There is a petition on change.org regarding a park which was supposed to be located on Columbia St. from Kane St. to Degraw St. in the Columbia Waterfront District.
According to the petition, which was created in November of 2021, there have been many meetings developing the park, and $1.7 million was set aside for it but the park has never been built.
“Instead of our park, the Department of Transportation moved in their trailers, and the Port Authority leased the surrounding area to store garbage trucks,” says the petition. “We will be enduring the BQE renovation for years, suffering through grinding traffic and choking air. We need our park, and we need it now.”
A lot of people from the neighborhood are frustrated by the process.
“Going back at least 10 years, we were promised that the lot [on Columbia St.] which was a city-owned lot would become a park, said Dave Lutz, a Red Hook native who has been instrumental in the new Red Hook Civic Association. “Instead of getting a park there, we got a parking lot.”
The latest update came in October of 2022 and said that then-newly elected Senator Andrew Gounardes needed to hear from everyone how important the park was to the people he represented.
“The Department of Transportation [DOT] says we need $12 million, but they have over-engineered the park to make it unaffordable,” reads the latest update. “Reach out to our Senator so he can hear our voices and help!”
The petition set a goal of 1,500 signatures and currently has 1,387 so it has taken time but they have almost reached their goal.
For those who are interested in signing, the petition is titled “They Promised Us Columbia Waterfront Park. We Got Trailers and Garbage Trucks” on change.org.
One Comment
Just signed the petition. Thank you for bringing attention to this. The residents of the Columbia Waterfront were promised a park there and we desperately need it! I have spoken to Council Member Shahana Hanif’s office about it and they’re looking into it. The BQE lane closing has made Columbia St, a once quiet street, into a traffic nightmare. There’s bumper to bumper traffic, polluting the air, every day so we desperately need this park. I hope everyone can take the time to sign the petition as well. Here’s the link https://www.change.org/p/new-york-city-department-of-transportation-they-promised-us-columbia-park-we-got-trailers-and-garbage-trucks