Caring for New York Citys Emerging Waterfront Parks & Public Spaces

On the Verge

Spring 2007

Credits
This report is the culmination of a year-long series of meetings by a workgroup convened by Regional Plan Association (RPA). Public park managers, conservancy representatives, non-profit parks advocates, developers, design professionals, and agency representatives came together to discuss management and maintenance issues of waterfront parks and public spaces citywide. The primary goal of these discussions was to learn from each others experience and assess the opportunities and limitations of different management models and funding streams. But out of these site-specific discussions, RPA has assembled essential background information and identified some specific city-wide policy recommendations that could help ensure that this new generation of waterfront parks and public spaces meet the promise of a revitalized waterfront. The work group meetings and this report were supported through the leadership and generosity of the J.M. Kaplan Fund. Additional support was provided by the New York State Department of State with funds provided under Title 11 of the Environmental Protection Funds. The meetings were graciously hosted by the Hudson River Foundation. While RPA has greatly benefited from the discussions and insight of the members of the work group, the reports recommendations and any errors or omissions are our own. Many thanks to the members of the workgroup:  olleen Alderson, NYC Department of C Parks and Recreation Jeff Baker, New York City Council Committee on Waterfronts Bob Balder, Gensler Micaela Birmingham, New Yorkers for Parks Michael Bradley, Riverside South Development Corporation Alex Brash, National Parks Conseravtion Association Al Butzel, Friends of Hudson River Park Joan Byron, Pratt Center for Community Development Don Capoccia, BFC Partners Majora Carter, Sustainable South Bronx Betty Chen, GIPEC Helen Chin, West Harlem Environmental Action, Inc. (former) Kate Collignon, NYC Economic Development Corporation Chris Collins, Solar One Linda Cox, Bronx River Alliance Carter Craft, Metropolitan Waterfront Alliance Curtis Cravens, New York State Department of State/Brownfields Angela DAiuto, North Shore Waterfront Conservancy of Staten Island Candace Damon, Hamilton Rabinovitz Alschuler, Inc. Julia Day, Project for Public Spaces Carmen Diaz, Audubon Partnership for Economic Development LDC Noreen Doyle, Hudson River Park Trust Elizabeth Ernish, Brooklyn Borough Hall Meg Fellerath, Brooklyn Greenway Initiative Murray Fisher, New York Harbor School Connie Fishman, Hudson River Park Trust Peter Fleischer, GIPEC (former) Tom Fox, NY Water Taxi Lisa Garrison, Hudson River Foundation / New York City Environmental Fund Amy Gavaris, New York Restoration Project Marilyn Gelber, Independence Community Foundation Jasper Goldman, Metropolitan Waterfront Alliance Tamara Greeneld, Partnerships for Parks Laura Hansen, JM Kaplan Fund Bonnie Harken, Nautilus International Nate Harris, Partnerships for Parks Clay Hiles, Hudson River Foundation / New York City Environmental Fund Steve Hindy, Brooklyn Brewery Ron Hine, Fund for Better Waterfront Jennifer Hoppa, NYC Dept. of Parks and Recreation Tessa Huxley, Battery Parks City Parks Conservancy Pat Jenny, New York Community Trust Keith Kerman, NYC Dept. of Parks and Recreation Marcie Kesner, Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel LLP Hilary Kitasei, Henry Hudson Parkway Task Force Ajamu Kitwana, Youth Ministries for Peace and Justice Alyssa Konon, NYC Economic Development Corporation Marianna Koval, Brooklyn Bridge Park Conservancy Ruth Kuhlmann, Greenacre Foundation Erik Kulleseid, Trust for Public Land (former) Andrea Kussack, Mertz Gilmore Foundation Joshua Laird, NYC Dept. of Parks and Recreation Robert Levine, RAL Design Associates Spencer Levine, RAL Design Associates Paula Luria Caplan, Bronx Borough Presidents Office Stephen Marks, Hudson County Division of Planning Timothy Marshall, ETM Associates, LLC Kim Mathews, Mathews Nielsen Emily Maxwell, Partnerships for Parks Vince McGowan, Battery Park City Parks Conservancy Massiel Medina Ferrara, Hudson County Division of Planning Kimberly Miller, Municipal Arts Society (former) Menaka Mohan, Sustainable South Bronx Nicholas Molinari, NYC Department of Parks and Recreation Catherine Nagel, City Parks Alliance Signe Nielsen, Mathews Nielsen Greg OConnell, Pier 41 Associates Todd Poole, Bay Area Economics Mike Pratt, Scherman Foundation Mary Price, Partnerships for Parks Milton Puryear, Brooklyn Greenway Initiative Steven Ridler, New York State Coastal Zone Management David Rivel, City Parks Foundation KC Sahl, Van Cortlandt and Pelham Bay Park Michael Samuelian, The Related Companies, LP Tracy Sayegh, Phillips Preiss Shapiro (former) Jason Schwartz, Partnerships for Parks Paul Seck, Michael Van Valkenberg Associates John Shapiro, Phillips Preiss Shapiro Claude Shostal, Brooklyn Bridge Park Conservancy Michael Slattery, Real Estate Board of New York David Snetman, Transportation Alternatives Andy Stone, Trust for Public Land Dennis Suszkowski, Hudson River Foundation / New York City Environmental Fund Matthew Urbanski, Michael Van Valkenberg Associates Joe Vance, Joe Vance Architects Carol VanGuilder, Real Estate Board of New York Donna Walcavage, Donna Walcavage Landscape Architecture + Urban Design Meg Walker, Project for Public Spaces Bethany Wall, Riverside Park Fund Jae Watkins, UPROSE Nancy Welsh, NYSDOS Division of Coastal Resources Stephen Whitehouse, Starr Whitehouse Toya Wiliford, Independence Community Foundation Craig Wilson, The New York League of Conservation Voters Wilbur Woods, New York City Department of City Planning Elizabeth Yeampierre, UPROSE Nioka Young, New York Community Trust (former)  The report was written by Robert Freudenberg and Robert Pirani with the assistance of Nicolas Ronderos, Cara Griffin and Jennifer Cox of the RPA staff and a series of research associates: Joy Sinderbrand, Manami Kamikawa, Bonnie Hulkower, and Victor Torres. Special assistance on the waterfront parks inventory was provided by Carter Craft and Loren Talbot (former) from Metropolitan Waterfront Alliance. Report designed by Jeff Ferzoco, RPA

Contents
2 Introduction 3 Summary of Recommendations 4 City-wide Context 8  Waterfront Park and Public Space Management Issues 10 Current Management Funding Models 16 Recommendations 21 Appendix

Section One

Introduction
1990s. New York City was recently ranked 21st among major US cities on operations expenditures per capita by the Trust for Public Land. 2 While Parks & Recreation has received additional and significant operating funds recently3, organizations such as New Yorkers for Parks and others have argued that the current budget does not allow the agency to meet its management goals. Given this shortfall, Parks & Recreation has been directed to find additional, site-specific resources to support existing and new waterfront management responsibilities. Parks departments have long sought revenues from private concessions, permits, and philanthropy to help fill funding gaps at existing parks. But todays new parks seem to be required, if not to pay for themselves, to at least to have some associated revenue stream. Based on the average costs of currently operating and future City and State parks, new waterfront parks will require around $135,000 an acre each year for management, maintenance, security and creative programming.5 Agency personnel, non-profit organizations, and private developers are creating innovative ways of addressing this unofficial mandate in waterfronts across the City. This has resulted in a number of different and innovative public/private management partnerships. In many ways, New York City is a leader in this national trend. But while each project must ultimately address its own specific needs, it is unclear whether this site-by-site process will ultimately result in the best city-wide waterfront park system. As with most City services, any deficit tends to be felt particularly in neighborhoods with limited access to the budget process and fewer options for private philanthropy to fill the gaps. The New York City Parks Foundation, Partnership for Parks, and a variety of non-profit programs have sought to level this playing field but, not surprisingly, the most lucrative partnership opportunities are in neighborhoods with greater financial resources. Taken to its extreme, this can be seen as leading to a two tier system of parks: those with private resources and those without. Moreover, many of these new generation waterfront public spaces are not conceived of as traditional parks and may not be managed by Parks & Recreation. Some public spaces are associated with public or private waterfront redevelopment; maintenance of these public spaces will not be central to the organizational mission of the public or private landowner. The new waterfront greenways - key links in the new waterfront park system - cross multiple property lines. Managing this wonderful connectivity falls largely on the City Department of Transportation (NYC DOT), which has traditionally been more concerned with moving vehicles than pedestrians and bicyclists. Ensuring that these new breeds of waterfront public spaces have the same permanence, public character, and vitality associated with traditional parks is of concern. These thorny issues are now being grappled with by public park managers and other agency officials, non-profit parks advocates, community leaders, developers, and design professionals. There is a wealth of experimentation and experience now being developed throughout the City on the opportunities and limitations of different management models and funding streams. This new breed of waterfront parks has challenged traditional assumptions about parks and public spaces. In some cases differences in opinions as to what constitutes appropriate uses of parkland, the responsibility of government and taxpayers, and the role of the private sector in providing public services has resulted in considerable controversy. To compile and learn from these largely siteby-site arrangements, RPA convened a working group of savvy and experienced professionals. A year-long process of presentations and discussions, together with the analysis of essential background information, has enabled us to identify specific management models and citywide policy recommendations. These proposals, individually or together, will help ensure that this new generation of waterfront parks and public spaces meet the promise of a revitalized waterfront. While the recommendations presented in this report are directed primarily to the City and City agencies, in most cases they are also applicable to State-owned and managed parks and public spaces. 6

