Page 32 - The Indian EYE 100926

NORTH AMERICAN Newsline OCTOBER 09, 2026 | The Indian Eye 32

After Decades of Delays,

Mayor Mamdani Announces Greenpoint’s

Box Street Park is Finally Underway

OUR BUREAU Eastern redbud trees, colorful purple
love grass and little bluestem grasses,
New York, NY
and Virginia rose and seaside gold-
ayor Zohran Kwame Mam- enrod shrubs and perennials.
dani, Parks Commission- “New Yorkers cherish our city’s
Mer Tricia Shimamura and outdoor public spaces, and every
NYC Economic Development Cor- community across the five boroughs
poration (NYCEDC) Commissioner deserves a high-quality park close to
Anthony Shorris have announced the home,” said NYCEDC President &
start of construction on Box Street CEO Anthony Shorris. “NYCEDC
Park in Greenpoint, Brooklyn — de- is thrilled to break ground on Box
livering on a decades-old promise to Street Park alongside our partners
transform a former parking lot into at NYC Parks and across city gov-
new public green space for North ernment, closing a key gap on the
Brooklyn. Brooklyn waterfront and delivering a
new vibrant green space the Green-
“Today, we are finally making point community will enjoy for gen-
good on a promise that Green- Williamsburg-Greenpoint waterfront has Greenpoint’s back.” erations to come.”
The $40 million capital project
Once complete, the project will
upzoning. I’ve been fighting along-
point families have been wait- side neighbors ever since then to se- will transform the former site of a fill a critical gap along the waterfront
ing decades to see fulfilled: cure our desperately needed green Metropolitan Transportation Au- at the northern tip of Greenpoint,
turning a parking lot into a space,” said Council Member Lin- thority (MTA) facility into a 2.5-acre connecting with waterfront espla-
park,” said Mayor Mamdani. coln Restler. “While we’ve built tens public park along Newtown Creek. nades to the east and west. The park
Construction is expected to be com-
will ultimately expand an additional
of thousands of new homes in our
“Box Street Park will give New community in the intervening years, pleted by the end of summer 2028. 0.5 acres after the MTA’s Emergency
Yorkers a place to walk, play, Box Street Park remained a broken The park will feature an elevat- Response Unit (ERU) is relocated
rest and gather along the wa- promise. After years of relentless ad- ed esplanade, ADA-accessible path- from the southeastern corner of the
ter, with lush gardens, open vocacy, I’m thrilled that we’re finally ways, terraced granite seating, lush site. The current 2.5-acre capital
breaking ground on this beautiful
gardens, a green lawn, a basketball
green space and pathways new multipurpose public park com- court, a picnic area, separate dog project is fully funded with $34.5 mil-
connecting neighbors to the plete with lush greenery, waterfront runs for small and large dogs and a lion from the Office of the Mayor —
waterfront. And it is proof of seating, dog runs, a basketball court public restroom. including a $2 million investment the
Native plants will cool and clean
what becomes possible when and a public bathroom. I’m thankful the air while strengthening the site’s Mamdani administration made in
the September Capital Commitment
to all the neighbors who refused to
communities organize and give up on our promised park and to resilience to extreme weather and Plan released this week, $500,000
government delivers.” Mayor Mamdani for helping us get creating habitat for local wildlife. from the City Council and approxi-
this done and showing that City Hall Visitors will enjoy blackgum and mately $5 million from local devel-
“Our waterfront is one of our opers through air rights sales and
city’s great natural resources, and private funds.
this new park will give New Yorkers “For more than a decade, I’ve
an accessible and welcoming place been proud to stand with Green-
to connect with their natural envi- point residents and community lead-
ronment and with their neighbors,” ers in the fight to make Box Street
said Parks Commissioner Tricia Shi- Park a reality,” said Congresswoman
mamura. “This community never Nydia Velázquez. “For years, this site
gave up on this park — and neither has been a missing tooth in the string
did we. This project is an important of waterfront parks promised as
step toward delivering the greens- part of the 2005 rezoning. Now, this
pace and waterfront access that all community will finally get the open
New Yorkers deserve, and it builds space it was promised and a place
on the work we’re doing up and for families and neighbors to gather
down the Greenpoint-Williamsburg for years to come. I’m thrilled that
waterfront.” construction is moving forward and
“More than 20 years ago, Green- grateful to Mayor Mamdani, Council
pointers were promised a new park Member Restler and everyone who
on Commercial Street as part of the helped get us to this point.”

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