The Brooklyn Bridge Park Corporation will soon break ground on two acres of public area surrounding the iconic structure’s exit ramp in DUMBO, Brooklyn. Most recently, the Landmarks Preservation Commission reviewed plans to construct a new pedestrian plaza beneath the bridge, closest to Pier 1.
In a master plan created in part by the city’s Economic Development Corporation (EDC), 12,000 affordable apartments could be built over Sunnyside Yard in Queens. If it comes to fruitrition, it would be the largest recent development of affordable housing, to the tune of an estimated $14.4 billion. The hefty price includes the deck over the rail yard on which the residential buildings will sit, as well as the streetscape and infrastructure for utilities, a new rail station for commuter trains, multiple schools and libraries, commercial space for offices, manufacturing, and retail, and 60 acres of open space and public parks.
The new and upgraded Elizabeth H. Berger Plaza is quickly taking shape in the Financial District. The project combines two underutilized concrete plazas and merges them together to form a singular green public space that measures about two-thirds of an acre. George Vellonakis is the landscape architect of the property, which sits on what used to be a neighborhood called Little Syria. The park is named after the late Downtown Alliance president Elizabeth Berger, who died in 2013.
Hudson County executive Tom DeGise and Jersey City mayor Steven M. Fulop are working in partnership to create a new three-acre public park in Journal Square, New Jersey. The park will debut as part of the forthcoming Honorable Frank J. Guarini Justice Complex, which also includes a mix of public and civic facilities.
Governor Andrew Cuomo has announced a call for ideas in the redevelopment of John F. Kennedy International Airport. The invitation for a request for information by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey is for the design and development of JFK Central, a roughly 14-acre, mixed-use space within the complex. This is the latest step in Governor Cuomo’s $13-billion plan for the redesign of JFK, which includes two new international terminals with modern passenger amenities, user-friendly ground transportation options, and improved roadway infrastructure to accommodate a projected increase of at least 15 million passengers per year.