New York City is in the midst of one of the greatest expansions of parks and public spaces in its history.
From large regional parks to neighborhood street ends to pedestrian-friendly greenways, the current waterfront revival will likely be remembered as a time on par with the great park movements of the 1860s, 1930s and 1960s. There are close to 700 acres of waterfront parks and public spaces in more than 50 projects now being planned or under construction throughout the City (over 2,800 acres when including Fresh Kills Park in Staten Island). Nearly 60 miles of waterfront access is being added through parks, greenways and esplanades.1 This extraordinary legacy is fueled by available properties, a robust real estate cycle, and the desire of the public and elected leaders to reclaim access to the harbor. The City and State deserve enormous credit for pursing this agenda. But, for every ambitious plan and initial capital investment, there is also the far less glamorous 300000000 task of managing a new public space. 270000000 Traditionally, the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation (Parks & Recreation) 240000000 has been the agency responsible for keeping New 210000000 York City parks clean and safe, and offering 180000000 and cultural programs. Funding for recreational operating the parks and delivering these services 150000000 has come from the Citys general operating funds, 120000000 in many cases by private Friends supplemented groups that donate funding, in-kind services, and 90000000 volunteer hours. 60000000 The management model for many of the 30000000 citys new waterfront parks and public spaces is fundamentally different, both in terms of 0 financing and in terms of jurisdiction. Discussions about the financing of these new waterfront parks are occurring in the general context of a Parks & Recreation operating budget that has yet to recover from the cuts in the early

(Adjusted, 2006 dollars. 2008 based on Proposed 2008 Executive Budget) $300 million

City Funding for NYC Parks Department: Adopted Budgets, 1987-2007

225

150

86

90

95

00

05

08

Courtesy: New Yorkers for Parks, 2007 4

On the Verge: Growth and Management of NYCs New Waterfront Parks and Public Spaces

Section Two

Summary of Recommendations
Create public access through zoning
The City should amend the 1993 Waterfront Zoning text to extend the transfer of ownership provisions established in the Greenpoint-Williamsburg zoning to other waterfront areas. The Department of City Planning and Parks & Recreation should collaborate to develop overall Waterfront Master Plans in specific waterfront areas to create a programming and design vision, consider upland access areas, streamline government approval processes and identify areas for rezoning. A waterfront improvement fund should be created to provide incentives for landowners to meet the goals of these plans. set of design standards for waterfront public spaces to help ensure that materials and designs are sustainable and well-suited for waterfront locations and that those organizations responsible for construction can accommodate Parks & Recreations requirements before time and design monies are invested in non-conforming elements.

Ensure equitable funding for management of all waterfront parks

The surest, most direct route toward ensuring public control, improving parks maintenance and meeting the demands generated by new waterfront parks is to increase the management budget of Parks & Recreation as well as other agencies managing public spaces on the waterfront. A specific fund separate from Parks and other agency operating budgets - should be established to pay for expensive and critical repair required by shoreline bulkheads, piers, and other maritime infrastructure of waterfront parks and public spaces.

Help greenways and roadways connect us to the waterfront.

Parks & Recreation, NYC DOT, EDC, and other public and non-profit partners should create nongovernmental greenway stewardship entities that could coordinate stewardship of all agencies along a single route. As warranted these entities could be directed by new park administrators and overseen by a City Greenway Director within the Mayors office. Roadways adjacent to waterfront parks should be subject to park-appropriate design standards and the same maintenance standard of the adjoining park.

Capture revenue from licenses or leases on or adjacent to parkland

The City should generate revenue received from licenses or leases on parks and adjoining public property for the maintenance and management of public spaces. The publics ability to gauge the costs and benefits of prospective agreements and enforce their provisions should be addressed through better performance standards in the guiding RFP and by ensuring Parks & Recreations jurisdiction on public access sites.

Make non-prot management partnerships work better

In general, standard costs such as infrastructure, insurance, utilities, and security, as well as nonrecurring capital expenditures are best handled by City agencies. Non-standard elements, such as programming, maintenance of non-standard items, and supplemental care are well suited for local non-profit groups. Parks & Recreation should assist non-profit organizations managing space on the waterfront, especially in lower income areas, by leveraging bulk discounts on supplies, providing roving horticulturists, training for local staff, and allocating funding that can be matched by volunteer hours. A park administrator jointly responsible to a community based non-profit and to Parks & Recreation should be established in the most important waterfront areas to help coordinate these arrangements.

Assess feasibility of waterfront Park Improvement Districts (PID)

The feasibility of new waterfront PIDs should be assessed by the City, Local Development Corporations and non-profit partners in waterfront areas with prospective new development, an ability to pay an assessment fee, appropriate zoning and use, and an economic and physical connection between the park and adjoining property.
1 2 3

Promote common waterfront park design and performance standards.

Parks & Recreation should develop a specific

 egional Plan Association, See City Wide Context on p. 4 for R more details  rust for Public Land 2006 report The Excellent City Park T System  e City has proposed adding $41.8 million to the FY08 Th budget for Parks & Recreation for a total of $269 million in city funds (see table 1 on p. 6 for details)  OURCES: NYC Office of Management and Budget, S Expense, Revenue, Capital Reports, Adopted Budget Fiscal Years 1986-2007, and Executive Budget Fiscal Year 2008.

5 6

See Parks Financing Matrix on p.6 for details.  everal other recent or upcoming studies are addressing other S aspects of this issue including New Yorkers for Parks Report Card for Parks and Citizen Budget Commissions report focusing on capital, operating and revenue budget in relation to Parks & Recreations nonprofit partners.

Summary of Recommendations 3

Section Three

City-wide Context
2

spaces in more than 50 projects now being planned or under construction throughout the City (over 2,800 acres when including Fresh Kills Park in Staten Island). Close to 60 miles of waterfront access is being added through parks, greenways and esplanades.7 As the City develops its waterfront and creates more parks and public spaces, its important to look at the context of where they will be located and how large they will be, as well as the numerous costs associated with managing and maintaining them.
10

There are nearly 700 acres of waterfront parks and public

Bronx

Ma
4 9 6 1

nh

att

an

Queens

Brooklyn

Staten Island

1 Case Study Marker

(see section 5)

Proposed Existing Public Public Space Space

On the Verge: Growth and Management of NYCs New Waterfront Parks and Public Spaces

Stadium - will result in over 40-acres of waterfront parks and nearly 2 miles of waterfront esplanade. The development boom in Queens occurring along the stretch of the East River from Newtown Creek to the Queensborough Bridge alone will result in 19 acres of new parkland and over 1 mile of waterfront esplanade. Additional parkland is being created or preserved in Flushing, Bayside and along the ocean in Rockaway. Finally, Staten Island is undergoing the single largest transformation of land into waterfront park with the creation of the 2,200-acre Fresh Kills Park, in addition to the Stapleton rezoning and other waterfront projects. The 25% increase in waterfront public space areas will impose significant new management obligations and costs on public and private landowners. RPA examined the costs associated with a variety of new and established city and state waterfront parks in order to assess the scope and magnitude of the expenditures associated with waterfront parks and public spaces. Because of the way Parks & Recreation spreads management responsibilities and costs across individual parks, it was not possible to generate estimated costs for individual waterfront parks solely managed by Parks & Recreation. The examples shown are managed by State Parks, other public agencies, or designated non profit organizations. The numbers should not be read as commentary on the adequacy of funding for any or all of these parks, but rather as a point of information for the recommendations that follow. The costs of managing these spaces are certainly much higher than a typical park.11 As outlined in the next section, waterfront parks and public spaces have extraordinary and costly management needs. In addition, the management of some of these new parks have raised the bar, creating a higher standard for the care of parks city-wide.

managerial operations, utilities and insurance. Average cost/acre/year: $55,000 Administrative Costs: Expenditures applied to the management and administration of parks. This includes: salaries of park managers and supervisors and associated administrative supplies. Average cost/acre/year: $34,000 Security Costs: Expenditures applied to the protection of the park and its users. Security for parks can range from the free services of the City police to specially assigned parks police to paid private security officers. Average cost/acre/year: $18,000 Programming Costs: Expenditures dedicated to the facilitation of park activities that attract park users. Programming may be done by the Parks department or by an associated nonprofit organization. Costs include staff salaries, fundraising activities and associated activity fees. Average cost/acre/year: $13,000 Given these costs and an increase of nearly 700 acres of waterfront parks and public spaces, close to $100 million a year of additional funds will be required to meet new management and operating needs of these parks and public spaces.

