There was a presentation in Carroll Gardens by the Gowanus Canal Conservancy last night to show off the design for a proposed "Sponge Park" that would along the shores of the Gowanus . The park design comes from dlandstudio and "would be aesthetically beautiful while working to reduce the problem of contaminated water flowing into the Gowanus Canal. The plan proposes a continuous esplanade running the length of the canal (and extending into the neighborhood at certain points) and designs for the publicly-owned street ends and bridge crossings that would connect to this walkway." The park time frame is nearly a decade.
· After the Hudson & Toll Brothers Gowanus Vision: 'Sponge Park' [Curbed]
HUDSON SQUARE—On this glorious Spring day, a reader sends a photo of the New Museum as seen from a distance. He writes: "Just digging the New Museum in this April mid-day light. View looking east from Hudson Square." Hell yes. [CurbedWire Inbox]
BRONX—For those that recall the disappearance of parks and upset about distribution of community benefits associated with the building of the new Yankee Stadium, there was a ribbon cutting today to promote the opening of a renovated playground and playing fields. The city wants everyone to know that "the $2.4 million playground and ballfield renovation marks the first completed permanent project associated with the Yankee Stadium Redevelopment" and that it "covered a formerly barren asphalt yard" with synthetic turf, etc. About 21 acres of Macombs Dam Park and Mullaly Parks went for the stadium and associated facilities. [CurbedWire Inbox]
The big Williamsburg power plant proposal is dead, right? Well, it's dead, but only kinda' sorta' because the Dracula of Brooklyn Proposals has yet to get the definitive stake shoved through its heart. In other words, there are always appeals that can be filed. One process was started today, but what's riveting is the wording in the press release from TransGas, which reads a little bit like what would have happened if an angry guy from the Communist Party USA had run a PR writing workshop for corporate execs in 1985. The release uses phrases like "zeal to appease" former Deputy Mayor Dan Doctoroff," "suicide mission to sacrifice" the future, charges of pandering to "well-heeled, largely white" gentrifiers and more. In that sense, it is one of the most superb press releases from a business on a dry topic we have seen in years.
Oh, little Gowanus Canal, how you might someday change. Earlier, we had the big news about Gowanus Green. A few weeks ago, we got the Toll Brothers vision for their hunk of Gowanus paradise. Now, we have something from the Gowanus Canal Conservancy for "Sponge Park," which would be a waterfront esplanade and park that would extend on the East Bank of the canal from the Third Street Bridge north toward the Carroll Street Bridge. The park has many eco-features and runs along property that is part of the Gowanus Village site owned by developer Shaya Boymelgreen that is currently on the market for $20 million. The design and rendering come from dlandstudio and includes an esplanade and a park on "one of the last large parcels of open land adjoining the water," which would mean either part of the Boymelgreen property or land used by Verizon. The time frame for a canal a cleanup stretches until nearly 2020.
· New Gowanus Canal Vision: Sponge Park [Gowanus Lounge]
· Affluent May Deal with Gowanus Effluent Until 2013-2020 or So [Curbed]
HARLEM—It looks like it's time to ratchet up the pressure to approve the rezoning of 125th Street. Today, Community Board 11 sent out a press release announcing a $1.4 million deal reached in mid-March with Vornado over its Harlem Park building that will include Major League Baseball's cable network as a tenant. The money will be divvied up for things like job training and streetscape improvements. The rezoning got conditional support from Community Boards 9 & 11 and conditional disapproval from Community Board 10. Per an email from Community Board 11, which approved the deal with Vornado: "The development team was looking for community support for an amendment to the New York City Department of City Planning’s 125th Street Corridor Rezoning Plan." [CurbedWire Inbox]
IN THE PARKS—In another sign that Spring is here, tomorrow is the official opening day for ballfields in parks around the city. Also, for those keeping track, cricket fields also open tomorrow. Here are some other opening days: lawn bowling & croquet fields on April 26, beaches on May 24 and pools on June 27. [CurbedWire Inbox]
When we last checked on the Randall's Island 'Field of Schemes' issue, it had been seriously wounded by a judge's decision against the city's plan to sell rights to use athletic fields on the island to nearly two dozen exclusive private schools. The judge said the huge plan had to go through the city's land use review process. In the meantime, work has started on a big 20-court tennis complex with a 4,000 seat stadium. As it turns out, work has not stopped on the athletic fields either, and yesterday, opponents were back in court trying to tell the judge that the city was thumbing its nose at the court and that its order was being "eviscerated." Construction continues, but the judge may take a field trip to the island.
· Bitter fight over park goes on [Metro]
· Judge Kills Randall's Island 'Field of Schemes' Plan [Curbed]
There was much progress in Williamsburg last night on two major waterfront plans, that for the big Bushwick Inlet Park and for the Greenpoint-Williamsburg portion of the Brooklyn Greenway. Community Board 1 voted in favor of the Greenway in a room that was packed to capacity. Meanwhile, the rendering shows "Phase 1" of the big new city park immediately to the north of East River State Park, which is now a huge parking lot. The surprise is that work on the the athletic field will start in the fall and that the field will be open next summer. Work on "Phase IB," which will be a maintenance building / Comfort Station / Community Space with a playground will start next summer and finish in Summer 2010. There will also be "wetlands" later on.
