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
Parks, Recreation, Waterfront, & Resiliency Committee
TITLE: Support for the Reconstruction Sara D. Roosevelt Park between Grand Street and Delancey
Street
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, the 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 SDR 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 SDR Park Alliance 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 and replacing
the 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
6Garden, Green Space and Tree improvements
? Provide designated parking for Parks 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 for ADA accessibility
? Retaining the multi-use area as a ‘blank slate’ to allow for the variety of current uses including, Tai
Chi, tennis, bike 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 the 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 the park with materials consistent with parks’ history
? Use furnishings appropriate to historic character to park
? Support approved temporary art installations that reflect local cultures
? Add more opportunities for cultural features (such as, a Lion symbol for Lion’s Gate entry) and will
remove the Lion Statues currently there
? Will assist, if possible, with the addition of an electric charging station for bikes
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:
7? 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 the de Britto 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 the 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 will be built
from Broome Street
