Hugh J. Grant Circle

21st CENTURY PARK SYSTEM: NYC PARKS CELEBRATES $10.3 MILLION PARKS WITHOUT BORDERS TRANSFORMATION AT HUGH J. GRANT CIRCLE AND VIRGINIA PARK

Hugh J. Grant Circle & Virginia Park renovation is one of more than 800 capital projects completed during Silver tenure--building a more equitable park system for all New Yorkers

NYC Parks Commissioner Mitchell J. Silver, FAICP, today joined State Senator Luis R. Sepúlveda, State Assembly Member Karines Reyes, Community Board 9 District Manager William Rivera, Founder & Director of Loving the Bronx Nilka Martel, representatives from the Morris Park BID, members of the Friends of Soundview Park, and community members to cut the ribbon on the newly renovated Hugh J. Grant Circle and Virginia Park through the Parks Without Borders (PWB) Initiative, funded by Mayor Bill de Blasio. The project is one of more than 800 completed under Commissioner Silver’s leadership, advancing the City’s mission to build a more equitable 21st century park system.

“Parks are critical for the health and well-being of New Yorkers, especially during the past year,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio. ”As New Yorkers again head outside to enjoy the spring fresh air, I’m thrilled they’ll be able to add this newly renovated park to their list of places to explore.”

“Hugh J. Grant Circle and Virginia Park have undergone a tremendous transformation, and I’m so proud to have completed this project on time and under budget despite an ongoing pandemic,” said NYC Parks Commissioner Silver. “Thanks to a $10.3 million investment from Mayor Bill de Blasio, these improvements through the Parks Without Borders initiative have made this area a more open, accessible, and seamless part of the community, which will benefit the residents and commuters alike well into the future.”

This $10.3 million Parks Without Borders renovation has completely transformed Hugh J. Grant Circle & Virginia Park, a major confluence of urban activity, located at the center of a busy commercial corridor. As part of the renovation, the park entrances have been completely redesigned, and new pavements, curbs, and fences have been installed to redefine this public space. Benches, drinking fountains, and plantings have also been added, enhancing the overall appearance of the site. New safety lighting at the site also serves to create a safer, more welcoming passage.

Parks Without Borders, part of OneNYC, was announced in November 2015 with a call for community involvement. NYC Parks asked New Yorkers to nominate the sites that would benefit the most from a PWB improvement project. Utilizing an online survey and 37 conferences with citizens, Parks received more than 6,000 nominations for 691 parks—approximately 30 percent of our parks. The eight selected showcase projects, sharing $40 million in funding from Mayor de Blasio, were revealed in May 2016; and an additional $10 million has been applied to another 40 capital projects in progress.

The other PWB projects are: Fort Greene Park (Brooklyn); Prospect Park (Brooklyn); Van Cortlandt Park (Bronx), Jackie Robinson Park and Seward Park (Manhattan); Faber Park (Staten Island); and Flushing Meadows Corona Park (Queens).

800+ COMPLETED CAPITAL PROJECTS
Under the leadership of Commissioner Silver, since 2014 NYC Parks has completed more than 800 capital projects across the five boroughs, advancing the City’s mission to build a more equitable park system for present and future generations. Under this administration, the agency has brought our park system into the 21st century, with guidelines focused on resiliency and access and leading with a data-driven approach to increasing park equity. Parks has also improved its capital process in order to take on more projects and complete them faster. Through these strategies, the agency has reimagined how we invest in parks across the city, including those in communities with the greatest need for open-space improvements that had not seen investment in decades. Parks’ 10-year capital budget is $5.2 billion—the completed projects over the past seven years represents a $1.96 billion investment.