Greenpoint, North Side, South Side, b r o o k l y n Williamsburg, Brooklyn Heights, Cobble Hill, c i t y DUMBO, Vinegar Hill, Downtown Brooklyn, c o u n c i l 2009 d i s t r i c t 33 Boerum Hill, Park Slope

Parks are an essential city service. They are the barometers of our city. From Flatbush to Flushing and Morrisania to Midtown, parks are the front and backyards of all New Yorkers. Well-maintained and designed parks offer recreation and solace, improve property values, reduce crime, and contribute to healthy communities.

s h o w c a s e : Grand Ferry Park New Yorkers for Parks’ award- winning Report Card on Parks project was designed in 2002 and is the only independent, annual survey of the maintenance of parks in all fve boroughs. It tells New Yorkers how their parks are doing in key service areas, like bathrooms, playgrounds, and pathways. Every summer New Yorkers for Parks inspects park properties across the city to ad- vocate for improvement. Grand Ferry Park received a grade of C- on the 2007 Report Card on Greenpoint Park, Greenpoint Parks. Shortly after, the park was The Bloomberg Administration’s physical barriers or crime. As a result, renovated and reopened in June 2008. Visit www.ny4p.org for PlaNYC is the first-ever effort to studies show significant increases in more information on the Report sustainably address the many infra- nearby real estate values. Greenways Card on Parks. structure needs of New York City, are expanding waterfront access including parks. With targets set for while creating safer routes for cyclists stormwater management, air quality and pedestrians, and the new initia- and more, the City is working to tive to reclaim streets for public use update infrastructure for a growing brings fresh vibrancy to the city. population while addressing envi- ronmental concerns. Through ambi- New York City’s population is tious goals to increase access to parks projected to increase by one million and open spaces, New York’s fiscally new residents by 2030, and demand prudent administration affirms that for our 29,000 acres of parkland investing in parks is good business. will only grow. It is imperative that creative efforts to expand our open Park innovations have flourished in spaces continue—but perhaps more recent years. The creation of Hudson importantly, existing parks must be River Park and the revitalization of protected, maintained and adequate- Bryant Park allow access to areas ly funded to best serve current and that were previously off-limits due to future New Yorkers. City Council District Profiles City Council District Profiles Citywide

Citywide Parks by the A New Master Plan for Parks Numbers Significant steps have been made toward PlaNYC’s parks and open space targets, which include ensuring 29,000 that every New Yorker lives within a 10-minute walk Acres of parkland of a park and planting 1 million trees. Important 1,700 projects like the development of regional parks and Parks the “schoolyards-to-playgrounds” initiative, which opens schoolyards after hours to the public, increase 1,000 recreation space, thus resulting in an even greater Playgrounds need for maintenance funds.

2,300 PlaNYC shows the City’s commitment to Greenstreets improving open space and recreation opportunities. 12,000 Now, we must take the next step and create a master Acres of natural areas plan for New York City’s parks, which does not exist today. A master plan would respond to particular 600,000 neighborhood and regional needs and outline how Park trees best to expand the park system to serve current 2 million and future residents. Street trees Any expansion to the parks system requires 14 maintenance funding. Most city parks rely on Miles of beaches public funding, but this is not a predictable source as evidenced by the current economic recession. 800 While spending on park maintenance increased by Athletic felds 50 percent under Mayor Bloomberg between 2003 50 and 2008, a gloomy economic forecast can be expect- Recreation centers ed to result in cuts to the Parks budget in 2009 and beyond. Public-private partnerships will be affected 66 by the recession as well. Innovative funding streams Pools —as well as improved management strategies— can help ensure that the parks system will 6 weather these storms. Top: Breininger Playground, Queens Ice rinks Above: Central Park, Manhattan 22 Historic house museums Historical City Funding for the Parks Department (Adjusted) 1,000 $500 Monuments, sculptures and $400 historical markers d o l l a r s $300 o f

