SDR Park Grand to Delancey Reconstruction Community Board 3 RESOLUTION

At long last, after many many hours of rewriting, outreach and effort on the part of our communities, we have a resolution!

The nearby neighborhood and grandfathered users will keep us updated once this begins its progress!

SDR Park Grand to Delancey Reconstruction Community Board 3 RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The Department of Parks and Recreation has proposed a reconstruction plan to complete construction at Sara D. Roosevelt Park between Delancey and Grand Streets with the following goals:

Complete Reconstruction of the Park between Grand and Delancey Streets
Creating multipurpose, multigenerational spaces for active and passive uses and neighborhood gathering,
Upgrading and expanding seating and gathering areas throughout the park,
Improving access, circulation, and sight lines in and around the park,
Creating welcoming and ADA-compliant entrances into the park, and pathways throughout the park,
Preserving existing trees and adding new planted areas and trees; and

WHEREAS, NYC Parks held a virtual community meeting and reports that 45 community members attended and ranked the following issues of community importance: Security/safety, Active recreation, Garden & Planting, Maintenance, Amenities, and Circulation; and

WHEREAS, NYC Parks participated in an in-park event to gather more input on wishes for this section from nearby residents, small businesses, and park goers to ensure those who may work evenings or who have no internet access, that was language accessible with NYC Congressman Goldman’s rep, State Senator Kavanagh, Assembly Member Lee, Council Member Marte, The Chinese Progressive Association, University Settlement and the Sara Roosevelt Park Community Coalition with invitations sent to all major stakeholders to reach out to their constituencies; and

WHEREAS, NYC Parks design team followed up with an invitation to community members and stakeholder organizations, after the outdoor event, to send any other suggestions from their constituencies; and

WHEREAS, NYC Parks held an additional stakeholder meeting inviting only The Sara D. Roosevelt Park Alliance after the April CB3 Parks and Waterfront meeting to address concerns raised by their organization; and

WHEREAS, Reconstruction plans from Grand to Delancey have been in discussion for a long time and now there is funding available to rebuild what all agree is a dilapidated section of a park; and

WHEREAS, Community Board 3 is grateful for the efforts of:

Former CM Margaret Chin – $15 million;

DOT – $15 million;

NYS Governor Hochul – $3.5 million via The Sara D. Roosevelt Park Alliance’s application to the DRI;

The former and current mayor with $1.8 million;

Creating a total $35,249,000 to renovate Sara Roosevelt Park from Grand to Delancey; and

WHEREAS, the proposed plan will include the following to address stated and/or known community issues:

Security, Safety and Accessibility

Rebuilding the 2-way bike path with a raised pedestrian walkway along the Chrystie Street side of the park to address pedestrian safety issues. The new height will give more open sightlines into the park
Reducing the amount of fencing to make the park more permeable and accessible
Adding ADA accessible entryways for Grand Street entrance and Delancey street entrance and two more entry points from Forsyth Street for greater visibility in the park for increased sightlines and safety
Revising the Grand Street entrance to Lion’s Gate field, incorporating an ADA-accessible ramp leading to both the field and the adult exercise equipment
Creating a more open and welcoming entrance to public restrooms at Broome Parkhouse
Replacement of interior walkways to ensure ADA compliance
Repairing or replacing the retaining walls
Replacing all interior fencing to adapt to the historic fencing design where it exists. Replacing chain link fencing in Hua Mei Bird Area with iron fencing
Adding upgraded sports lighting to the Lion’s Gate field and additional, upgraded lighting to the multi-use Pit
Adding additional receptacle bins and retaining the disposable needle boxes; and

