What is Brooklyn Bridge Park?
What portion of Brooklyn Bridge Park is devoted to public space versus revenue-generating elements?
What is the recreation program for Brooklyn Bridge Park?
Why will Brooklyn Bridge Park be self-sustaining?
What is the M&O budget for the Park?
What is the development program in the Park?
How will the Park affect the nearby neighborhoods?
What is the schedule for the Park?

• An 85-acre world class waterfront park, Brooklyn Bridge Park will replace abandoned piers, parking lots and storage sheds to become a magnificent public space along the Brooklyn waterfront - the first major park to be built in Brooklyn since Prospect Park 135 years ago.  The plan proposed by the Brooklyn Bridge Park Development Corporation (BBPDC) captures the site’s industrial and maritime history, while creating a park that invites the public to enjoy a range of environments and activities along the waterfront.  Stretching 1.3 miles from Atlantic Avenue to north of the Manhattan Bridge, the park will be a succession of rolling hills, open plazas, lawns and restored habitats, as well as abundant recreational zones. 
  
• Recreational opportunities with approximately 40 acres of active recreational space including 9 acres of sport courts, playing fields and playgrounds located at the three major entrances.  The plan offers access to the park's foremost asset - the water - through 4 miles of floating and fixed walkways and boardwalks, beach areas, and 12 acres of safe water for kayaking, canoeing, and other hand-powered water activity.  A bike and in-line skating path will run the full length of the park. 
  
  The Park will include 2 multi-use playing fields (for soccer, softball, lacrosse, etc.), 3 tennis courts, 10 handball courts, 6 basketball courts, 2 volleyball courts, 3 playgrounds, a hockey rink, seasonal ice-skating rink, bike path, and 12-acre safe paddling zone.  In total, over 77 acres of the Park will be dedicated to open space for both active and passive recreation.
  
• Restored habitats:  Brooklyn Bridge Park will create and restore natural habitats including wetlands, meadows, tidal pools, dunes, marshes, a coastal forest and a rookery island. 
  
• Limited commercial development including residential, hotel, café and small retail, in order to make it financially self-sustaining.   These revenue generating developments will cover yearly Operations and Maintenance (O&M) costs which are estimated at $15.2 million per year.  The proposed revenue-generating portions of the park will cover 8.2 acres or approximately 10% of the parkland.

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Brooklyn Bridge Park will be 85 acres with approximately 8.2 acres of revenue-generating parcels that will enable the park to meet the requirement of self-sustainability.  The acreage breakdown is as follows:

Park Components		Acreage
Sports courts, fields & playgrounds		8.5
Safe water zones		12.1
Lawns and landscaped areas		34.7
Esplanades and paths		14.5
Plazas		2
Vehicular roads and parking		3
Park-related buildings		2.2
Development program		8.2
Total		85.2
The proposed 4-acre marina is not included in the 85.2 acre total, nor is it included in as part of the safe water areas or commercial development.

 

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What is the recreation program for Brooklyn Bridge Park?

Brooklyn Bridge Park includes a vast range of public recreation elements.

Active Recreation Elements	Number	Acres
Multipurpose playing fields (soccer, football, softball, etc.)	2	3.7
Tennis Courts	3	0.5
Handball  Courts	10	0.4
Basketball Courts	6	2.1
Playgrounds	3	1.0
In-Line Hockey Rink	1	1.0
Volleyball Courts	2	0.3
SUBTOTAL		9.0
Safe Water Paddling Area		12.0
50% Explanades and Paths		7.3
33% Lawns and Landscaped Areas		11.6
TOTAL ACTIVE RECREATION		39.9

Additionally the park includes lawns, hills, beaches, promenades, fishing piers and open space for more passive recreation.  An indoor recreational facility, which will provide opportunities for year-round recreation, will be included in the park on Pier 5 if additional funding from other sources can be identified.

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Why will Brooklyn Bridge Park be self-sustaining?

