We have been working with community organizations and individual residents to create designs that celebrate local heritage and the cultural spirit of the region.
One of our main objectives in designing these parks is to provide more recreational opportunities to keep New Yorkers healthy and active. Many of our preliminary designs include sports facilities, such as for soccer and baseball, which reflect the shifting recreation interests of today´s New Yorkers.
Regional Parks at a Glance
Calvert Vaux Park, Brooklyn
Calvert Vaux Park, in the Bensonhurst neighborhood of south Brooklyn, was planned as a regional park eight times the size of Bryant Park, full of both passive and recreation opportunities. But due to limited resources and lack of coordination amongst individual organizations, many of the playing fields at this 77 acre park were not fully developed. By 2013, this park will finally reach its becoming a large community open space and a center for competitive soccer and baseball for all of south Brooklyn.
Fort Washington Park, Manhattan
The 160 acre site already offers tennis courts, baseball diamonds, and scenic walking paths along the Hudson. However, cars driving by the Henry Hudson Parkway separate this long, narrow park from the rest of the city and there is only one main entrance along a mile and a half long stretch.
With funds from the State Department of Transportation, improvements will be made to greenways in and around the park to increase community access. New access points will enable the Parks Department to open up underutilized areas, and therefore will provide new recreational opportunities such as new soccer and volleyball facilities for Upper Manhattan.
Read MoreHighland Park, Queens
The former Ridgewood Reservoir is nestled within the broader expanse of Highland Park. Built in 1856 on a natural basin, the reservoir was used until 1959 and served as a backup water supply for Brooklyn and Queens until 1989. By preserving many of the natural elements that have flourished since that time, while also creating new recreational opportunities, Highland Park will become a diverse public space for this expanding community.
McCarren Park, Brooklyn
Opened in 1936, then closed in 1984 due to the deterioration of its systems, McCarren Pool will finally be rebuilt as both an outdoor Olympic size pool and a year round recreation center serving the people of north Brooklyn. The restoration will also include a diving pool, a skating rink, and a performance space.
Ocean Breeze Park, Staten Island
Ocean Breeze is a 110-acre park that used to be part of an adjacent hospital campus. Most of the park is sand dunes and wetland and must remain in its natural state. But there is a large parcel of approximately 10 acres where active recreational activities can take place. Ocean Breeze is our single best opportunity on Staten Island to create much needed major athletic facilities, including soccer fields, baseball fields, and the city´s third premier indoor track and field facility.
Soundview Park, Bronx
Soundview Park was built on a landfill in the South Bronx. Today the 212-acre park offers the surrounding community six grass baseball fields, one cricket pitch, one track, a playground, and a soccer field. Even with those facilities, we can do more. There are 93 acres that could provide additional recreational space for the growing South Bronx community. New athletic fields will be accompanied by environmental improvements, including the restoration of a salt marsh.
The High Bridge, Bronx and Manhattan
The High Bridge is the oldest remaining bridge in New York City. First opened in 1848, the 1200-foot-long, 116 foot tall High Bridge walkway was closed to regular public use around 1970. Standing majestically over the Harlem River, this restored bridge will provide Bronx residents with new access to the parks of the northern Manhattan greenbelt, including the Highbridge pool and recreation center. The bridge will also provide an important greenway link for all New Yorkers.
Rockaway Park, Queens
More than 35 years ago, the bungalow colonies and amusement parks of the Arverne section of the Rockaway Peninsula were demolished to make way for an urban renewal project that never materialized. The amenities along the boardwalk, such as public comfort stations, have deteriorated. Now major developments in the area, such as the Arverne by the Sea project, are under construction and will attract a large, vibrant residential community. This project will provide facilities to serve these new residents, as well as visitors from all over the city.