$200 m i l l i o n s $100 in

$0 ’89 ’90 ’91 ’92 ’93 ’94 ’95 ’96 ’97 ’98 ’99 ’00 ’01 ’02 ’03 ’04 ’05 ’06 ’07 ’08 ’09 ’10*

f i s c a l y e a r *2010 = Projected budget By the Borough: Brooklyn

BROOKLYN Waterfront Reclamation Park Inspection Program Ratings: Parks by the Brooklyn vs. Citywide (Percent rated acceptable) Numbers Brooklyn’s Prospect Park was Frederick Law Brooklyn Citywide Olmsted’s self-declared masterpiece. But until 100% 973 recently, Brooklynites have been sorely lacking in Acres of natural areas recreational opportunities along the waterfront. 90% Thanks to several large waterfront projects new 291 attention has been brought to Brooklyn’s coast. Playgrounds 80% The expansive Brooklyn Bridge Park will offer unprecedented access to the water, and the 172 70% Comfort stations Bloomberg Administration’s rezoning of the 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 Greenpoint-Williamsburg waterfront promises The Parks Department conducts 5,000 park inspections annually 852 new recreational opportunities and greenspace. through their internal rating system, the Park Inspection Program. Drinking fountains

Five non-profit partner groups fundraise for 246 Brooklyn parks, in addition to 10 groups that Athletic felds raise money to support parks citywide. 343 Basketball courts 480 Greenstreets 16 Pools

Brooklyn Park Staffing 20 Gardeners & Assistant Gardeners 208 City Parks Workers At left: Herbert Von King Park, Bedford Stuyvesant & Associate Park Above: Lieutenant Joseph Petrosino Park, New Utrecht Service Workers 66 Brooklyn has the lowest percentage of land devoted to parks of the fve boroughs. Park Supervisors Brooklyn Citywide Park acreage 4,481 29,000 30 Recreation Directors & Percent of borough devoted to parks 10% 14% Specialists Brooklyn has the 2nd highest number of residents per acre of parkland of the fve boroughs. 13 Total population 2.5 million 8 million Playground Associates Residents per acre of parkland 550 276 27 Brooklyn has the 3rd lowest tree canopy coverage of the fve boroughs. Parks Enforcement Patrol Tree canopy (trees on public and private land) 21% 24% (PEP) Offcers & Urban Park Rangers Number of street trees per mile of sidewalk 45 41 00.5 1Miles Newtown Barge Terminal Playground, Greenpoint brooklyn City Council District 33

64 ST F R A M Roosevelt Island 3 W 47 ST From Brooklyn Community Board 2: AV 10 ST 7 Ravenswood 35District Statistics Sutton Place 29 ST 37 AV a c r e a g e o f c i t y p a r k s AL 8 14 ST 36 W 42 ST T E 52 ST AV Total district acreage 2,983 GGIO HY 55 28 ST Turtle Bay Community Board 2 has made SHUBER Midtown Total parkland acreage 141

JOE DIMA ‘‘ Percent City parkland Parks & playgrounds acreage 95 the development of additional EAST RD of total district acreage 41 39 Percent parkland 5% AV AV VERNON BL AV Long Island City open space, particularly active open Midtown South 2 43 Citywide 14% AV 42 RD Tudor City Amtrak Yards 30 space, and recreational facilities AV Ranking of City parkland p o p u l a t i o n

ARK Murray Hill 3 P acres/resident 4 Population 158,497 and the upgrading and maintenance AY E 34 ST THOMSON (1=highest, 51=lowest) AV

DW 26 W 23 ST AV Population under 18 38,252 CKSON 33 ST AV 47 RD JA OA

5 ST 11 ST 11 of existing facilities a top priority. BR Hunters Point Percent under 18 24%

Chelsea 21 ST E 26 ST 36 Acres parkland per 1,000 residents <1 49 47 AV AS AV Ranking of City parks & The Board recognizes that there is S 54 53 AV 2 ST AV AV AV playgrounds acres/child 37 ST Acres parks & playgrounds per 1,000 children 2

40 ST GALE AMERIC Flatiron ARK P 27 ST an urgent need to expedite the pace E 23 ST DUTCH KILLS GREENPOINT THE AV Ne 29 ST OF GALE 39 PL l a n g u a g e a c c e s s CD 33 Citywide PULASKI BR Blissville AV Gramercy of rehabilitating the existing parks WHALE CREEK AV

MANHA Most common foreign language spoken at home Spanish Spanish 1 DUPONT ST

2 PR

West Village OV

FREEMAN ST TT Percent of homes speaking this language 13% 18% to better serve more people. OST ST Calvary Cemetery OPHER ST E 14 ST AN CHRIST AV JJ BYRNE MEM BR Stuyvesant Town WEST ST NEWTOWN CREEK REVIEW c i v i c e n g a g e m e n t CD 33 Citywide

