Spring 2007 • On the Verge • Caring for New York City’s Emerging Waterfront Parks & Public Spaces •• Credits This report is the culmination of a year-long Elizabeth Ernish, Brooklyn Borough Hall Signe Nielsen, Mathews Nielsen series of meetings by a workgroup convened Meg Fellerath, Brooklyn Greenway Initiative Greg O’Connell, Pier 41 Associates by Regional Plan Association (RPA). Public Murray Fisher, New York Harbor School Todd Poole, Bay Area Economics park managers, conservancy representatives, Connie Fishman, Hudson River Park Trust Mike Pratt, Scherman Foundation non-profit parks advocates, developers, design professionals, and agency representatives Peter Fleischer, GIPEC (former) Mary Price, Partnerships for Parks came together to discuss management and Tom Fox, NY Water Taxi Milton Puryear, Brooklyn Greenway maintenance issues of waterfront parks and Lisa Garrison, Hudson River Foundation / Initiative public spaces citywide. The primary goal of New York City Environmental Fund Steven Ridler, New York State Coastal Zone these discussions was to learn from each other’s Amy Gavaris, New York Restoration Project Management experience and assess the opportunities and Marilyn Gelber, Independence Community David Rivel, City Parks Foundation limitations of different management models and funding streams. But out of these site-spe- Foundation KC Sahl, Van Cortlandt and Pelham Bay Park cific discussions, RPA has assembled essential Jasper Goldman, Metropolitan Waterfront Michael Samuelian, The Related background information and identified some Alliance Companies, LP specific city-wide policy recommendations that Tamara Greenfield, Partnerships for Parks Tracy Sayegh, Phillips Preiss Shapiro could help ensure that this new generation of Laura Hansen, JM Kaplan Fund (former) waterfront parks and public spaces meet the Bonnie Harken, Nautilus International Jason Schwartz, Partnerships for Parks promise of a revitalized waterfront. The work group meetings and this report were supported Nate Harris, Partnerships for Parks Paul Seck, Michael Van Valkenberg through the leadership and generosity of the Clay Hiles, Hudson River Foundation / New Associates J.M. Kaplan Fund. Additional support was York City Environmental Fund John Shapiro, Phillips Preiss Shapiro provided by the New York State Department Steve Hindy, Brooklyn Brewery Claude Shostal, Brooklyn Bridge Park of State with funds provided under Title 11 Ron Hine, Fund for Better Waterfront Conservancy of the Environmental Protection Funds. The Jennifer Hoppa, NYC Dept. of Parks and Michael Slattery, meetings were graciously hosted by the Hudson Real Estate Board of River Foundation. While RPA has greatly Recreation New York benefited from the discussions and insight of Tessa Huxley, Battery Parks City Parks David Snetman, Transportation Alternatives the members of the work group, the report’s Conservancy Andy Stone, Trust for Public Land recommendations and any errors or omissions Pat Jenny, New York Community Trust Dennis Suszkowski, Hudson River are our own. Many thanks to the members of Keith Kerman, NYC Dept. of Parks and Foundation / New York City the workgroup: Recreation Environmental Fund Marcie Kesner, Kramer Levin Naftalis & Matthew Urbanski, Michael Van Colleen Alderson, NYC Department of Frankel LLP Valkenberg Associates Parks and Recreation Hilary Kitasei, Henry Hudson Joe Vance, Joe Vance Architects Jeff Baker, New York City Council Parkway Task Force Carol VanGuilder, Real Estate Board of Committee on Waterfronts Ajamu Kitwana, Youth Ministries for New York Bob Balder, Gensler Peace and Justice Donna Walcavage, Donna Walcavage Micaela Birmingham, New Yorkers Alyssa Konon, NYC Economic Development Landscape Architecture + Urban Design for Parks Corporation Meg Walker, Project for Public Spaces Michael Bradley, Riverside South Marianna Koval, Brooklyn Bridge Park Bethany Wall, Riverside Park Fund Development Corporation Conservancy Jae Watkins, UPROSE Alex Brash, National Parks Ruth Kuhlmann, Greenacre Foundation Nancy Welsh, NYSDOS Division of Conseravtion Association Erik Kulleseid, Trust for Public Land Coastal Resources Al Butzel, Friends of Hudson River Park (former) Stephen Whitehouse, Starr Whitehouse Joan Byron, Pratt Center for Andrea Kussack, Mertz Gilmore Toya Wiliford, Independence Community Community Development Foundation Foundation Don Capoccia, BFC Partners Joshua Laird, NYC Dept. of Parks and Craig Wilson, The New York League of Majora Carter, Sustainable South Bronx Recreation Conservation Voters Betty Chen, GIPEC Robert Levine, RAL Design Associates Wilbur Woods, New York City Helen Chin, West Harlem Spencer Levine, RAL Design Associates Department of City Planning Environmental Action, Inc. (former) Paula Luria Caplan, Bronx Borough