Greenpoint Greenspace On Former Transmitter Site
Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg joined several public officials on Monday, Sept. 10 to cut the ribbon on a $12 million redevelopment of WNYC Transmitter Park along the East River in Greenpoint.
The project includes an esplanade for passive recreation, and 1.6-acres of open space to provide residents and visitors with increased access to the Greenpoint waterfront. The transformation of WNYC Transmitter Park builds on the 2005 Greenpoint- Williamsburg rezoning which created a framework to provide continuous public access to the area’s shorefront.
Located on the site of the former WNYC radio transmission towers abuting the East River between Greenpoint Avenue and Kent Street, the new park includes a new overlook to the south, new seating, and a waterfront esplanade that will provide connections to adjacent sites. A pedestrian bridge was built across an excavated historic ferry slip and restored as a wetland accessible to visitors.
The center of the park includes a large, open lawn with a separate children’s play area featuring a nautical theme to reflect the site’s context. It also includes a spray shower and nature gardens. A newly constructed recreational pier at the end of Kent Street will also open at the end of this year.
“WNYC Transmitter Park is the city’s newest addition to a rapidly greening waterfront in North Brooklyn,” said Bloomberg. “The site has been transformed from a former ferry terminal and home of the old WNYC radio towers, into a destination for families to play, picnic, and enjoy beautiful views.”
“There’s no doubt that visitors will be flocking to Transmitter Park to take advantage of Brooklyn’s beautiful waterfront, an esplanade, play area for children and stunning views of the ‘outer borough’ of Manhattan,” added Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz.
The NYCEDC oversaw the construction of the park, and upon completion of construction, the agency transferred operations to the Parks Department. Funding for the $12 million project includes $9.6 million in city capital funds allocated by Bloomberg, $500,000 allocated by the City Council, more than $1.1 million grant from the Federal Highway Administration and $370,000 in grants from the New York State Environmental Protection Fund, administered by the New York State Department of State.
WNYC Transmitter Park was designed by EDAW/McLaren Engineering Group/WXY architecture + urban design with The LiRo Group as resident engineer, and Phoenix Marine Co., Inc. as contractor.
This initiative is part of the Waterfront Vision and Enhancement Strategy (WAVES), a citywide strategy launched by Mayor Bloomberg and Speaker Quinn, which lays out a sustainable blueprint for the City’s more than 500 miles of shoreline. WAVES has two core components: Vision 2020: The New York City Comprehensive Waterfront Plan, released a year ago, which established long-term goals for the next decade and beyond, and the New York City Waterfront Action Agenda, which set forth priority initiatives to be implemented by the end of 2013, many of which are being realized.
Together, the initiatives provide a blueprint for the city’s waterfront and waterways, and focus on the following categories: open space and recreation, the working waterfront, housing and economic development, natural habitats, climate change adaptation and waterborne transportation.