Greenwich Village MOUL AV Greenpoint KINGSLAND Registered voters 76% 76% Statement of Needs for Fiscal Year 2008 2 TRIE ST East Village 3 BRIDGEW Number general parks-related ATER ST AV 311 calls per 1,000 residents 8 10 PRINCE ST ST QUAY * AV* NASSAU AV ’’ NORMAN MC GUINNESS BL Number of parks-related 311 calls for maintenance BUSHWICK INLET 7 per 1,000 residents 2 1 Soho D * MASPETH CREEK AV

V Parks, playgrounds 4 5 ARICK BEADEL ST AV p a r k r e s o u r c e s CD 33 Citywide V Little Italy ANDER Tribeca N 10 ST 6 T ST Does not include capital funding allocated to multiple districts or citywide.

V and beaches HERBER OOR North Side AV RICHARDSON ST MASPETH District-specific capital funding, 2004–2009 $1.4 million $4.2 million Lower East Side T N 3 ST NEWTOWN CREEK AV 1 Newton Barge Terminal 18 Bartlett Playground IVY HILL RD RIVER ST OODPOINT RD Playground Chinatown W 19 Middleton Playground LORIMER ST REWE ST Civic Center GRAND ST p a r k s i n s p e c t i o n p r o g r a m r a t i n g s 1 8 GRAND ST ENGLISH KILLS 2 Greenpoint Playground GARDNER 20 Penn Triangle UNION JUDGE ST Results of the Parks Department’s internal inspections. SCO 3 American Playground WILLIAMSBURG BR East Williamsburg TT 21 Classon Playground South Side AV FY 2004 FY 2008 AV AV 4 Bushwick Inlet Park 100 V 22 Brooklyn Bridge Park 34 ARICK WK 5 McCarren Park 80 TEN EYCK STAGG ST 89% AV RANDOLPH ST 88% 23 Harry Chapin Park GG ST 84% 86% STA STEW 6 Ericsson Playground 9 60 24 Squibb Park 10 AR 12 T EAST RIVER 1140 LEONARD ST AV Financial District 13 rated 7 Monsignor McGolrick Park UM ST 25 Cadman Plaza Park 14 BOER cent parks

1520 “acceptable”

8 Grand Ferry Park r Pe BR JOHN ST RAILR 16 26 Columbus Park OOKL NAVY YARD BASIN HOOPER ST MOORE ST 22 O AD 0 9 Epiphany Playground YN BR GEE AV 27 Pierrepont Playground GOLD ST AV 17 KNICKERB CD 33 Citywide Fulton Ferry OISE ST JEFFERSON ST AV 10 Bedford Playground YORK ST DEBEV 28 Palmetto Playground 3320 18 O 11 Sobel Green 23 19 o p e n s p a c e CD 33 Citywide 5 ST WILLOUGHBY

29 Van Voorhees Park VY ST PAULDING ST CUMBERLAND ST 24 W 21 CLARK ST NA NASSAU ST Number of community gardens per 1,000 acres 8 4 12 Marcy Park South 30 Sixteen Sycamores Playground 25 Navy Yard AV

13 Rodney Park South PZ ADMAN TILLARY ST Vacant lot acreage 65 8,512 31 North Pacific Playground C BQE DE KALB 27 AV ON ST Brooklyn Heights HALL ST VERNON Percent vacant 2% 4% 14 Roberto Clemente Ballfield Downtown WT

32 Gowanus Playground Y ST LA JA JORALEMON ST W 15 Roebling Playground ASHLAND PL 33 Boerum Park 26 ASHINGT Clinton Hill LIVINGST WILLOUGHBY ST h e a l t h AV 16 Jacob’s Ladder Playground 28 STA ON ST DE KALB VAN BUREN ST VE ST TE ST O Number of hospital admissions per 10,000 residents: CD 33 Citywide 34 Thomas Greene Playground ON PK BUTTERMILK GR CHANNEL 17 De Hostos Playground 29 STUYVESANT AMITY ST SCHERMERHORN ST Asthma 20 31 35 Park Slope Playground PA Fort Greene AV ON AV TCHEN CLIFTON PL GREENE LEXINGT S POR Diabetes 10 11