Management Costs10

New York City has more than 1,700 parks, playgrounds and recreation facilities across the five boroughs. Parks properties range from swimming pools and skating rinks to wetlands and woodlands, of which 28,000 acres are managed by the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation (Parks & Recreation). 8 Currently, there are about 9,000 waterfront acres of park and recreational areas located throughout the city, managed primarily by the City and State Parks Departments.9 Including the development of the 2,200 acre Fresh Kills Park on Staten Island, close to 2,900 acres of waterfront parkland, esplanade and other public spaces are being planned or are under construction as a result of over 50 projects in development. Nearly half of these projects (20) are taking place along Manhattans waterfront where approximately 330 acres of park and esplanade are being developed new or added to existing park at places like Hudson River Park and along the East River between South Street Seaport and East River Park. In Brooklyn, the re-zoning of the waterfront in Greenpoint-Williamsburg is expected to result in 1.6 miles of new waterfront esplanade and nearly 40 acres of new park space, in addition to the Boroughs new 74- acre Brooklyn Bridge Park and 24-acre Bush Terminal Piers and Park. Brooklyn is also beginning to see the development of the new 14-mile Brooklyn Waterfront Greenway, connecting Queens and the Shore Parkway. In the Bronx, the 1.5-mile long South Bronx Greenway and 8-mile long Bronx River Greenway will connect existing parks and help facilitate the creation of new parkland at places like Hunts Point Riverside Park, while a number of other construction projects - including the new Yankee

Current and prospective system of waterfront parks and public spaces

Types of Costs

For purposes of this report, management costs refer to all costs associated with the on-going operation of a park or public space. This does not include capital costs: long term fixed investments required to bring a park to an operational status. Examples of typical capital costs include: the purchase of land and equipment, the preparation of land for use as a park, the construction of facilities and amenities such as benches, restrooms, and railings.12 Non-recurring Maintenance Costs: Expenditures applied to major repairs and replacement of items with extended lifetimes (capital items). Examples include replacement or repair of docking, bulkhead, benches, drinking fountains, lighting, pavement and railings. (For the purpose of this report, this cost typically is derived from budgets contingency costs line item). Average cost/acre/year: $15,000 Recurring Maintenance Costs: Expenditures applied to the upkeep, repair and replacement of non-capital items and everyday operations. Examples include: cleaning, horticulture, landscaping, non-

 e number of acres of waterfront parks and miles of Th esplanade reflects new parks now being planned or under construction. The figure does not include the acres of improvements and new or refurbished esplanades at existing parks, many of which have seen significant capital investment. This inventory was conducted in cooperation with Metropolitan Waterfront Alliance.  ew York City Department of Parks and Recreation website: N www.nycgovparks.org  is figure includes existing city and state parkland within Th 200 feet of tidal waters edge as shown on the official NYC basemap from NYC DOITT.  PA analyzed the operating budgets of a number of existR ing and future waterfront parks and public spaces, breaking down expenditures into non-recurring maintenance, recurring maintenance, administrative, programming and security. Parks were also evaluated by in terms of their maintenance, amenities and ownership.  arks & Recreation average expenditures per acre of park P was $27,000 for FY06  t is worth noting that the City often undertakes capital I expenditures as a means of making up for deferred maintenance. This analysis does not account for such practices.

8 9

10

11 12

City-wide Context 5

$, per acre, per year Area Total Operating Budget & Security ($)
$197,000

Park

Size1
S

(acres) 1.9

Total Operating Budget & Security

$103,800

Nonrecurring maint. costs

$5,000

Recurring Admin. maint. costs costs

$51,000 $32,800

Programming costs
$15,000

Security
0

Stuyvesant Cove (FY07)

Manhattan

Hudson River Park

(FY06)4 Manhattan

102

$11,310,000

$111,000

$4,900

$44,100

$34,800

$6,500

$20,600

Brooklyn Bridge Park

(Proposed)5 Brooklyn

74

$14,057,000

$190,000

$7,000

$124,400

$18,600

$13,600

$26,100

Battery Park (FY07)6

Manhattan

24

$2,192.000

$91,000

$47,000

$36,500

$3,700

not included $27,100

$4,100

Battery Park City Park (FY07)

Manhattan

35.27

$8,939,000

$253,000

$1,400

$146,400

$41,700

$36,900

Riverbank State Park

(FY06) Manhattan

28

$6,820,000

$244,000

$34,000

$38,900

$103,800

$13,000

$53,600

Riverside South Phase I/II

(FY06) Manhattan

16.8

$1,217,000

$73,000

$12,500

$29,200

$3,300

$9,200

$18,300

Roberto Clemente State Park (FY06)

Bronx

22

$2,400,000

$109,000

$15,600

$17,700

$47,200

$5,900

$22,700

Swindler Cove/ Sherman Creek

(FY07) Manhattan

$524,000

$75,000

$0

$42,400

$11,600

$16,900

$3,900

Gantry Plaza State Park

(FY06) Queens

2.5

$240,000

$96,000

$13,400

$15,400

$46,100

$4,800

$16,300

Harlem Piers

$256,000

$128,000

$22,600

$55,000

$33,200

$17,100

$0

(EDC Proposed)

Manhattan Average per acre/year

$135,000 $14,900

$54,600

$34,200 $12,900 $18,400

Park Management Cost Comparison

Ownership
Public (City -EDC) Public (City+State)

Maint. responsibility
Non-profit

Maint. Funding

Maint. Spectrum2

Service Component3
AA

for Select NYC Waterfront Parks

Off-site revenue + match- 3 ing City funds + event revenue + donations On-site commercial & programming revenue + permit fees + grants & donations On-site commercial revenue 2

Public Authority Trust & DOT (bikeway) Public Authority & Conservancy Public (City Parks) & Conservancy Public Authority Conservancy

AAA

Notes from this Table:

1

Public (City Parks)

AAA
2

 e distinctions between park Th sizes are based on the following: small is a park up to 5 acres in size; medium is a park greater than 5 acres and less than 50 acres; large is a park 50 acres or more.  park is considered 1 if it is a mix A of wild and maintained grounds with little or no development of facilities; a park is considered 2 if it has mostly maintained grounds and/or some facility development; a park is considered 3 if it has intensively maintained grounds and/ or intensive facility development.  e distinction between park Th amenities are based on the following: A is the baseline for every park; AA is A + horticulture + amenities (restrooms, drinking fountains, etc); AAA is AA + security + programming.  e acreage for the park is an estiTh mate of the total land area currently in use as park and that draws upon the operating budget. The programming figure includes a $100,000 contribution from the Friends of Hudson River Park Conservancy.  e acreage for the park is an Th estimate of actual park property that will require maintenance and does not include underwater acreage nor the footprint of residential development. Figures for funding are estimates of the future completed park and do not cover expenditures for the portions of park currently open. Figures for Battery Park include funds raised through the Battery Conservancy, classified under recurring maintenance.

Public (City Parks) Public (BPCA)

Public funding + donations Assessment fees + onsite commercial revenue + donations State Parks funding

AAA

AAA

Public (State)

State Parks

AAA

Public (City Parks)

City PARKS

Maintenance fund/ endowment from development

AA
4

Public (State)

Public agency

Various public funding

AA

Public (City Parks)

Non-profit

Public funding + On-site revenue + event revenue + donations

AAA

Public (State)

Public (State)

Surrounding development

6

Public (EDC)

Unknown

Unknown

Section Four

Waterfront Park and Public Space Management Issues

Maintenance/Services

The management of waterfront parks and public spaces generally revolve around the same concerns as upland parks: safety, cleanliness, maintenance of the landscape and fixtures, and special programming and interpretation. However there are important distinctions that stem from a waterfront location and heavier usage, distinctions that add significant additional management responsibilities and costs.

From the initial capital investment to the everyday recurring maintenance costs, waterfront parks can require greater funding when compared to upland parks. Of most concern are the expensive repairs required for docks, bulkheads, and relieving platforms. But special needs also include corrosion by salt water, pollution and damage from flooding. Additionally, waterfront parks tend to be heavily-used places. Their linear nature creates a relatively large perimeter, with many edges exposed to foot or vehicle traffic or to the water. Both conditions require costly hardscaping elements and special plantings.

Accountability/Control/ Privatization

Some waterfront public spaces are under the jurisdiction of public or private entities whose primary mission is not park management and programming. This can result in public spaces that are not welcoming or even hostile to visitors. The lack of outside visitors can result in the dedicated public space feeling like private property and/or being physically appropriated for other uses.

Connectivity

Security

As with any park, the security of a waterfront park is essential to its success. This is of particular concern for waterfront parks at the periphery of neighborhoods, and away from residences and pedestrian traffic during the evenings and winter months.

Programming

Park programming offers visitors opportunities to celebrate a parks unique resources and location, often weaving innovative connections between various users and the surrounding neighborhood through private partnerships. For waterfront parks this often involves water based themes and activities including such activities as fishing and kayaking- which can be more expensive than traditional activities.