Elizabeth Yeampierre, UPROSE Kate Collignon, NYC Economic President’s Office Nioka Young, New York Community Trust Development Corporation Stephen Marks, Hudson County Division (former) Chris Collins, Solar One of Planning Linda Cox, Bronx River Alliance Timothy Marshall, ETM Associates, LLC The report was written by Robert Freudenberg Carter Craft, Metropolitan Kim Mathews, Mathews Nielsen and Robert Pirani with the assistance of Waterfront Alliance Emily Maxwell, Partnerships for Parks Nicolas Ronderos, Cara Griffin and Jennifer Curtis Cravens, New York State Vince McGowan, Battery Park City Parks Cox of the RPA staff and a series of research as- Department of State/Brownfields Conservancy sociates: Joy Sinderbrand, Manami Kamikawa, Angela D’Aiuto, North Shore Waterfront Massiel Medina Ferrara, Hudson County Bonnie Hulkower, and Victor Torres. Special Conservancy of Staten Island Division of Planning assistance on the waterfront parks inventory Candace Damon, Hamilton Rabinovitz Kimberly Miller, Municipal Arts Society was provided by Carter Craft and Loren Talbot Alschuler, Inc. (former) (former) from Metropolitan Waterfront Julia Day, Project for Public Spaces Menaka Mohan, Sustainable South Bronx Alliance. Carmen Diaz, Audubon Partnership for Nicholas Molinari, NYC Department of Economic Development LDC Parks and Recreation Noreen Doyle, Hudson River Park Trust Catherine Nagel, City Parks Alliance Report designed by Jeff Ferzoco, RPA Contents 2 Introduction 3 Summary of Recommendations 4 City-wide Context 8 Waterfront Park and Public Space Management Issues 10 Current Management Funding Models 16 Recommendations 21 Appendix Section One Introduction New York City is in the midst of one of the greatest level this playing field but, not surprisingly, the most lucrative partnership opportunities are in expansions of parks and public spaces in its history. neighborhoods with greater financial resources. Taken to its extreme, this can be seen as leading From large regional parks to neighborhood street 1990s. New York City was recently ranked 21st to a “two tier” system of parks: those with private ends to pedestrian-friendly greenways, the cur- among major US cities on operations expenditures resources and those without. rent waterfront revival will likely be remembered per capita by the Trust for Public Land.2 While Parks Moreover, many of these new generation as a time on par with the great park movements of & Recreation has received additional and significant waterfront public spaces are not conceived of the 1860s, 1930s and 1960s. operating funds recently3, organizations such as New as traditional parks and may not be managed There are close to 700 acres of waterfront Yorkers for Parks and others have argued that the by Parks & Recreation. Some public spaces are parks and public spaces in more than 50 projects current budget does not allow the agency to meet its associated with public or private waterfront now being planned or under construction management goals. redevelopment; maintenance of these public throughout the City (over 2,800 acres when Given this shortfall, Parks & Recreation spaces will not be central to the organizational including Fresh Kills Park in Staten Island). has been directed to find additional, site-specific mission of the public or private landowner. The Nearly 60 miles of waterfront access is being resources to support existing and new waterfront new waterfront greenways - key links in the new added through parks, greenways and esplanades.1 management responsibilities. Parks departments waterfront park system - cross multiple property This extraordinary legacy is fueled by have long sought revenues from private concessions, lines. Managing this wonderful connectivity falls available properties, a robust real estate cycle, permits, and philanthropy to help fill funding gaps largely on the City Department of Transporta- and the desire of the public and elected leaders to at existing parks. But today’s new parks seem to be tion (NYC DOT), which has traditionally been reclaim access to the harbor. The City and State required, if not to pay for themselves, to at least to more concerned with moving vehicles than deserve enormous credit for pursing this agenda. have some associated revenue stream. Based on the pedestrians and bicyclists. Ensuring that these But, for every ambitious plan and initial capital average costs of currently operating and future City new breeds of waterfront public spaces have the investment,300000000 there is also the far less glamorous and State parks, new waterfront parks will require same permanence, public character, and vitality task of managing a new public space. around $135,000 an acre each year for management, associated with traditional parks is of concern.