The Parks Department announced this week that it's going to remove or lower chainlink and iron fencing and spruce up perimeter sections at eight NYC parks, in an effort to make the green spaces more explicitly welcoming and erase some lingering vestiges of bad-old-days New York.
"We are making parks more open, welcoming, and beautiful by focusing on improving entrances, edges, and park-adjacent spaces," the department explains on its website. "We'll make entrances easier to find, the edges of our parks greener... and improve sight lines to make our parks safer."
The NY Times reports that community groups and park stewards recommended 690 of the city's 1,700 parks for Parks Without Borders makeovers. The eight winners will get a $40 million cash injection from Mayor de Blasio's OneNYC coffers.
It looks like Central Park's maddeningly slanted perimeter walls won't be going anywhere anytime soon, but here's a breakdown of the parks that will be seeing changes, with a rough outline of the focus areas in each:
Van Cortland Park in the Bronx: The city will renovate the southwest corner of the park near the entrance to the 242nd Street stop on the 1 train. The entrance is currently lined with a rusty, chainlink fence.
Prospect Park: While Park Slope residents have a dramatic open entrance to the park at Grand Army Plaza, the fencing along Flatbush Avenue on the east side of the park is a mix of spiky iron and chainlink fencing.
The Flatbush Avenue edge of Prospect Park (Google Maps).
Seward Park on the Lower East Side: Adjacent to a public library branch, the park is surrounded by tall fencing and has several gates that are often locked (as the NY Times points out, one of the gates is only unlocked when the library is open, meaning access to the park is often limited). The renovations will focus on increasing access to the park by cutting back on fencing all the way around.
"I would love to walk through the park more, but past the library it is all fences, and if you enter the [entrance] on East Broadway you cannot get out anywhere on the Essex side," one resident told the department during the selection process. "If fences are needed, is there a way to make them less visually obstructive?"
Flushing Meadows Corona Park in Queens: The city plans to add entrances to the park on 111th Street.
Hugh J. Grant Circle / Virginia Park & Playground in Parkchester: The circle, full of benches and green space, is surrounded by a gate that's often locked. The city plans to tear that down and open up the space.
Hugh J. Grant Circle (Google Maps).
Fort Greene Park: The city will focus on the northern edge of the park, which has the fewest entrances. Neighbors who voted for the renovation pointed out that the park is bordered by a solid wall along most of Myrtle Avenue.
Jackie Robinson Park in Harlem: The edges of the park along Edgecombe Avenue and 145th Street have chainlink fencing. The city plans to lower or remove it, and add new benches and tree guards.
Faber Pool and Park on The North Shore of Staten Island: The Richmond Terrace entrance has one pedestrian entrance that's often closed, and two car entrances that make neighbors nervous, especially with small kids.
Parks confirmed on Wednesday that they'll be hosting community meetings for each park later this year. More specific plans will be hashed out with community input.