RED HOOK—A tipster sends along this three-story tall, building length tag from at Van Brunt and Dikeman Streets in Red Hook, writing, "Not sure what the story with this building is, but a pointed message appeared very very recently... like last night... along the entire side of the building." The Billie Holiday poster has been there for a while, though. Does it mean Red Hook is still sinking or is it a good sign? [CurbedWire Inbox]
NYC PARKS—New Yorkers for Parks issued the first ever crime tacking survey for New York City parks and found that Flushing Meadows Park has the most crime in the city and two parks in Staten Island had the least. A total of 308 crimes were reported in the 20 sites over 18 months. Flushing Meadows Corona Park in Queens, home of that excellent new swim center, reported the highest total number of crimes (99), followed by Prospect Park, Riverside Park, Bronx Park and Pelham Bay Park. [CurbedWire Inbox]
The renderings here are from a proposal from the "Water's Edge" design team for East River State Park in Williamsburg that residents are still pitching to local officials. It's been presented to a number of community meetings and features a "green and sustainable" design for the park. In reality, the big gain for spring is added personnel and some lights so it can stay open later in the evening, which has been a point of contention. These images have been floating around for a while in PDF form, but they're not a bad thing to contemplate on Good Friday with Spring weather around the corner. Regardless, there won't be power plant next door and, perhaps, eventually another park.
· Waters Edge Proposals [Add Your Mark to the Waterfront]
· Hipsters Stake Claim to New Williamsburg Park [Curbed]
The big proposed TransGas Power Plant on the Williamsburg/Greenpoint waterfront is finally dead. For real. The power plant, which managed to cling to life for several years after it was supposedly "stopped" by community objections was definitively laid to rest today by an obscure state agency called the Siting Board. The plant, most of which would have underground, would have gone on land south of the Bushwick Inlet that the city wants to turn into a big park. It would have been north of East River State Park, The Edge and Northside Piers condos. Joe Lentol, an Assemblyman who led the fight against the plant issued a statement saying he was "thrilled" at the decision and that building the plant would have been "a travesty and a betrayal." The city still faces a long process putting together all of the land for the park. The utility owns the eight acres that would form part of the park and the same Assemblyman has suggested taking it via eminent domain.
· Will End of Gas Pains Clear Way for Big New Burg Park? [Curbed]
· Brooklyn Waterfront Still Has (Trans)Gas [Curbed]
Don't look now, but there's more trouble for Brooklyn Bridge Park. This time, it's not specifically related to a budget that's doubled from $150 million to $300 million, but about how plans will impact the water. Today's Post reports that the park "is a major money pit that's now in danger of losing its biggest draw - waterfront activities like rowboating, canoeing and kayaking." Why? The state Department of Environmental Conservation "has serious concerns" about plans that include a marina for yachts, motorboats and sailboats. In other words, the DEC won't issue a permit because it thinks the plans will hurt the fish and the Empire State Development Corp. is being asked to change the plans. The park covers 85 acres, 12 of which are on the water and 8 of which are reserved for 1,400 condo units. The issue isn't just boats but major park features like floating walkways and other features. Negotiations on finding a solution are underway, but "drastic revisions" may be needed. Peddle boats tossed in the terraces at One BBP?
· B'klyn Row a No-Go [NYP]
· Brooklyn Bridge Park Pricetag Skyrocketing [Curbed]
Williamsburg and Greenpoint can eat their hearts out on the pool and ice skating front, at least for today. The big new Flushing Meadows-Corona Park Natatorium and Ice Rink is opening today and at at $66.3 million, it's said to be the costliest recreation building ever constructed in a city park. It hold a million gallons of 80-degree water, which is sounding good pretty good. The design comes from Handel Architects and was designed "in the dynamic spirit of the pavilions of the World's Fairs..with soaring masts supporting a cable stay long span structure over the rink and pool and a crystalline entry lobby that glows at night." A lot going on and, possibly, to come in this corner of Flushing. No worries, McCarren Pool will be ready in a few years.
· Modern Pool for Public is Opening in Flushing [NYT]
· Flushing Pool & Ice Rink [Handel Architects]
First, the Randall's Island water park dream was dispatched to sleep with the fishes. Now, a judge has driven a stake through the heart of the city's plan to sell rights to use athletic fields on the island to nearly two dozen of some of the city's most exclusive private schools. The deal would have let private schools build and rebuild playing fields on the island, but the huge plan didn't go through the city's land use review process. The deal was bitterly opposed by groups of park advocates, East Harlem and South Bronx residents, public school parents, students and youth league teams. The opponents sued because they said the deal was like privatizing park land without any public review. Yesterday, a State Supreme Court Judge agreed and canceled the deal. The city can appeal or can go back to the drawing board and negotiate an arrangement that would ultimately have to go to the City Council for a vote.
· Deal Over Randalls Island Sports Fields is Voided [NYT]
· Judge Rips Field of 'Schemes' [NYP]
· Judge Kills Randall's Island Deal [Metro]
Between luxe prewar apartment building 1 Sutton Place South and the East River there is a lawn—a lush paradise (above left) that the building leased from the city for $1/year for most of the 20th Century until the lease quietly expired in 1990. A few years back, longtime Curbed readers will recall, the city finally noticed this fact and drafted plans to bring the park back into public hands with a full overhaul (above right). Residents of 1 Sutton Place (including Sigorney Weaver) weren't happy about this possibility, and vowed to fight.
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