RALPH MARCY KANE ST AV AV Boerum Hill TLAND Bedford Stuyvesant 30 C T AMBRIDGE PL

OMPKINS AV LEGEND nn DPR community gardens Cobble Hill AV 31 AV e d u c a t i o n CD 33 Citywide HICKS ST 35 UNION ST ON ST 33 32 W PA 1/4 Mile ADELPHI ST nn Other community gardens ARREN ST CIFIC ST AV CLA Percent fourth graders meeting standards in math 85% 81% DOUGLASS ST HALSEY ST PRESIDENTCLINT ST SMITH ST LEWIS

ARLINGT Council District Border VER PL nn DPR beaches 36 DECATUR ST Percent fourth graders meeting standards in reading 69% 63% RALPH Y ST LEFFER AV FLA TS PL MAC DONOUGH ST MLA I 1 PL TBUSH ON PL nn New York City Department of State and federal parkland DELEV PRESIDENT ST UNCEY ST nn CHA * AV 34DE GRA T AN ST Parks and Recreation (DPR) W ST AV Carroll Gardens UNION ST nn City-owned vacant land 1 ST * parks, playgrounds and Prospect Heights 4 ST ATLANTIC AV greenstreets Q DPR schoolyards-to- NELSON ST WK Y ST 2 ST 35BERKELEY PL Weeksville playgrounds sites PARK PL nn DPR natural areas HENR 6 ST. BASIN OUGH 1 ST STCREAMER STRed Hook 7 ST. BASIN 4 ST. BASIN Q 3 ST AV PROSPECT PL AV EGO 8 LINCOLN PL

(Schoolyards-to-playgrounds is a citywide PlaNYC initiative KINGSBOR 1 ST PROSPEC GOWANUS CANAL Crown Heights AV T MONTGOMER to open schoolyards to the public during afterschool hours.) Gowanus ON PL

AV STERLING PL ALO CLASSON

AV

* BUFF AV 6 ST Y PL 4 YN HAMPT 5 ST EASTERN PY LINCOLN PL BRY Park Slope FRANKLIN ANT ST OOKL C ARROLL ST BR HENRY ST BASIN UNION ST PRESIDENT ST

12 ST AV 8 ST W 19 ST 39 OY TR GOWANUS BAY 15 ST OSPECT PK Wingate PR SULLIVAN PL 41

ST Tools for Action LEFFERTS AV OP

KINGST Let your elected officials know how important parks are to you. E 92 ST WINTHR

E Prospect Lefferts Gardens 24 ST PR ON E 46 ST 9 City Council Member: David Yassky [email protected] OSPECT 20 ST AV 28 ST AV 17 ST AV Brooklyn Community Board 1 (718) 389-0009 OP ST WINTHR * CLARKSON * D Brooklyn Community Board 2 (718) 596-5410 * X R LENO Brooklyn Community Board 6 (718) 643-3027 Windsor Te rrace PROSPECT LAKE 34 ST 38 KENMORE PL T ST TR AV X RD OY Rugby City of New York 311 or www.nyc.gov UFF LENO

ANDERBIL E 55 ST V OODR E 38 ST AV Greenwood Cemetery W 38 ST 36 ST

State and Federal Representatives www.elections.state.ny.us E 3 ST AV

JOHNSON PL CHURCH

New Yorkers for Parks www.ny4p.org 43 ST E 45 ST AV AV E 51 ST 7 BUCKINGHAM RD SNYDER AV 6 McCarren Park, Williamsburg TILDEN AV

E 10 ST 40 AV * E 34 ST

E 49 ST E 8 ST CHURCH FRIEL PL ALBEMARLE RD 45 Holy Cross Cemetery Y RD ALBEMARLE RD BEVERL E 57 ST

