Freshkills Park

NYC PARKS MEETS WITH STATEN ISLAND COMMUNITY TO REPORT BACK ON ANCHOR PARK SCOPING IDEAS

Freshkills Park design underway for first phase of improvements at the northern site

Earlier this week, NYC Parks held a Community “Report Back” Meeting for the Anchor Park Project at Freshkills Park on Staten Island. Local residents attended the meeting at the mid-island Staten Island Jewish Community Center to review the top concerns and priorities expressed at the November public scoping meeting, and hear how NYC Parks is planning to accommodate local interests in the proposed conceptual design.

At 2,200 acres, Freshkills Park was one of five parks in the city selected to each receive $30 million in improvements through the Mayor’s Anchor Parks program. Each Anchor Park was selected based on historical underinvestment, high surrounding population, and potential for park development. The Anchor Parks program is part of NYC Parks Commissioner Mitchell Silver’s Framework for an Equitable Future, a commitment to create thriving public spaces for all New Yorkers.

After a scoping meeting in November 2016, NYC Parks’ designers compiled and analyzed community input, identifying matters which were of common interest. Among the chief ideas for Freshkills Park were:

• Multi-purpose ballfields
• Adult fitness equipment
• Paths for biking, walking, running
• Hiking trails
• Gathering spaces
• Comfort station
• Parking

The schematic design for the initial phase of the project will be presented to the local Community Board in March, along with a Conceptual Master Plan for the entire park. Additional phases outlined in the Master Plan will undergo their own scoping and input sessions before design begins.