Self-sustainability, or the park's ability to pay its own yearly maintenance and operations costs, was the foundation of the community's agreement with the government to convert the piers into parkland.  When the plans for redevelopment of Piers 1-5, owned by the Port Authority, began taking shape 20 years ago, the community called for a park.  The government committed the funds to build Brooklyn Bridge Park based on the agreement that the park include limited development to pay for its ongoing maintenance and operations costs. 

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What is the M&O budget for the Park?

The estimated M&O budget for Brooklyn Bridge Park is $15.2 million.  This is the first thorough and detailed analysis for the Park and the first to have the advantage of relevant comparable budgets such as those for Hudson River Park and Battery Park City.  The annual budgets for those parks are $185K/acre and $212K/acre respectively.  The estimated annual budget for Brooklyn Bridge Park is $188K/acre. 

The M&O budget will ensure that the park stays safe, clean and green for generations to come.  This is especially important for a waterfront park, where neglect of pier structures in the park would lead to rapid deterioration.

Brooklyn Bridge Park will have security arrangements similar to those of Central Park, Prospect Park, Hudson River Park and other major parks in the city, none of which rely solely on New York Police department officers.  The amount budgeted for security is in line with, or less than, money spent by comparable New York parks for security.  For example, Hudson River Park spends 16% of its total budget on security compared to 13% projected for Brooklyn Bridge Park.

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What is the development program for the Park?

The development program for the Park (the revenue-generating portions) will take up 10% of the Park, or 8.5 acres and will include approximately 1,210 units of housing, 225 hotel rooms, 151,200 square feet of retail uses, 86,400 square feet of restaurants, cafes and other eateries, 30,000 of meeting space, 36,000 square feet of offices, 128,400 square feet for research and development or education uses, and 1,283 parking spaces.

The main revenue-generating portions are limited to three areas - John St. in DUMBO, Pier 1 at Old Fulton St., and Pier 6 at Atlantic Ave.:

John St. in DUMBO - A parcel along John St. between Adams and Pearl St. will include an approximately 170-foot high residential building with approximately 130 units.

Pier 1 at Old Fulton St. - This site will include a mix of development including a restaurant, 150-unit residential building and 225-room hotel.

Pier 6 at Atlantic Ave. - This site will include two new residential buildings, approximately 95 feet and 315 feet in height.

Additionally, 360 Furman St., a former industrial building, will be converted to residential use as part of the proposed project.  The building will accomodate up to 500 residential units.

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Neighborhoods will benefit from Brooklyn Bridge Park.  The Park will provide badly needed open space, recreation and access to one of the most beautiful and exciting urban waterfronts in the world.  Legally-protected view planes, including the special Brooklyn Heights scenic view district, would be respected and enhanced.  The proposed design for the park would open up an extraordinary sequence of views of the river, New York Harbor, the Manhattan skyline, surrounding landmarks and of the park itself from one end to the other.  None of the structures proposed for Brooklyn Bridge Park would reflect noise into or cast shadows onto surrounding neighborhoods.

The Environmental Impact Statement analyzed projected traffic and pedestrian patterns in details.  It found no significant adverse impacts on surrounding neighborhoods from additional pedestrian traffic generated by the creation of Brooklyn Bridge Park, including on Joralemon Street.  Though the park would bring some additional vehicles into the area, impacts from these vehicles can be mitigated, or reduced, using standard traffic measures such as changing signal timing and restriping lanes, with the exception of three intersections in Downtown Brooklyn that are already congested.  The park proposes the closure of Joralemon Street at Furman Street to vehicular traffic, subject to the approval of the City of New York.

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What is the schedule for the Park?

• Brooklyn Bridge Park's General Project Plan and Environmental Impact Statement have been approved and title to the piers 1-5 was transferred to the Brooklyn Bridge Park Development Corporation in May 2006. Title to pier 6 and the John Street are still to be transferred.
• A detailed design process has begun and will continue for 10 to 12 months.
• Requests for Proposals (RFPs) will be issued based on the General Project Plan and construction will begin in 2007.
• Approximately 85% of the Park will be complete by 2010.  The Park is expected to fully complete in 2012.