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 full of both passive and active recreation opportunities and eight times the size of Bryant
Park. 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. With the completion of this project,
the park will finally reach its full potential as a large
community open space and center for competitive soccer and baseball
for all of south Brooklyn.
Fort Washington Park, Manhattan
Fort Washington Park is a natural and scenic park, a 160–acre strip of dramatic cliffs and grassy meadows along the Hudson River from 145th Street to Dyckman Street. Highlights of the park include views of the Palisades and Hudson River, the Little Red Lighthouse and the George Washington Bridge. Never fully developed, the Mayor's plan is an opportunity to fully realize one of the last undeveloped jewels of northern Manhattan.
Highland Park, Queens
The former Ridgewood Reservoir, nestled in the broader expanse of Highland Park, was 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.
Today, the 50–acre site on the Brooklyn/Queens border consists of three reservoir basins, pump houses and a caretaker's cottage. The majority of the site is undeveloped, creating a striking natural setting with incredible potential for community access.
Read MoreMcCarren Park, Brooklyn
McCarren Pool was one of eleven pools opened by Robert Moses in 1936. With a capacity of 6800, it was the summertime social hub for Greenpoint and Williamsburg. The pool was closed in 1984 and remained closed until it opened in the summer of 2005 as a popular venue for concerts, dance, and movies.
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. There is a large parcel of approximately 10 acres where active recreational activities can take place, giving us 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 along with new athletic fields accompanied by environmental improvements.
The High Bridge, Bronx and Manhattan
The High Bridge is the oldest remaining bridge in New York City.
First opened in 1848 as part of the Old Croton Aqueduct, the 1200–foot–long, 116–foot–tall High Bridge
walkway first brought fresh water to New York City from Westchester County and fueled the city’s northern expansion. It was closed to regular public use around 1970 but still stand
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 High Bridge pool and recreation
center. The bridge will also provide an important greenway link
for all New Yorkers.
Rockaway Park, Queens
The Parks Department is restoring the Rockaway waterfront to its former glory. More than 35 years ago, the Arverne section of the Rockaway Peninsula was redesigned as part of an urban renewal project that never materialized. The PlaNYC Regional Parks plan is the first major redesign of the Parkland since that time.