q u e e n s Queensbridge, Ravenswood, Long Island City, c i t y Hunter’s Point, Sunnyside, West Maspeth c o u n c i l 2009 d i s t r i c t 26 Woodside, Elmhurst, Maspeth

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 : Vernon Boulevard Street-End New Yorkers for Parks’ Com- munity Design Program enables New Yorkers in areas under- served by green space to take ownership of their local parks and open spaces. Neighbor- hood groups engage in a design process to create or renovate parkland, reflecting the unique goals of their own communities. New Yorkers for Parks collabo- rated with the Newtown Creek Alliance, a local conservancy Hunter’s Point Park, Hunter’s Point group, to create a conceptual park plan for the Vernon Boule- The Bloomberg Administration’s physical barriers or crime. As a result, vard Street-End, which will create PlaNYC is the first-ever effort to studies show significant increases in new parkland in the community. sustainably address the many infra- nearby real estate values. Greenways Visit www.ny4p.org for more structure needs of New York City, are expanding waterfront access information on the Community including parks. With targets set for while creating safer routes for cyclists Design Program. 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: Queens

QUEENS Beaches and Lifeguards Park Inspection Program Ratings: Parks by the Queens vs. Citywide (% rated acceptable) Numbers Queens offers a diverse array of parks and open Queens Citywide spaces. From small urban playgrounds to the seven 100% 2,090 mile long Rockaway Beach, Queens residents can Acres of natural areas enjoy a variety of open space opportunities. Rockaway 90% Beach on the Atlantic Ocean provides recreation and 260 a reprieve from the summer heat for residents across Playgrounds 80% New York City. As described in The Report Card on Beaches, New Yorkers for Parks’ independent evalu- 180 70% Comfort stations ation of City beaches, maintenance poses a unique 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 challenge to the Parks Department due to heavy usage The Parks Department conducts 5,000 park inspections annually 776 during the summer months. Unlike parks, beach through their internal rating system, the Park Inspection Program. Drinking fountains operations require strict safety precautions such as lifeguards. Although the Rockaway Beach community 244 has struggled with the continuing lifeguard short- Athletic felds age that leads to closed areas of the beach, the Parks 316 Department recruited a record number of lifeguards Basketball courts in 2008, nearly hitting their target. 805 Four non-profit partner groups fundraise for Greenstreets Queens parks, in addition to 10 groups that raise money to support parks citywide. 10 Pools

Queens Park Staffing 20 Gardeners & Assistant Gardeners 236 City Parks Workers At left: Austin Playground, Jamaica & Associate Park Above: Astoria Park, Astoria Service Workers 61 Queens has the 2nd lowest percentage of land devoted to parks of the fve boroughs. Park Supervisors Queens Citywide Park acreage 7,321 29,000 19 Recreation Directors & Percent of borough devoted to parks 11% 14% Specialists Queens has the 3rd highest number of residents per acre of parkland of the fve boroughs. 5 Total population 2.2 million 8 million Playground Associates Residents per acre of parkland 305 276 28 Queens has the 2nd lowest tree canopy coverage of the fve boroughs. Parks Enforcement Patrol Tree canopy (trees on public and private land) 20% 24% (PEP) Offcers & Urban Park Rangers Number of street trees per mile of sidewalk 49 41 00.5 1Miles

Queensbridge Park, Queensbridge queens City Council Distr¯ ict 26

Manhattan Valley From Queens Community Board 2: * East Harlem District Statistics HARLEM MEER BRONX KILL a c r e a g e o f c i t y p a r k s Randalls Island Total district acreage 4,453 Constant use of our parks Total parkland acreage 62 ‘‘ 8 Percent City parkland Parks & playgrounds acreage 53 necessitates daily clean-up of total district acreage Percent parkland 1% Citywide 14% Berrian's Island RIKERS ISLAND CHANNE and maintenance of the park RESERVOIR ConEdison 42 p o p u l a t i o n Carnegie Hill Wards Ranking of City parkland sites in Community Board 2. Island acres/resident Population 161,795 (1=highest, 51=lowest) 21 DR LUYSTER CREEK Population under 18 33,222 Overflowing trash baskets Percent under 18 21% SHORE BL 40 Acres parkland per 1,000 residents <1 combined with piles of litter E 86 ST EAST RIVER Ranking of City parks & Upper East Side playgrounds acres/child Acres parks & playgrounds per 1,000 children 2

