23 City Council District Profiles
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QUEENS Glen Oaks, Floral Park, New Hyde Park, CITY Bellerose, Oakland Gardens, Jamaica Estates, COUNCIL 2009 DISTRICT 23 Holliswood, Queens Village 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. SHOWCASE : Cunningham Park Until 2006 the City did not spe- cifically track crimes occurring on city parkland, and therefore no data was available to tell citizens about the safety of their parks. New Yorkers for Parks worked with the City Council and Mayor to pass legislation mandating the tracking of crime in the 20 largest parks, with the eventual goal of including every park. Cun- ningham Park is one of the initial 20 parks, and in our 2008 report, “Tracking Crime in NYC Parks,” we offer details on crime data Bellaire Playground, Holliswood collected in the park. Visit www. The Bloomberg Administration’s physical barriers or crime. As a result, ny4p.org for more information on park safety. PlaNYC is the first-ever effort to studies show significant increases in sustainably address the many infra- nearby real estate values. Greenways 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 fields 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 DOLLARS $300 OF $200 MILLIONS $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* FISCAL YEAR *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 fields 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 five 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 five 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 five boroughs. Parks Enforcement Patrol Tree canopy (trees on public and private land) 20% 24% (PEP) Officers & Urban Park Rangers Number of street trees per mile of sidewalk 49 41 Alley Pond Park, Oakland Gardens QUEENS CITY COUNCIL DISTRICT 23 00.5 1Miles CLEAR 254 ST VIEW EXPRESSW Bayside AV 170 ST District Statistics ALE ON AV DEEPD CROCHER Auburndale ACREAGE OF CITY PARKS 256 ST Total district acreage 6,954 AY 193 ST 19 Total parkland acreage 1,148 A THERN BL UBURND NOR OAKLAND LAKE Percent City parkland Parks & playgrounds acreage 989 47 AV CLO of total district acreage Percent parkland 17% ALE LA VERD 18 Citywide 14% ALE BL 167 ST AV 208 ST 53 13 65 AV 8 12 Ranking of City parkland POPULATION HOLLIS COUR 17 acres/resident Population 153,079 GRAND CENTRAL PY (1=highest, 51=lowest) 50 AV T BL Population under 18 33,524 FRANCIS LEWIS BL 20 21 Percent under 18 22% Oakland Gardens 14 COMMONWEAL 1 15 19 6 Acres parkland per 1,000 residents 7 56 AV Ranking of City parks & 20 11 LANGD playgrounds acres/child Acres parks & playgrounds per 1,000 children 30 22 215 ST TH BL 5 ALE ST LANGUAGE ACCESS CD 23 Citywide 69 AV Most common foreign language spoken at home Spanish Spanish 59 AV 2 23 267 ST 3 CR Percent of homes speaking this language 9% 18% OSS ISLAND P AV 77 AV 16 83 260 ST AV 10 Y 83 RD KINGSBUR Hospital 249 ST CIVIC ENGAGEMENT CD 23 Citywide WINCHESTER BL ARKW Registered voters 78% 76% 253 ST Utopia 181 ST TP 4 UNION AV AY Number general parks-related Floral Park Fresh Meadows 6 24 311 calls per 1,000 residents 25 10 ONGHURST 23 254 ST Number of parks-related 311 calls for maintenance STR Bellaire 25 SPRINGFIELD BL per 1,000 residents 1 1 BRADDOCK 9 AV Bellerose Hillcrest PARK RESOURCES YMAN ST CD 23 Citywide L Does not include capital funding allocated to multiple districts or citywide. 24 7 26 District-specific capital funding, 2004–2009 $4.6 million $4.2 million 16 215 ST 7 ST AV Nassau County PARKS INSPECTION PROGRAM RATINGS St. John’s UGHLIN AV 93 RD AV P Holliswood A Results of the Parks Department’s internal inspections. University MC LA ALO KENO Jamaica Estates HOLLIS COUR 8 208 ST AL JAMAIC FY 2004 FY 2008 CHEVY CHASE ST TO Queens Village 100 ST EDGER 80 94% 221 ST HENLEY RD AV 88% 88% 91 T BL 86% 60 T WN ST ON BL HEMPSTEAD 40 191 ST rated cent parks r Jamaica Hills HOMELA AV CR 20 “acceptable” Hollis OSS ISLAND PY Pe 210 ST 0 166 ST CD 23 Citywide 219 ST 165 ST 27 AV 88 200 ST 170 ST 87 RD AV OPEN SPACE CD 23 Citywide 160 AV 18 1 89 AV WELL V 3 RD 90 1A BA Number of community gardens per 1,000 acres <1 4 From Queens Community Board 13: Vacant lot acreage 38 8,512 LEGEND nn DPR community gardens Parks, playgrounds Percent vacant 1% 4% 1/2 Mile nn Other community gardens and beaches Council District Border nn DPR beaches HEALTH Number of hospital admissions per 10,000 residents: CD 23 Citywide We are specifically requesting 1