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Community Corner

Green Scene On Columbia Street Waterfront?

Plans for a potential park on Columbia Street will be discussed at a meeting Wednesday night

In Brooklyn, waterfront access and open space are precious commodities. And as high-rise buildings sprout up along the East River’s shoreline, and , parks and green space become even more relevant.

Increasing public access to natural resources is among the primary objectives of the , a group that has been working since the early 90s on a project to build a 14-mile greenway path along the waterfront stretching from the Southern tip of Brooklyn all the way into Queens. The plan also calls for a set of small parks, one of which is the Columbia Street Waterfront Park.

at 6:30 p.m. to discuss the potential plans for the park. The Greenway and partner organization Regional Plan Association will discuss ideas for how to shape the 1.7 acre site located at the corner of Columbia and Degraw streets, and asks the community to bring ideas to the table.

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The Columbia Waterfront Park would be the third pearl in the so-called “string of pearls,” a collection of small parks along the Greenway, which also includes the Naval Hospital Memorial Site in the Brooklyn Navy Yard and the Columbia Connector in Red Hook.

The site is relatively small — 80 feet deep and roughly 400 feet long — and is currently being used by the Department of Transportation and the Department of Environmental Protection as a staging area for the reconstruction of the Columbia Street project and the Gowanus Canal flushing tunnel. Though these construction projects are still underway, the DOT has indicated that upon completion, the site will potentially become available for public use.

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The Parks Department has expressed interest in acquiring the site if the community demonstrates the ability to secure resources to go towards capital funding and ongoing maintenance of the site.

“We’ve envisioned the Greenway as a string of pearls; it’s a landscape corridor that is great for pedestrians and bicyclists, and also a connection for public open spaces along the waterfront,” said Regional Plan Association Director of Environmental Programs Rob Pirani. “Some are big regional parks like East River or Brooklyn Bridge Parks, but some are smaller neighborhood oriented spaces."

"This neighborhood is underserved in terms of open space resources and we think it’d be a great addition," Pirani added.

The Greenway runs adjacent to the site, on its Eastern edge along Columbia Street. The purpose of these small parks — “or pearls” — is twofold: to provide the neighborhood with additional green and open space, and to make sure the public has as much access to the river as possible in order to keep waterfront neighborhoods equitable.

Additionally, providing more green spaces to an underserved neighborhood aids in transforming it into a healthier and more livable community.

“This is not a huge area...but there’s an opportunity for improving the quality of everyone’s experience passing through Columbia Street. Its improvement will have repercussions in terms of property value, and people’s willingness to invest in this neighborhood,” said Greenway Planning Director Milton Puryear. “One thing that’s very attractive about Columbia Street is that you have one of the few places with an unobstructed view — you can see for fifteen miles if the weather is clear...The view provides a tremendous amount of relief from the grid and the stress of being in the city."

"We’ve fought hard to protect it,” he added.

Puryear also noted the importance of preserving waterfront access for joggers and cyclists as a motivator for urbanites to exercise on a regular basis.

“People are more likely to run or jog if they’re doing so in a place where they’re getting a sense of openness or if they’re in a green environment," he added. "We’re trying to protect those values."

According to the organizers, the funding necessary to create the Columbia Street Waterfront Park will most likely come from a combination of sources, including local elected officials and city and state agencies.

As for the details of what the park will look like and what purposes it will serve, it’ll be up to the community to decide. The Greenway and Regional Plan have prepared a briefing book that includes several case studies of similar sites for inspiration and suggestions — ball fields, dog runs, picnic tables, an ecological park — though Wednesday’s meeting will be dedicated to surveying the needs and desires of neighborhood residents.

After community members have voiced their opinions, a series of renderings will be presented to the Department of Transportation and the Parks Department. Puryear expects to have the plans prepared in approximately two months.

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The meeting will be held from 6:30 - 8:30 p.m. at Union Street Star Theater on 101 Union Street. To RSVP, e-mail info@brooklyngreenway.org with "Columbia St Open Space" in the subject line.

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