39 ST E 5 ST

Sunset Park ALBEMARLE RD Y RD E 43 ST CANARSIE LA MINNA ST BEVERL BEVERLY RD

E 21 CLARENDON RD d a t a s o u r c e s b o a r d c h a i r p h o t o g r a p h y CH SupportersTEHAMAO ST About New Yorkers AV L E 8 V WS CT Catherine Morrison Golden David Silverstein, Manager Altman Foundation for Parks All data is from 2008 unless noted. “Citywide”: Parks by the Numbers - NYC Department of Arthur Ross Foundation Parks and Recreation (DPR); Budget chart - Adopted Budgets, NYC Office of Management and e x e c u t i v e d i r e c t o r District 33 Photographer: New Yorkers for Parks is the only Greenacre Foundation Budget (OMB), FY 1989-2009, Preliminary Budget, OMB, FY 2010. “By the borough”: PIP Ratings, Christian DiPalermo David Silverstein independent watchdog for all the By the numbers & Staffing - DPR; Trees -“Trees Count!” Street Tree Census report, 2005-2006, DPR; Henry and Lucy Moses Fund city’s parks, beaches and playgrounds. This page: Population - Census2000; Language access - Infoshare.org; Civic engagement - NYC Board Ben Carlson d i s t r i c t p r o f i l e s s ta f f John N. Blackman, Sr. Foundation The city’s oldest and leading inde- of Elections and NYC Department of Information Technology and Telecommunications (DOITT), Bill DesJardins Cheryl Huber, Director Abby R. Mauzé Trust pendent expert on park conditions, FY 2008; Park resources and PIP ratings - DPR: Community Gardens - Council on the Environment of Tim Francis NYC; Vacant land - MapPLUTO copyrighted by the New York City Department of Planning, BYTES Alyson Beha The Armand G. Erpf Fund efficiency and funding, New Yorkers Christine Kaelin of the BIG APPLE; Health - NYS Department of Health, 2006 via Infoshare.org; Education - NYC and Andrea Marpillero-Colomina The Dana Foundation for Parks has worked for 100 years Susan McCartney NYS Departments of Education, 2007-2008, analysis by the Annenberg Foundation. The Rhodebeck Charitable Trust to ensure greener, safer, cleaner g r a p h i c d e s i g n e r Laura Napier Norman and Rosita Winston parks for all New Yorkers. m a p d a t a Michael Bierman Mark Sanders Foundation NYC Parks properties - DPR; State parks - NYS Department of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation; National parks - National Park Service, 2006; Council District boundaries - BYTES of the Big Apple, DCP, 2005; Schoolyards-to-Playgrounds - DPR. The Future of New York City Parks

With the promise of Fresh Kills Park parks, the money is directed to the City’s in Staten Island and the completion of General Fund. New Yorkers for Parks has regional parks citywide, New York City’s long advocated for City Hall to allow the park system will expand over the coming Parks Department to retain a portion of decades in a manner not seen since the this revenue to offset maintenance costs 1930s. With sound planning and sufficient throughout the system, as is done in other funding, our park system will flourish. cities such as Chicago.

Although the City has an obligation to Property Taxes: Business Improvement fund parks, we have seen that in times of Districts have a long history of funding fiscal crisis, parks suffer. We must ensure park maintenance through tax revenues, that all parks—particularly those that with Bryant Park as the lead example. cannot rely on private funding—receive Friends of Hudson River Park is pursuing adequate public support. this structure. Such arrangements place some of the costs of park maintenance While “friends of” groups and the robust on businesses or residents whose property volunteer program administered through values benefit from a well-maintained park. Partnerships for Parks have a positive im- pact on park maintenance, more dollars are Public-Private Partnerships: More than needed. Park advocates have long debated 30 park-specific non-profits around the how to ensure funding streams outside of city fundraise for specific parks—such as the city budget to maintain our parks in all the Battery Conservancy and the Riverside fiscal climates. The funding mechanisms Park Fund. Groups typically raise money below have been successful in New York for capital projects or ongoing park main- City and elsewhere. Now is the time to tenance; however, this strategy has worked carefully examine these strategies to plan only in high-income areas. for the future. Zoning Bonuses: Developer incentives Concessions: More than $50 million is to improve open space can produce earned annually from concessions such as successful results. In West Chelsea, the food stands and ice skating rinks operated City passed a special zoning amendment on City parkland. Some public-private that allowed developers to build higher in partnerships are allowed to keep a portion exchange for contributing to an ongoing of concession revenues earned in particular maintenance fund to benefit the new parks through unique agreements with public High Line Park. This structure the City. But in the vast majority of should be explored citywide.

New Yorkers for Parks The Arthur Ross Center for Parks and Open Spaces 355 Lexington Avenue, 14th Floor New York, NY 10017

Tel: 212-838-9410 / Fax: 212-371-6048 Top: Madison Square Park, Manhattan Middle: Flushing Meadows-Corona Park, Queens www.ny4p.org Above: Vidalia Park, Bronx