City Commits $30 Million For More Park Space, Not Less

By Brian J Pape, AIA, LEED-AP

Elizabeth Street Garden was lovingly used by its neighbors long before it was saved from the wrecking ball of NYC Parks abandonment. Now the city is making a concerted effort to fund parks, especially small ones like ESG. Credit: Brian J. Pape, AIA.

New York City Mayor Eric Adams and New York City Departments of Parks and Recreation (NYC Parks) Commissioner Sue Donoghue announced a new effort to transform vacant, abandoned lots into green space for New Yorkers and put more residents of the five boroughs within walking distance of a park, a 10-minute walk for an additional 37,000 New Yorkers.

Villagers know what happens when the NYC Parks is underfunded; our parks go to the rats. A recent example is the Elizabeth Street Gardens, which was deed-restricted to be recreation space in perpetuity, given over to the NYC Parks, and left fenced in and abandoned for decades, due to lack of political will and funds. It was saved for our children, first by the funding and work of a local merchant, Allan Reiver and his son Joseph Reiver, and then finally by the mayor and City Council Member Marte’s action to preserve it this year.

As part of the “Vital Parks for All” initiative, Mayor Adams announced that an additional $30 million was being allocated to transform vacant, underutilized, and abandoned lots into parkland, playgrounds, and open green space in neighborhoods that do not currently have access to such space. Since taking office, the Adams administration has committed a total of $80 million to expand New Yorkers’ access to the citywide greenspace network. By transferring land from other city agencies and using neighborhood-wide Uniform Land Use Review Procedure (ULURP) applications, this initiative furthers the Adams administration’s work to ensure that more New Yorkers live within a 10-minute walk of a park. Mayor Adams said, “we’re announcing a new effort to turn vacant, abandoned lots into parks — bringing more green spaces to neighborhoods across New York City that don’t currently have access to them.“

“Parks aren’t just a nice to have — they’re a need-to-have. New Yorkers find respite in the public realm, a place to connect and recharge outside,” said Deputy Mayor for Operations Jeff Roth.

“Access to high-quality parks is not a luxury, it is a necessity for the health and wellness of our communities. Expanding our green spaces is just one of the ways we’re making New York City the best place to raise a family,” said NYC Parks Commissioner Donoghue.

To streamline the selection process for new vacant lots, the city is utilizing neighborhood-wide Uniform Land Use Review Procedure (ULURP) applications to secure land in bulk. These applications, covering 44 sites in total, are designed to reduce bureaucratic delays and increase efficiency in park development. Not all submitted sites will be converted, but successful applications will allow NYC Parks to purchase them from private sellers.

In addition to private acquisitions, many of the new park spaces will come through property transfers from other city agencies, often at no cost. NYC Parks worked with the Department of City Planning and the Department of Housing Preservation and Development to evaluate which sites are more suitable for parkland or housing, factoring in location, size, and surrounding use.

This is truly a step in the right direction.