AV 19 Yorkville AV ARK P ST throughout the parks attract 1 ST 4 AY l a n g u a g e a c c e s s CD 26 Citywide AV 9 ST 27 33 ST STEINW AV E 79 ST AV HO 27 ST 24 ON YT AV 45 ST Most common foreign language spoken at home Spanish Spanish AV 19 RD vermin and rats, which are EAST END MAIN AV LEXINGT 23 Percent of homes speaking this language 26% 18% AST AV 8 ORIA BL 1

NEWT 22 ST Lenox Hill 38 ST detrimental to our residents O WN 78 ST E 72 ST AV GRAND CENTRAL P 30 AV ARKW c i v i c e n g a g e m e n t CD 26 Citywide 14 ST AV ORK AY 5 Y DITMARS BL 1 Registered voters 79% 76% and discourage use of our E 68 ST AST 30 DR 25 ORIA BL S AV BQE EAST Number general parks-related 2 31 DR St Michael's FDR DR ET SB 21 311 calls per 1,000 residents 7 10 precious open spaces. MAIN ST Roosevelt Island Cemetery 31 Number of parks-related 311 calls for maintenance AV Astoria 45 ST BOR

38 ST 10 ST 28 OUGH PL per 1,000 residents 1 1 AV 76 ST Ravensw3 ood 35 ST 30 RD 5 29 ST WEST CHANNEL 4 72 ST 37 41 ST Statement of Needs for Fiscal Year 2008 EAST CHANNEL AV NEWT 30 AV p a r k r e s o u r c e s CD 26 Citywide 50 ST

14 ST O WN RD Does not include capital funding allocated to multiple districts or citywide.

BR Sutton Place OA DW 60 ST District-specific capital funding, 2004–2009 $740,000 $4.2 million ’’ 7 AY ON PL S 5 51 ST Parks, playgrounds SUTT 8 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 49 ST 25 EAST RD Long Island City W 6 OODSIDE Results of the Parks Department’s internal inspections. 41 39 AV AV 60 PL VERNON BL

64 ST 54 ST FY 2004 FY 2008

43 AV and beaches 100 75 ST AV 48 ST 42 RD BARNETT 35 AV 1 Socrates Sculpture Park 11 Bridge and Tunnel Park 80 AV AmtrakHONEYWELL Ya ST rds 92% 91% 88% 59 ST 86% 2 Rainey Park 12 Murray Playground 60 17

50 ST 46 ST 39 AV EAST RIVER 15 38 AV T AV 3 Ravenswood Playground 13 Lou Lodati Playground 13 SKILLMAN40 ROOSEVEL 12 64 ST rated 43 AV THOMSON AV 16 cent parks AV AV 54 ST 60 ST AV 51 ST

4 Spirit Playground 14 Noonan Playground 20 41 “acceptable” CKSON 33 ST 47 RD JA r Pe

42 ST 5 ST 11 ST Woodside 5 Queensbridge Park 15 Lawerence Virgilio Playground 10 0

21 ST 6 Queensbridge Baby Park 16 Doughboy Plaza 9 Sunnyside CD 26 Citywide 47 26 AV 60 ST 49 AV 11 44 AV 72 ST 7 Dutch Kills Playground 17 Hart Playground 51 ST 18 2 ST 54 53 AV AV 14 74 ST AV o p e n s p a c e 37 ST CD 26 Citywide 23 ST

GALE 27 ST

49 ST 8 Playground Thirty-Five 18 Jennings Park 61 ST DUTCH KILLS GREENPOINT 19 Number of community gardens per 1,000 acres <1 4