The waterfront presents a natural opportunity to establish a connected network of greenways along the citys edge. Being part of such a network enhances the utility of each individual park, extending their experience to other neighborhoods. It also adds special management concerns about through pedestrian and bicycle traffic, additional entrances, common features, and shared costs. Particular challenges to connectivity occur because of the way the city laid its highways and rails along much of the waterfront. Creating a connected network will entail finding solutions to this challenge.

Design & Sustainability

Liability & Insurance

Because of their proximity to the water, waterfront parks present added layers of liability concerns as well as insurance needs. The design and programming of the waterfront park can help minimize risk and exposure. Waterfront park managers face additional questions regarding insurance including what type to purchase and what scenarios should be considered given the proximity to the water.

New waterfront parks present opportunities for excellence and innovation in design. This design must account for in-water opportunities and the special maintenance needs noted above. These new parks can uniquely address city-wide sustainability concerns about energy use, habitat protection, and stormwater management.

Maritime Use & Harbor Access

Equity

Battery Park City Parks, Hudson River Park, Riverside South all have dedicated sources of funding that supplement or replace general funds. This funding, which is derived from nearby new waterfront development, has enabled these parks to set new standards for management desired at all waterfront public spaces. Such private, dedicated funding is more difficult to achieve in lower income and industrial neighborhoods found along the waterfront.

Parks and public spaces need to accommodate public vessels, from kayaks and marinas to cruise ships and ferry landings. These parks often adjoin the working waterfront of barges, tugs, and cargo ships, presenting opportunities for integrating these critical maritime uses with public access. All of this can raise costs and liability concerns.

Habitat & Estuary

The waterfront is also home to many important fish and bird species that depend on the Harbor estuary. Construction, maintenance, or programming in particular in-water activities - requires addressing impacts and regulatory constraints. That may include expensive on- or off-site mitigation.

On the Verge: Caring for NYCs Emerging Waterfront Parks & Public Spaces

Section 9

Section Five

Current Management Funding Models

All city waterfront parks rely to a certain degree on the general operating budget
and park personnel. But because current budget levels cannot support all park needs, those parks that rely solely on the budget for maintenance
Description: Any business that generates revenue on parkland is considered a concession. This includes the full spectrum of businesses, from hot dog vendors to Yankee Stadium. Parks & Recreation has a long history with concessions. They generally fall into two categories: food service and recreation. In 2002, Parks & Recreation estimated the total revenue generated by all the concessions for the agency was $61.5 million from about 500 concessions.13 Examples: Food service concessions range from pushcarts to restaurants such as Tavern on the Green, Cafe on the Green, and the Loeb Boathouse. Recreational concessions include ice rinks, indoor tennis bubbles, stables, marinas and much more. Strengths: Generates revenue that, in some cases, can be captured on site. This is often done by working the concession through a non profit friends group. Provides services and programming for park users. Brings vitality and visitors to parks. Limitations: Commercial activities can diminish the park experience and can price some members of the public out of the park. Long-term agreements can lock future park administrators into outmoded uses and create monopoly situations. Putting private uses on public lands raises issues of accountability and governance.
13

and management tend to have fewer amenities to offer users; those with public private partnerships tend to have more resources. With the support of the City and State, the number of these arrangements has proliferated in recent years. The management of other waterfront
public spaces can involve a number of actors and legal arrangements. State and City waterfront policies, and the underlying public trust doctrine, ensure a public interest in waterfront access in

these areas. This public interest is guaranteed through leaseholder agreements, restrictive declarations, and other legal agreements. Many waterfront parks and public spaces benefit from the presence of nonprofit conservancy organizations that provide a variety benefits including fund-raising and programming services. Given this topics extensive coverage in other reports, including an upcoming study by the Citizens Budget Commission, this report will not focus on the funding by conservancies. Described below are the major ways and means that New York Citys waterfront parks and public spaces are managed and funded. Their general strengths, limitations, and some specific examples are also noted.

Case Studies are labeled here and cross-referenced on the map on page 4.

Concessions

 ew York City Department of Parks and Recreation N website: www.nycgovparks.org

Concession Stand at Hudson River Park

10

On the Verge: Caring for NYCs Emerging Waterfront Parks & Public Spaces

Leases or licenses on or adjacent to park property

Description: Leasing parkland or nearby property to private entities for private uses, then using revenue or services from these developments to pay for park management. For New York City Parks, such agreements involve a license rather than a lease. Examples: Legislation creating Hudson River Park designated a number of public piers (e.g. Chelsea Piers, Pier 40, and Pier 57) for develop-

ment and mandates that lease revenues be used for park maintenance. The master plan for Brooklyn Bridge Park has proposed leasing land for residential development to pay for park maintenance. A number of City Parks license users through a non profit affiliate, such as the Bryant Park Restoration Corporation. NYRP - in contract with Parks & Recreation - leases Swindler Coves boathouse to New York Rowing Association. Strengths: Presents opportunities to capture large and stable sources of private revenue for that park. Provides services and programming for park

users. Brings vitality and visitors to parks. Limitations: Works best in parks that are built in areas more attractive to private developers and private development. Can diminish the park experience by adding commercial activities. Private uses can appropriate nearby public spaces, making them function or feel like private space.

(construction set to begin 2007) Waterfront: East River Size: 74 acres (parkland) Ownership: Parks & Recreation Management/Operations: BBPC Maintenance Financing: non-profit, revenue generating uses Parks & Recreation jurisdiction: Own, maintain

Brooklyn Bridge Park

Waterfront: Sherman Creek (Harlem River) Size: 5 acres Ownership: Parks & Recreation Management/Operations: New York Restoration Project (non-profit) Maintenance Financing: public, non-profit Parks & Recreation jurisdiction: mapped parkland, responsible for capital improvements Swindler Cove Park is situated on 5-acres of a former illegal dumping ground adjacent to the Harlem River in the Manhattan neighborhood of Inwood. The park was created by the New York State Department of Transportation (NYS DOT) - to meet a State mitigation requirement - and by the non-profit group New York Restoration Project (NYRP) who wanted to re-establish public access to this one-time rowing launch. NYRP worked with NYS DOT to design and raise funds for the construction of the park. In addition to restoration of one-acre of wetlands, park construction included a floating boathouse, an environmental center and the Riley Levin Childrens Garden. Upon completion in 2003, Swindler Cove was turned over to Parks & Recreation which entered into a 20-year contract with NYRP, designating the group as the official caretaker of the park. The contract essentially establishes NYRP as a voluntary conservancy - there is no exchange of money, and no concessions are written into the contract. As caretaker, NYRP is responsible for operations, maintenance, fundraising and management of the endowment fund for the childrens garden. To encourage use of the park by rowers, the parks boathouse is leased by NYRP to the New York Rowing Association which operates and maintains the boathouse while also providing programming, including use by PS 5, IS 218, and other schools in Harlem and the South Bronx.

Swindler Cove

Set to stretch 1.3 miles along Brooklyns waterfront - from Jay Street to Atlantic Avenue Brooklyn Bridge Park is an 85 acre, city parksowned project that will convert industrial piers into a public area of lawns, recreational facilities, beaches, coves, restored habitats, playgrounds and landscaped areas. In 2006 the park gained approval of the land title transfer of the piers from the Port Authority to the Brooklyn Bridge Park Development Corporation. Planning for the park has been underway for over 20 years, and in 2002, the city and the state signed an MOU providing for the creation of Brooklyn Bridge Park Development Corporation (BBPDC) to plan, design and build the park. The MOU also stipulated that there be community input in park planning, that all open space be protected as parkland in perpetuity and that the park be a financially self-sustaining. To meet this latter requirement, commercial development including residential, hotel, caf and small retail, will comprise 8.2 acres or approximately 10% of the parkland. These revenue generating developments will be claimed solely by Brooklyn Bridge Park to cover yearly operations and maintenance costs. Leasing is just one of several revenue streams considered for the park. Also in development is revenue received from land transaction, condominium surcharges and Payments In Lieu of Taxes (PILOTs). The Brooklyn Bridge Park Conservancy (BBPC), a non-profit group, was started to ensure the creation, adequate funding, proper maintenance, public support, and citizen enjoyment of Brooklyn Bridge Park through partnership with government, development of programming, and active promotion of the needs of the park and its constituents. Through BBPC, a Maintenance and Operation budget was developed by Matthews Nielsen to identify all potential costs of running the park and help ensure that the park stays safe, clean and green.

