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What's New and What's Planned at Brooklyn Bridge Park

The new Brooklyn Bridge Park has drawn huge crowds and, with spring arriving, more Brooklynites are sure to flock to the waterfront.

Plans are for the park to eventually stretch 85 acres and cost $350 million, but officials have so far secured only $294,241,000 from the city and Port Authority, meaning parts of the plan are still in flux.

A series of complex deals between city and state officials have added and subtracted elements.

The Daily News took a look at what’s done, what’s planned, what’s paid for and what’s not:

Pier 1 The 9.5-acre pier is the largest chunk of the park and was the first to open two years ago. It features a dramatic granite staircase, a waterfront promenade, sweeping lawns, a small playground and a salt marsh. There’s also a wine bar and some food stands.

Pier 2 This summer, a new public pool will open in the upland area. Pile repairs are set to begin at the 5-acre pier this summer with construction of basketball, handball, and bocce courts, an in-line skating rink, swings and picnic tables, as well as a spiral tidal pool and boat ramp, beginning next summer and opening by fall 2013. The project is funded with part of the $55 million the city kicked in when they took over the park.

Pier 3 There’s no money in the budget for Pier 3, which would include a waterfront esplanade with fish-cleaning stations and kids’ play equipment, picnicking at the water’s edge, and lawns. The only part with scheduled construction plans is the upland area between Piers 2 and 4, which will contain lawns and paths. It’s supposed to start construction next summer and be done by fall 2013.

Pier 4 There’s also no money for Pier 4, a former railroad float transfer bridge that would be covered in native plant species to turn it into a protected habitat preserve, with a calm water zone for non-motorized boating. There would also be a beach next to Pier 4 for launching boats.

Pier 5 Construction is currently underway on Pier 5, which will include three soccer fields and a picnic peninsula with banquet-length picnic tables and barbecues. The $18 million section is set to open this fall. Park officials agreed to look for a developer for a $750,000 “bubble” for indoor recreation in the winter, but no one responded to their request for proposals. Local pols and advocates are pushing them to try again, but they say they don’t currently plan to do so.

Pier 6 Opened in 2010, the portion of the park at the end of Atlantic Ave. boasts a giant playground with a 20-foot high “slide mountain,” a “swing valley,” a watery play area with spray jets, and the biggest sandbox in Brooklyn. There are also three volleyball courts, a dog run and a ferry dock with free ferry service to Governors Island in the summer. The pier was supposed to feature a sit-down restaurant with a rooftop deck, but no one responded to a request for proposals.

Instead, Bark Hot Dogs has served up franks and beer in the rooftop space in the summer.

John Street The city’s $55 million will pay for construction of this part of the park north of the Manhattan Bridge, but it can’t start until the site is bought from Con Ed. Negotiations are ongoing and the timetable is unclear. The plan includes a sculpted lawn with harbor views and pedestrian bridge traversing a cove.

To read the article it its entirety with its accompanying images, click here.