As controversial Greenpoint developments Greenpoint Landing and 77 Commercial Street wind their way through the land use review process, the city is finally moving to deliver two long-delayed parks that were promised in exchange for the controversial rezoning that has reshaped the North Brooklyn waterfront and permitted the huge gigantic towers complexes to be built.

Construction on Newtown Barge and Box Street Parks is scheduled to start in spring 2015, officials told DNAinfo. The Greenpoint Landing and 77 Commercial Street towers will rise right next to the parks, and the developers are helping fund the five acres of green space as part of their agreement with the city. The city committed to building the two parks back in 2005, but it took the city eight years to find an alternative storage space for the Roosevelt Island Tram cars stored on the property.

The planning phase for the parks begins next week. A public meeting is planned October 30 at Bushwick Inlet Park at 6 pm to solicit ideas and community feedback. Current plans for Box Street Park call for a multipurpose field, a shaded picnic terrace and a launching pad for kayaks on Newtown Creek. Newtown Barge Park would expand beyond an existing playground at the site to include a picnic area and more recreational space. The parks are slated to open in 2016.

City Moves Forward on Two Long-Awaited Greenpoint Parks [DNAinfo]
Park Plans [NYCEDC]
Image via NYC Parks Department


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