Trust Management/Operations: Hudson River Park Trust Maintenance Financing: non-profit public benefit corporation Parks & Recreation jurisdiction: Board of Directors of Hudson River Park Trust Hudson River Park - a series of connected playgrounds, open space areas, boathouses, public piers and recreational venues - stretches five miles from the Battery to 59th Street on Manhattans West Side. Comprised of 550 acres (about 400 of which are underneath the Hudson River) the park was created in 1998 by the State Hudson River Park Act. The Act also established the Hudson River Park Trust, a public benefit corporation with board members appointed by the State, the City and the Manhattan Borough President. The Trust is responsible for the design, construction, operation and maintenance of the park. Its operations are funded by revenues generated by permitted commercial uses in the parks, concessions, events, sponsorships, permit fees and private grants and donations. The Trust works in partnership with the NYS DOT to maintain the Hudson River Greenway, the bicycle path that runs through the park. Capital repairs, liability and design of the bikeway are the responsibilities of NYS DOT. Hudson River Park is responsible for the design, construction and maintenance of the rest of the park, including the piers and bulkheads. Since the Park is governed by the Trust and not by the City Parks Department, it has greater freedom to distinguish itself with unique landscape architecture, fixtures and materials. Hudson River Parks independence and revenue generating capabilities have allowed it to create a high quality public environment, distinguished by world class design. Permanent public access is guaranteed by virtue of the state law that created the park. The Friends of Hudson River Park, a civic organization, helps champion appropriation of funding for this waterfront public space. Though the creation and design of the park has involved the input of local communities, there remain differences of opinion on the acceptability or extent of commercial activities in the park.

(over 50% complete) Waterfront: Hudson River Size: 150 acres (when complete) Ownership: Hudson River Park

Hudson River Park

Current Management Funding Models 11

Public spaces on other public property

Description: A number of waterfront public spaces are owned by public agencies whose primary mission is not managing or providing programming for such types of spaces. Most typical are spaces under the jurisdiction of New York Citys Economic Development Corporation (EDC). This waterfront access is created as a result of agreements with the developers pursuant to the Citys waterfront revitalization program. These sites are sometimes maintained by the responsible agency. More often they are maintained by private and non-profit non-governmental organizations operating under lease agreements with the public

agency. In some cases, EDC provides a portion of the revenue required to manage the site through adjacent leases. A particular case is the waterfront street ends under the jurisdiction of NYC DOT. As with the City Greenstreets program, these mapped city streets are owned by NYC DOT, designed and built by Parks, and maintained by NYC DOT and volunteers. Examples: EDC/Community Environmental Center Stuyvesant Cove; NY Waterway at Pier 79; General Growth Properties - South Street Seaport; Waterside Towers Plaza; Manhattan Avenue Street End; Swindler Cove (originally NYS DOT property)

Strengths: Provides more space for public use that does not necessarily draw from the Parks Department budget. Lease arrangement guarantees a steady income stream for maintenance. Limitations: These public spaces can be isolated from adjoining parks. Management and especially programming that draw outside visitors can be less of a priority. The lack of park status implies a lack of permanence to the public space; this may influence funding and public perception.

Waterfront: East River Size: 1.9 acres Ownership: NYC EDC Management/Operations: CEC Stuyvesant Cove, Inc. Maintenance Financing: public, non-profit Parks & Recreation jurisdiction: none Situated between the FDR Drive and the East River, from 18th to 23rd Street, Stuyvesant Cove is a 1.9-acre park operating on property owned by the NYC EDC. In 2001, after local community organizers and Community Board 6 heavily lobbied the agency to turn the space into a park, EDC used an RFP process to choose the non-profit Community Environmental Center (now CEC Stuyvesant Cove, Inc.) (CEC SC)) to provide maintenance for the site as part of a 30-year lease with two five-year renewal options. Under the lease arrangement, in exchange for paying a nominal rent, CEC SC was responsible for constructing an environmental education center (Solar 1), coordinating all on-site programming, and maintaining the entire passive use park including paths, benches, and plant life. The park received startup funds from the city, state, and federal government and, for each of the first ten years of operation, EDC will provide up to $100,000 of expense and revenue matching funds. These funds are derived from the revenue of a parking garage located directly north of the site on EDC-owned property. As a major incentive to recruit volunteers to perform maintenance in the park, volunteer labor hours count toward the EDC grant match. EDC is responsible for all security and quality of life issues and its property management division handles day-to-day oversight and the bulkhead. The park is neither under Parks & Recreation jurisdiction nor mapped or zoned as a park. In addition to EDC, funding is also provided by Stuyvesant Town/Peter Cooper Village, Stuyvesant Cove Park Association as well from smaller foundations, events, and individual donations. In-kind volunteer labor is provided by the SCPA Park Angels, the Center for Worker Education and a new internship program with the nearby Manhattan Comprehensive Night and

Stuyvesant Cove

Day School. Fundraising efforts have secured initial funds for the construction of Solar 2 - an 8,000-squarefoot green building that will house a caf, kiosk, bookstore, museum, display area, offices and a rentable 100-person-capacity room.

Harlem Piers (ongoing construction) Waterfront: Hudson River Size: 2 acres Ownership: NYC EDC Management/Operations: Parks & Recreation Maintenance Financing: Future funded stewardship entity Parks & Recreation jurisdiction: Own, manage, maintain if transferred

Waterfront Greenway. EDC is committed to maintenance of the site until it is built out, and Parks & Recreation will assume responsibility for maintenance, provided maintenance funding is secured. WEACT is exploring opportunities for generating maintenance funding from the leasing of adjacent property with the hope of taking part in a matching grant program similar to Stuyvesant Cove Park. Fundraising opportunities for the piers are limited by the fact that the majority of organizations in the immediate area are property tax-exempt, presenting a challenge not faced by many other waterfront parks in the city.

This narrow, 2-acre waterfront strip between St. Clair Place/125th Street and 132 Street in Harlems Manhattanville neighborhood was once a site for commerce and recreation, though most recently has served as a parking lot. City Planning and EDC have worked closely with the community, including with the non-profit West Harlem Environmental Action (WEACT) to develop and advance the plan for the area. Construction began in early 2006 on docking and recreational piers as well as a landscaped waterfront open space. Additionally, the project will include a new West Harlem link of the Manhattan Right: Stuyvesant Cove Bottom: Harlem Piers

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On the Verge: Caring for NYCs Emerging Waterfront Parks & Public Spaces

Waterfront Greenways
Description: These landscaped on and offstreet pathways for pedestrians, bicycles, and other human powered devices offer a safe and pleasant means of accessing the waterfront, as well as a measure of continuity. Many of the 350 miles of greenways identified in the New York City Greenway Plan14 are integral to new and refurbished waterfront parks and redeveloping waterfront neighborhoods. Greenways have proven enormously popular with the public for both leisure and commuting; the most popular - the Hudson River Park Greenway - is estimated to attract 10,000 people on a nice summer day.15 Individual greenways often cross parcels of land under the management of different city,

state, and federal agencies, private leaseholders, and individual businesses and property owners. Management of greenway segments has generally fallen to each particular landowner, for the most part the Citys Departments of Transportation, Sanitation (DSNY), and Parks & Recreation. These agencies typically address the management of the greenways in the context of the rest of the property they are responsible for, such as a park or a street. Examples: Manhattan Waterfront Greenway; Hudson River Park Greenway; Queens E. River Greenway; Shore Parkway Greenway; Hutchinson River Greenway; Beach Greenway and the proposed greenways: South Bronx Greenway, Bronx River Greenway; Brooklyn Waterfront Greenway and the Sunset Park Greenway/Blueway.

Strengths: Provides popular new venue for walking or biking. Connects waterfront parks and attractions to each other and adjacent neighborhoods. Limitations: Determining and allocating management responsibility for greenways on public property among city agencies and private landowners, all of which have distinct standards and capabilities, none of which have adequate resources for new responsibilities. Determining consistent safety, design and maintenance standards - especially paving, lighting, and curb crossings - that can meet a variety of agency requirements.
14 15

 Greenway Plan for New York City, 1993: http://www.nyc. A gov/html/dcp/html/bike/gp.shtml#overview Hudson River Park Trust

(Under construction) Waterfront: East River; New York Harbor Size: 14 miles long Ownership: NYC EDC, NYC DOT, Parks & Recreation, Port Authority of NY/NJ, Brooklyn Navy Yard Development Corporation, Brooklyn Bridge Park Development Corporation Management/Operations: NYC EDC, NYC DOT, Parks & Recreation, Department of Sanitation, Port Authority of NY/NJ, Brooklyn Navy Yard Development Corporation, Brooklyn Bridge Park Development Corporation Maintenance Financing: Future funded stewardship entity (through Brooklyn Greenway Initiative, UPROSE) Parks & Recreation jurisdiction: Owner and manager of selected portions of the greenway and associated parks. Planning for the Brooklyn Waterfront Greenway began in 1993 when City Planning identified the Brooklyn Waterfront Trail as a priority route in its 350-mile Greenway Plan for NYC, progressing further with a 1998 design and summary report of a 4.7-mile Waterfront Trail. Building on these proposals, a greater vision for the greenway emerged from residents, elected officials, and other greenway advocates. Today, the preliminary route of the 14-mile Brooklyn Waterfront Greenway runs from Greenpoint to Sunset Park. The bulk of the greenway is being planned by non-profit organizations, the Brooklyn Greenway Initiative in CB 1, 2, and 6 - in association with RPA- and UPROSE in CB 7 (Sunset Park). Much of the planning for the greenway has involved community interaction and the coordination of the greenways numerous City agency owners. Today, planning is in its second phase, building on work completed for CB 2 and 6 and addressing design, funding and implementation for CB 1, the Navy Yard and areas in Red Hook. Additionally, BGI and RPA will develop a stewardship plan for the maintenance of the greenway.