59 ST AV New Calvary 9 Andrews Playground 19 Bush Park 29 ST 39 PL Cemetery 20 PULASKI BR Vacant lot acreage 106 8,512 Blissville 66 ST AV 10 Hunter’s Point Park 20 Nathan Weidenbaum Park BQE WHALE CREEK TYLER Percent vacant 2% 4% COMMERCIAL ST 51 AV GARFIELD MANHA LAUREL HILL BL AV

PR CALAMUS AV

OV

37 ST 69 PL FREEMAN ST TT 53 OST ST Calvary Cemetery AV 52 AV h e a l t h AN

LEGEND nn DPR community gardens AV JJ BYRNE MEM BR Number of hospital admissions per 10,000 residents: CD 26 Citywide

WEST ST 53 Mt Zion AV QN MIDT 1/4 Mile nn Other community gardens NEWTOWN CREEK REVIEW Cemetery 53 AV Asthma 17 31

O 66 ST WN EP SR S AV

MOUL AV

Council District Border KINGSLAND nn DPR beaches Greenpoint URICE 53 DR Diabetes 17 11 TRIE ST 48 ST MA * 71 ST nn New York City Department of nn State and federal parkland BRIDGEW 55 AV * A TER ST AV AV 58 ST Y Parks and Recreation (DPR) JA e d u c a t i o n CD 26 Citywide W City-owned vacant land 33 50 ST O nn T AY ST U AV ID QU AV NASSA M parks, playgrounds and * BORDEN S AV N NORMAN ECKFORD ST E Percent fourth graders meeting standards in math 88% 81% UE Q DPR schoolyards-to- BUSHWICK INLET Q greenstreets 56 ST AV Percent fourth graders meeting standards in reading 69% 63% 61 ST 58 playgrounds sites 49 ST nn DPR natural areas * MASPETH CREEK MASPETH

58 PL AV AV 60

(Schoolyards-to-playgrounds is a citywide PlaNYC initiative 64 ST BEADEL ST 58 AV to open schoolyards to the public during afterschool hours.) ON ST 68 ST 49 ST N 10 ST 58 RD R NEWT UST ST Maspeth 69 47 ST AV FRESH POND RD North Side AV GE PL RICHARDSON ST PA GRAND MASPETH N 3 ST NEWTOWN CREEK 54 ST OODPOINT RD 30 W 60 AV AV ENGLISH KILLS GRAND ST GRAND ST NURGE METROPOLIT 54 PL UNION AN AV

East Williamsburg SCO

AV TT South Side AV

34 AV MENAHAN ST WK TEN EYCK STAGG ST GRAND

FLUSHING W VIEW 64 ST OOD AV AV W 60 PL S 9 ST ARD AV DE KALB

Tools for Action Williamsburg LEONARD ST UM ST BOER ST NICHOLAS Let your elected officials know how important parks are to you. KEAP ST Ridgewood CYPRESS 62 ST AV AV

City Council Member: Eric N. Gioia [email protected] AV SHALER Queens Community Board 1 (718) 786-3335 LINDEN ST 33 ON ST ST NICHOLAS AV LEE DEBEVOISE ST MIDDLET Queens Community Board 2 (718) 533-8773 AV

AV 65 AV VE ST Queens Community Board 5 (718) 366-1834 O WILLOUGHBY GREENE GR City of New York 311 or www.nyc.gov 37

State and Federal Representatives www.elections.state.ny.us STEPHEN ST BQE ET NB 36 Bushwick New Yorkers for Parks www.ny4p.org AV VERNON Vernon Playground, Queensbridge

b o a r d c h a i r p h o t o g r a p h y Supporters About New Yorkers d a t a s o u r c e s 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 26 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 Bill DesJardins 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), Tim Francis 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 Christine Kaelin 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 Susan McCartney 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 Laura Napier 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 Mark Sanders Norman and Rosita Winston parks for all New Yorkers. m a p d a t a Michael Bierman David Silverstein 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