Mayor Zohran Mamdani has announced a $50 million investment in underserved parks across the city, including an investment in the Corona Health Sanctuary Playground in Queens.
Mamdani and NYC Parks Commissioner Tricia Shimamura on March 5 announced the investment in 10 citywide parks as part of the Community Parks Initiative (CPI) for Fiscal Year 2027. The initiative aims to reconstruct parks in neighborhoods that have been historically neglected.
Corona Health Sanctuary Playground, located on Corona Avenue between 104th Street and 106th Street, is the only Queens park on the list.
City Hall announced that Bronx parks including Mott Playground, Fountain of Youth Playground and Morris Mesa Playground will also receive investments as part of the initiative, as will Vladeck Park and St. Nicholas Park in Manhattan.
Staten Island’s Kaltenmeier Playground and Brooklyn’s Elizabeth Stroud Playground, Roebling Playground and Van Dyke Playground will also undergo an overhaul.
Launched in 2014, CPI aims to provide equity-driven investments in parks that have not received significant capital improvements in at least two decades. Selected parks are often located in neighborhoods with the highest needs, based on factors such as poverty levels, population density and population growth.
City Hall said the investment will improve parks in all five boroughs, expanding access to safe and welcoming public spaces.
Mamdani, meanwhile, said the investment will help 100,000 New Yorkers enjoy a “healthier, cleaner and more accessible city.”
“For many New Yorkers, the park is their backyard — a place where they can play a game of pick-up basketball, hold a picnic on the grass or kick a ball with their kids. These New Yorkers know the difference between a park in disarray and a park that city government has invested in,” Mamdani said in a statement.
Similarly, Shimamura said the parks would help improve quality of life for up to 100,000 New Yorkers, targeting underserved neighborhoods across the city.
“All New Yorkers deserve access to clean, safe and high-quality parks — and throu
Shimamura added that NYC Parks has now reconstructed more than 70 parks across the city since CPI was launched over a decade ago.
Arverne Playground in the Rockaways, Cadwallader Colden Playground in Flushing and Hallets Point Playground in Astoria are among the Queens parks to receive investments as part of the initiative.