Brooklyn Waterfront Greenway

(Under construction) Waterfront: Bronx Rivers and LIS Size: 1.5 mile waterfront perimeter (6 miles total green streets) Ownership: NYC EDC, NYC DOT, Parks & Recreation, Management/Operations: TBD Maintenance Financing: Future funded stewardship entity (through Sustainable South Bronx and The Point CDC) Parks & Recreation jurisdiction: Owner and manager of associated parks. The movement to create the South Bronx Greenway started when the Hunts Point community realized that they would need to come together to plan for permanent public space on the waterfront to avoid alternate and possibly industrial uses. Working together as partners, local organizations (including The Point CDC and Sustainable South Bronx) and the City viewed the waterfront as a fulcrum, not only for public space, but also as an opportunity to spur economic development, create jobs, establish a job training program, and institute healthier transportation infrastructure, including a greenway. This greater vision was formalized in the Hunts Point Vision Plan - issued by the Mayor in 2005 - which advanced the communitys wish for a greenway by featuring it as one of the plans recommendations. Right: Brooklyn Greenway Bottom: South Bronx Greenway-Hunts Point Riverside Park

South Bronx Greenway

Sustainable South Bronx and The Point CDC helped to secure Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement funding to conduct a feasibility study and create a design for the greenway. EDC -as government sponsor for the grant- hired Matthews Nielsen Landscape Architects to produce the South Bronx Greenway Master Plan, which was unveiled by the Mayor in fall 2006. Since the plan was formed with community buy-in and local non-profit organizations were instrumental in securing the funding for planning, those organizations are also determined to be responsible for the maintenance of the space in order to ensure that local residents can continue to play a vital on-going role in the project.

Current Management Funding Models 13

Privately Built & Managed Public Spaces

Description: Under the Citys 1993 Waterfront Zoning rules16, residential or commercial redevelopment of individual private parcels require developers to build, maintain, and operate specified public access areas, including a waterfront walkway and pedestrian connections to public streets or parks as a condition of their permit approvals. Responsibility for maintenance and repair of these areas falls to the owners of the property. Prior to 1993 the City and State agencies made similar arrangements with other waterfront property owners. These are memorialized in restrictive declarations. More recently, specific zoning provisions have encouraged the transfer of these public spaces (and responsibility for liability)

from private ownership to City ownership, while requiring private funds for maintenance. Examples: Riverside South, Long Island City Costco; Castle Hill Beechwood Properties in Soundview; Beard and Van Brunt Street Warehouses in Red Hook; Silvercup Studios (in development); Greenpoint-Williamsburg waterfront (in development); . Strengths: Can ensure a connected network of public spaces along the waterfront as development occurs there. Provides private source of funding for management of public spaces outside of Parks & Recreations budget. Limitations: Sites can suffer from privatization by locked gates, missing amenities and usurpation by adjacent commercial activities. Parks developed and maintained by private owners can

lack connectivity to other public spaces or nearby parklands. Many of these public spaces are not built according to the design guidelines used by Parks, potentially undermining their quality and limiting any opportunity to become mapped as NYC park land. Enforcement of developer agreements can be lacking. The zoning provision does not apply to industrial sites or to low density residential development. Dependence on developers timetable across an entire waterfront reach inevitably leads to gap sites where development has yet to occur.
16

1993 Waterfront Zoning text Article VI , 62-40

(Anticipated 2007 completion) Waterfront: Hudson River Size: 27.5 acres Ownership: Parks & Recreation Management/Operations: Parks & Recreation Maintenance Financing: Payment from private development Parks & Recreation jurisdiction: Owner and manager; contracted to provide maintenance and provide Park Enforcement Patrol officers.

Riverside Park South

(under construction) Waterfront: East River Size: 1.6 miles long Ownership: Private or transfer to Parks & Recreation Management/Operations: Private or transfer to Parks & Recreation Maintenance Financing: Private developer/owner Parks & Recreation jurisdiction: Own, manage, maintain if transferred In May 2005, the City Council approved a rezoning plan for the 1.6-mile stretch of waterfront and upland areas between the Pulaski and Williamsburg Bridges of Greenpoint and Williamsburg, Brooklyn. In addition to new housing and industrial opportunities, the plan has created opportunities for a continuous and publicly accessible esplanade and new public spaces along the waterfront, including a 28-acre waterfront park at Bushwick Inlet. As part of the rezoning, an innovative new provision was created that allows waterfront developers the opportunity to transfer title of waterfront public access areas - including the walkway, areas on piers and supplemental access areas they are required to build - to the City of New York. Should the developers or property owners choose to transfer title, they must abide by the following: Transfer must be made in accordance with guidelines established by the City Planning and Parks & Recreation; They must establish a maintenance account and capital reserve for future repair; They must guarantee adequate waterfront public access through upland connections; Design and construction specifications for the waterfront public access areas must be reviewed and approved by Parks & Recreation. Transfer shall be made prior to certificate of occupancy for any part of the development In return for the transfer, owners and successors are no longer liable for personal injury, maintenance, repair or reconstruction of waterfront access areas, and in the case of this plan, a monetary incentive exists for those taking part in the transfer. These incentives serve to encourage developers to design and build parks that benefit the public and are consistent with other City owned public space. Parks

Greenpoint-Williamsburg Rezoning

& Recreation and City Planning are currently working with Donna Walcavage, Landscape Architect + Design and the landowners to develop a master plan for designing and managing these waterfront access areas.

Located on the eastern shore of the Hudson River between 59th and 72nd Streets on the former New York Central Rail Yard, Riverside Park South is a development-funded park, built as a requirement of the construction of 16 high-rise, residential condominiums adjacent to the site. The project is in its fourth and final construction phase and when complete this Parks & Recreation-owned property will comprise 27.5 acres serving as a continuous link between Riverside Park to its north and Hudson River Park to its south. The park came about through an agreement between the Parks & Recreation, Riverside South Planning Corporation (instituted to implement details of the master plan), the community and the developers that specified responsibilities for planning, design, construction and maintenance of the park. Under the agreement, developers are responsible for building and designing sections of the park, which are then conveyed to the City as parkland. Maintenance and programming of the park is run by the Parks & Recreation in return for fees paid by the buildings owners. To organize the transfer of these fees, the agreement created a homeowners association and mandated that building owners are responsible for the cost of parks maintenance in perpetuity. As new buildings are constructed, the owners of the buildings enter into the agreement and pay parks maintenance fees. The contract for these fees is renegotiated annually. Also included in the agreement is the requirement that Parks & recreation provide security and regulations enforcement through its Parks Enforcement Patrol officers. 14

Top: Riverside Park South Bottom: Williamsburg Waterfront

On the Verge: Caring for NYCs Emerging Waterfront Parks & Public Spaces

Park Improvement Districts (PIDS)

Description: PIDs are a type of special assessment district whereby an assessment on residences and businesses benefiting economically from their proximity to a park is dedicated to park management. There are no PIDs in New York City. Many of the citys Business Improvement Districts use their funding to improve the quality of public streets; Bryant Park and Union Square BIDs directly benefit public parks. Battery Park City Conservancy, which is funded through an assessment of adjoining residential properties, is another analogous example. Other Business Improvement Districts, such as the 34th Street Partnership,

provide landscaping services for the parks in their district. The Citys Zoning Resolution includes a Special Park Improvement District mapped along the East Side of Central Park; however this provision was never implemented. A related means of capturing revenue associated with new development was recently established at Hudson Yards, where Payments in Lieu of Taxes from the district are directed for specific purposes. Examples: Bryant Parks Business Improvement District (BID); 34th Street Partnership; Union; Square BID; Battery Park City Parks Conservancy; Queens West residential assessment fees. Strengths: PIDs can help capture the value associated with well-maintained parkland from those properties and people that most directly

benefit from it. Limitations: Implementing a PID would likely require considerable political approvals, befitting a system that taxes residents and businesses. Creation of a BID requires approvals from the City Planning Commission, City Council, and the affected landowners. It is unclear whether the political cost is worth the potentially small amount of revenue that would be created. PIDs can only work in communities where residents and businesses have adequate resources, raising questions about creating a two tier park system. Depending on how the funding is allocated, PIDs can generate accountability concerns.

Waterfront: Hudson River Size: 35 acres Ownership: Battery Park City Authority (BPCA) Management/Operations: Battery Park City Park Conservancy (non-profit) Maintenance Financing: Payments from adjoining real estate, private donations Parks & Recreation jurisdiction: Mapped parkland; contracted to provide Park Enforcement Patrol officers Constructed on landfill from the original World Trade Center excavation, Battery Park Citys high rise residential units and its 35 acres of parkland and open space are owned by the Battery Park City Authority (BPCA). BPCA was created by state law in 1968 as a public benefit corporation and charged with the mission to plan, create, coordinate and maintain a balanced community of commercial, residential, retail, and park space. To help pay for maintenance of the parks and open spaces, BPCA charges a fee to developers and residents including base and supplemental rent fees, payments in lieu of taxes (PILOTs) and civic facility payments. BPCA also accepts private donations and has the ability to sell bonds for revenue. In 1988, BPCA entered into a management agreement with the non-profit Battery Park City Parks Conservancy (BPCPC) it had previously incorporated. The contract authorized BPCPC to undertake all responsibilities related to the operation, maintenance and repair of the parks and open spaces, including horticulture, masonry, programming, permitting, design and overall park administration. BPCPC relies on BPCA for funding raised through the maintenance and lease payments derived from the adjoining real estate.