Garden, Green Space and Tree improvements

Provide designated parking for Parks vehicles alongside Forsyth Street with electric charging stations, to address the issue of Parks vehicles parked on the Broome streetway
New trees and plantings, retaining older trees wherever possible
Bruckner boxes will be created throughout the park for both new and current planting sites
Removal of broken low brick walls abutting the two planting beds on the east and west side of the Delancey Street entryway that attract misuse
Adding low fence perimeters with gate entries to protect plantings and allow for garden maintenance
Restoration of the Hua Mei garden, its footprint retained as the users have requested to preserve, thus “preserving an element which reflects the character and history of Chinatown” and functions “as a non-generic space in the park”
Retain the legacy garden footprint and plantings of the de Britto plot “to preserve elements which reflect the character and history of the area” known in the 1600’s as “The Land of the Blacks” as another “non-generic space in the park”
Preserving the Ribbon plot and expanding the Center plot on Delancey Street

Widening both east and west side plots to allow for planting sites along Chrystie and Forsyth Streets to increase green spaces and the installation of benches throughout
Planting palette that consists mostly of native species including Redbud trees throughout and in gaps to increase diversity and adding well-spaced low plantings including shrubs to maintain visibility.
Adds a Children’s Education Pollinator Garden between the Broome storehouse and the Lion’s Gate soccer field.
Increasing permeable area from 36% to 41%

Recreation, Multi-Purpose community use spaces, and rest area improvements

Adding adult exercise equipment (slated for the north end of this park section)
Retaining the tall fence around the turf field
Replacing the existing turf field with a state of the art synthetic field surrounded by a new, two lane wide, safety surface track for walking and running track
Adding fixed seating and tables and Ping Pong tables in the Broome streetway to help calm bike traffic

WHEREAS, the proposed plan will also include the reconstruction of the Multi-Use Area (aka, “The Pit”) to address stated and/or known community issues:

Fixing the drainage issue

Raising the Broome streetway entrance imperceptibly to for ADA accessibility

Retaining the multi-use area as a ‘blank slate’ to allow for the variety of current uses including, Tai Chi, tennis, pike polo, community festivals, bike riding lessons, theater events, volleyball, day care visits and activities, sports classes for youth, the Burmese Water Festival, and other community events

Adding downward lights at four corners of The Pit to allow for better visibility, safety and to allow for multi-uses at night.

Resurfacing the Pit surface to address the slippiness.

WHEREAS, there was significant community input requesting the preservation of the current playable area in The Pit for bike polo, unicycle, soccer and other activities including the necessity of maintaining of uninterrupted walls surrounding The Pit to ensure the safety for current sports uses and to prevent drug dealing, drug using, the accumulation of trash and other misuse; and

WHEREAS, The Parks Department will also;

Restore park with materials consistent with parks’ history
Use furnishings appropriate to historic character to park
Support approved temporary art installations that reflect culture(s) here
Will add more opportunities for cultural features (such as, a Lion symbol for Lion’s Gate entry) and will remove Lion Statues currently there
Will assist, if possible, with the addition of an electric charging station for bike

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that Community Board 3 supports the proposed reconstruction of Sara D. Roosevelt Park between Grand Street and Delancey Street as presented, subject to the following conditions:

Installation of wayfinding signs at the entrances to the park to inform elders about the senior protected garden space behind the BRC Senior Service Center in Sara D Roosevelt Park

Retaining the legacy garden footprint and plantings of Hua Mei plot by replacing the fencing and gate while keeping the height and placement of the existing southern entrance to the Hua Mei Garden. The east entrance on the rebuilt interior path will be removed, with no other gate added on the west side, and the protective southern chain link fencing separating Hua Mei Garden from The Pit will be preserved, with the decorative fencing restored on the northern side

Creating a curb at least 6 inches high underneath the west fence between Broome St Plaza and The Pit

Adding inserts to allow for the quick installation of a volleyball or tennis net in the Pit area to accommodate other sports activities

Keeping The Pit free of benches and other impediments that may affect the playability and safety of the multi-purpose area
No ADA ramps at north end to preserve this as a blank slate multi-use space for all the current varied uses and any others in future. A wide ADA accessible entryway into the space from Broome Street.