10

Battery Park City Parks

Current Management Funding Models 15

Section Six

Recommendations
services, and funding to each individual park. This vertical management structure should allow for better coordination between agencies and partners, enabling them to drill down and address site specific issues. Many of the following recommendations suggest ways improve these partnerships, through new practices geared to this new breed of park. But while these site specific partnerships can address site specific problems, they do not remove the responsibility of the city as a whole to provide for essential park services. Underlying any of these arrangements is the fundamental partnership between a park and the public at large. The citys parks and public spaces are at their best when they strive for Olmsteds ideal of a democratic meeting space, open to all. A total dependence on private funding for park management will create a two tier park system: Quality spaces for those who can pay to play, and other, less desirable facilities for those who cannot; Potential new parks judged not on their merits and/or the need for park services but on the parks ability to generate its own funding. The very first recommendation and the underlying goal of all the other proposal in this report is to ensure that no waterfront public space fails to meet minimum management standards. It is clear that private partnerships can and should continue to provide valuable services and funding for waterfront parks. Ways of ensuring that these partnerships may work to address equity issues are highlighted below. While the recommendations presented in this report are directed primarily to the City and its agencies, in most cases they are also applicable at the State level for State-owned and managed parks and public spaces. to address these inefficiencies, one overriding recommendation serves as the foundation of all recommendations issued in this report the surest, most direct route toward improving parks maintenance is to increase the Parks & Recreation general operating budget. An increase in the operating budget of Parks & Recreation as well as operating funding for public spaces managed by NYC EDC and DOT - would enable these agencies to keep the open spaces clean and safe without compromising equity or the public character of the Citys parkland. Adequate investment in the maintenance of parks ensures that fewer capital dollars will be needed to be spent on expensive repairs in the future. The last two years have seen a significant increase in Parks & Recreation budget. New Yorkers for Parks and others have recommended a general goal of one percent of the Citys Operating budget for parks.18 Moving toward this level of funding would help ensure that every new park has sufficient resources for its stewardship, in addition to any effort a park can undertake to raise supplementary private funding. Such a baseline of expenditures should be sufficient, as a minimum, to cover costs associated with garbage and snow removal, adequate lighting, care of standard park fixtures, and providing a safe environment. Because many waterfront parks require additional significant funding for repairs to shoreline bulkheads, piers and riprap, a special fund separate from the operating budget - should be established by the Citys Ofce of Management and Budget for the various managing entities to use for repairs to these structures. NYC EDC has already taken a leadership role taking inventory and assessing these structures; the City should pursue alternative funding for these facilities through general obligation bonds or bonds backed by specific revenue sources. While new parks can and should identify the potential of generating private funding for programming and to supplement public dollars, realizing this funding should not be used as an excuse to remove this public baseline of support. Even more important, a parks ability to raise dollars privately should not be a means of getting specific proposals to the front of the queue for capital approval.

improving parks maintenance is to increase the Parks & Recreation general operating budget.

surest, most direct route toward

The

The stewardship of the citys waterfront parks and public spaces is a difficult challenge. Wellendowed public parks like Battery Park City Parks and the Hudson River Park have created new public expectations and set high standards for managers. While the FY 07 and preliminary FY 08 City budgets have included substantial increases in the overall city Parks Budget17, meeting these higher expectations and standards with only general operating funds is difficult if not impossible to achieve. Of course, some of the new waterfront public spaces are not under control of the City or State Parks Department. While management funding is still a challenge for these public or privately owned sites, so is ensuring that this mandated waterfront access is managed first and foremost for the public. Addressing these funding and jurisdictional issues will require action both on-site and at the city-wide level. Waterfront parks and public spaces reflect the diversity of the city itself. Their stewardship can and should reflect that diversity. This includes enhancing the ability to engage a variety of private partners to add vitality,

Recommendation 1

Ensure equitable funding for management of all waterfront parks

Relying solely on local and/or private funding for new waterfront public spaces with a site by site approach can exacerbate disparities between the services and impacts faced by different neighborhoods and parks. Such money is easier to generate in residential rather than industrial neighborhoods, and in wealthier rather than poorer neighborhoods. These approaches can also raise concerns about who pays and who is being served by the parks, in particular the distinctions between local and citywide or regional visitors. While many of the proposals below strive

Capture revenue from

Recommendation 2

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On the Verge: Caring for NYCs Emerging Waterfront Parks & Public Spaces

licenses or leases on or adjacent to parkland

Waterfront sites are attractive to the public and to private investors, and can provide a venue for valuable uses or services. The City should generate revenue received from licenses or leases on parks and adjoining public property for the maintenance and management of these public spaces. The uses and services generating revenue should be appropriate for the space and should enhance the users experience of the park. This approach provides a regular income stream for parks maintenance while enabling the City to capture some of the value created by the park in adjacent public properties; an approach that differs from the current system of lease or license revenues bolstering the Citys General Fund. There are several examples of where this has occurred around the city. Some are on designated State and City parkland, such as Hudson River Park Trust and Brooklyn Bridge Park. Others are on land owned by the City that is being redeveloped as public space, but not formally designated as parkland, such as Stuyvesant Cove and the West Harlem waterfront now under construction. In some of these places, the benefits of City funding are enhanced by non-profit conservancy partners. Finally public spaces at public development sites like South Street Seaport and Gateway Estates have similar but distinct arrangements. Here, the leaseholder is mandated to provide for the maintenance of the public spaces directly or through a third party arrangement. This approach has also been suggested for other areas in the city such as the Brooklyn waterfront at Piers 7-12 and the South Brooklyn Marine Terminal, where a percent of lease revenue from uses at these sites or payments in lieu of taxes (PILOTs) from new development sites created from public property could be used to help cover maintenance costs. Another approach involves establishing entire districts where a fraction of all new lease revenues from public properties within several blocks of a park or greenway are dedicated to that space. While establishing reliable and adequate source of management funding is the right goal, it is clear that leases or licenses are not a solution available to every park. Even where it is possible, dependence on such funding can skew these arrangements. For example, at Brooklyn Bridge Park, revenue from private development sites must cover all of the parks management costs,19 which suggests that the development must be relatively lucrative and reliable. Parks with less pressure for creating revenue sources may be able to consider other virtues of private activities, such as service and program delivery as well as revenue. Hudson River Park Trust is currently facing this question as it weighs the option for how to develop Pier 57. The public interest in these arrangements is controlled through the provisions of the leases or licenses. These contracts specify permitted uses, the term of use and the nature of the payment

(e.g. fixed or as a percent of revenues). They can also require a lessee or licensee to provide specific services to the public, such as restrooms or water fountains or meet specific design requirements. There are specific trade-offs between the degree of public control on a private lessee/licensee; the amount, timing, and certainty of funding; and the location and impacts of the private use and activity on the adjacent public space. While these arrangements can only be truly evaluated on a site by site basis, the publics ability to gauge the costs and benefits and enforce the conditions of such arrangements could be improved by relying on performance standards as a condition for RFPs and lease negotiations and by ensuring that Parks & Recreation has jurisdiction on public access sites while improving their ability to enforce performance standards for third parties. This would enable park managers to better target service delivery and would provide a better basis for enforcing the terms of the lease or license. Parks & Recreations own Parks Inspection Program could be the basis of such standard. 20 A performancebased lease would provide a much better basis for evaluating the trade-offs involved specifically revenue versus service delivery of any particular arrangement. Finally, ensuring that Parks & Recreation has jurisdiction on public access sites and improving their ability to enforce performance standards when a third party is involved. The public spaces that result from these negotiations should feel like true public spaces. The party responsible for design, construction, and maintenance of these sites must have experience in managing and maintaining parks. Relying on developers to build and maintain new waterfront parks has proven to be a mixed success, whether here in New York or across the Hudson River in New Jersey. The public should be able to look to Parks & Recreation as the agency responsible for their care. This would require Parks & Recreation to have the final word on design issues related to capital improvements and the ability to permit public events. The resulting public space should ideally be under the jurisdiction of Parks & Recreation. If their jurisdiction is not feasible, then Parks & Recreation should be a full partner in the design and management of the site, and have direct enforcement responsibility and resources.

management activities. The feasibility of new waterfront park improvement districts (PIDs) should be examined for waterfront areas with prospective new development, an ability to pay an assessment fee, appropriate zoning and use, and an economic and physical connection between the park and adjoining property. The structure of these districts must address the natural tension between those who pay into district assessments and those who benefit from improved management. Because payment implies a degree of control over use, revenue generation must be balanced with the city-wide nature of parks. There needs to be bright lines as to who controls the funds and for what areas and purposes. Payment structure should be transparent and equitable. Statistical analyses of this issue suggests that assessment fees should be determined on the gross square footage of buildings within a one to two block radius of the park, and not based on the length of frontage on the park. Residential buildings and units are most likely to derive the largest value increase, but limited assessment fees could be charged to any retail or commercial operation that also benefits from the proximity of the park. Buildings with rent stabilized apartments or otherwise legally affordable apartments should be exempt. The PID structure will not work for every waterfront neighborhood. It is clear that they will work best in neighborhoods with new construction, a high percentage of owner-occupied households and a financial ability to absorb additional fees directly or as a pass through from the landlord. Battery Park City, Riverside South, and the Hudson Yards offer examples of where new PID-like assessments have or presumably will be built into common maintenance fees for new residents.
17 18

 Y07 - $234 million for Parks & Recreation; FY08 F proposed - $269 million for Parks & Recreation  ew Yorkers for Parks notes that the current (FY07) N budget level for Parks & Recreation is less than one-half percent of the Citys budget.  ccording to the Brooklyn Bridge Park Conservancy, when A 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.  ccording to Parks & Recreation, The Parks Department A uses the PIP ratings to hold itself accountable to the highest standards of cleanliness, safety, and structural conditions. In addition, these ratings are used to target problem-areas and to utilize limited resources more effectively.  ee for example, John Crompton in The Impact of Parks S on Property Values, Journal of Leisure Research 2001, Vol. 3, No. 1 pp. 1-31 and The Proximate Principle: The Impact of Parks, Open Space, and Water Features on Residential Property Values and the Property Tax Base, National Recreation and Parks Association, 2006. Also New Yorkers for Parks and Ernst & Young, How Smart Parks Investment Pays its Way, NY4P, 2005. RPA is now conducting research for Friends of Hudson River Park on the impact of the park on adjacent land values.

It is well documented that well-maintained parks create value on adjoining private property and that poorly maintained parks decrease the value of associated property. 21 The business improvement districts that exist around the city are a proven mechanism for capturing this windfall and delivering it for park maintenance activities. The Union Square and especially Bryant Park Business Improvement Districts provide revenue for management of their respective parks. Another well known example is the Battery Park City Parks Conservancy, which relies on assessments of local property owners built into the common area maintenance fee to pay for their

Assess Feasibility of waterfront Park Improvement Districts (PID)

Recommendation 3

19

20

21

Recommendations 17

 New development, especially when accompanied by a rezoning, offers a particular political moment to institute such fees. One way to address the inequity inherent in such an arrangement would be to extend the benets of the PID to other neighborhoods by establishing districts in areas that geographically extend across diverse income levels and a variety of land uses. An example could be the lower East River in Manhattan, putting together a PID for the waterfront neighborhoods above and below the Brooklyn Bridge. Another could be northern Manhattans Inwood neighborhood on the Harlem River. Yet another could be Riverside Park. One study, conducted for the Riverside Park Fund in 1996, found that a PID for Riverside Park could be established from W 72 St to W 125 St for condominiums, cooperatives and rentals between the park and Broadway. Such a PID, with an assessment fee of $150 per dwelling per year, would yield $10 million dollars per year for the park. Such an approach could be extended across an entire Harbor District, though efforts should be undertaken to determine the maximum size of a PID that still enables residents to realize the impact of their payments in park improvements.

The public access requirements of the Citys Local Waterfront Revitalization Program and waterfront zoning have resulted in a number of esplanades and other privately built and managed waterfront public spaces. The program has been very successful in ensuring that public access is provided in qualifying residential and commercial development projects. However the experience offered by such privately held public spaces is mixed. While some spaces are well designed and heavily used, others are not. Some sites feel disconnected from the adjoining neighborhood and nearby waterfront public spaces. While Parks & Recreation and the Department of City Planning (City Planning) have recently stepped up enforcement actions, neither agency are well equipped to monitor management at the growing number of these sites. 22 Provisions within the new GreenpointWilliamsburg zoning text offer a substantial means of ensuring that these waterfront spaces are truly public and are connected to each other and to adjoining parks. The rezoning established and encouraged a voluntary alternative by which developers can build required public walkways and open spaces, turn the property over to the parks department, while continuing to have property owners pay maintenance costs. These provisions should be extended to other waterfront areas through an amendment to the waterfront zoning text. This arrangement will encourage and facilitate coordinated management of other adjacent existing and proposed waterfront parks - ensur-

Enhance public access through zoning

Recommendation 4

ing that these public spaces provide a seamless high quality waterfront recreational experience. It will permit efficient management decisions by allowing equipment and personnel to be spread across a larger land area. As with Greenpoint-Williamsburg, City Planning and Parks & Recreation should collaborate on overall Waterfront Master Plans for other, specific waterfront areas where proposed new development and a critical mass of existing and proposed parks makes City ownership and management a viable option. A Waterfront Master Plan should compliment any existing Waterfront Access Plan (WAP) and serve as a guide for the agency and for future developers along the waterfront, providing a conceptual framework for parks and public spaces. They should serve as a means to ensure that City Planning and Parks & Recreation as well as the community, developers, and state and federal agencies - work towards their common goals early in the process. Waterfront Master Plans should include provisions typically included in WAPs such as esplanade and supplemental open space location and design, construction standards, connections to adjoining public spaces, and management plans including evening operations. They should also identify suitable candidate waterfront areas for this kind of zoning and should specifically address possible long term and interim actions on potential gap sites where landowners are likely unable or unwilling to move forward, where properties are exempt from public access requirements, and previously developed access sites where public ownership is desired. Waterfront Master Plans should also address the increasing number of waterfront greenways by incorporating bicycle access in the supplemental open space and waterfront esplanades created by zoning. Specific areas that might be suitable for these plans include the Flushing waterfront and Long Island City in Queens and the North Shore of Staten Island. These Waterfront Master Plans should specically assess whether certain upland access areas need to be included in transfer of ownership. The Greenpoint-Williamsburg WAP required an increased number of upland connections to the waterfront, but didnt create an opportunity to transfer ownership and liability of these areas to Parks & Recreation. Where an upland connection is located between adjacent properties, developers are responsible for their half only; further complicating design and maintenance of the connection. The Waterfront Master Plans should also identify how the Federal, City and State approval processes can be better coordinated and streamlined. Under current Waterfront Zoning, private owners are required to build or repair structures, such as piers, in the water adjacent to their property, which involves two approval processes by the City and the State. Waterfront Master Plans can serve as a vehicle for scoping the issues associated with the approvals, and generally enhancing the efficiency of the approval process. The City should create and allocate funds to a waterfront improvement fund to provide

incentives for landowners, especially in lower income areas, to meet the goals of these plans. As per Greenpoint-Williamsburg, these funds could be used to provide incentives for participating in the land transfer, especially in neighborhoods where land values or densities may not be high enough to warrant developer participation or where shoreline conditions warrant an extraordinary response. 23 The fund should also be used to fund interim and permanent actions to address gap sites. Funding for the waterfront improvement funds could be allocated as part of the Citys capital plan. Additional specific sources to be considered include using Clean Water Act funds for bulkhead/stormwater remediation, low or no interest loans from the State Environmental Facilities Corporation, transfer taxes, environmental mitigation settlement funds, the sale of air rights and levies on passenger and container ships or could follow the inclusionary housing model using fees generated in one place for use at another.

Make non-prot management partnerships work better

Recommendation 5

Partnering with community-based organizations has enabled public agencies, such as EDC as well as Parks & Recreation, to share management responsibilities with non profit partners. There are opportunities to improve service delivery by these non-profit partners by clarifying and appropriately allocating responsibilities for management. Dividing duties brings the best out of each of the partners responsible for the park. Moreover a park will be more likely to get private funding if potential contributors see that the City is doing its share. Many management functions are best handled under existing responsibilities of city agencies. City agencies - such as EDC, NYC DOT, Parks & Recreation, DSNY, and the Department of Environmental Protection - are already experienced, equipped and staffed to handle certain functions in a more efficient and economical way than a community based organization. They have already negotiated contracts, trained staff, and procured and stored spare equipment and elements. For example, NYC DOT already maintains all the streetlights in Parks & Recreation properties. EDC has played a pivotal role in maintaining the largescale infrastructure (e.g. piers and bulkheads) at several waterfront locations an expensive and complicated task. Quality of life issues, including security, are a challenge for many smaller parks and their private operators. In general, standard costs such as infrastructure, insurance, utilities, and security are best handled by city agencies. The City could also be responsible for unforeseen or emergency non-recurring capital expenditures. Non-standard elements, such as programming, maintenance of non-standard items, and supplemental care, including

18

On the Verge: Caring for NYCs Emerging Waterfront Parks & Public Spaces

litter removal, are well suited for local non-prot groups. Parks & Recreation could also assist non profit organizations managing space on the waterfront, especially in lower income areas, by providing central purchasing and management services that can match volunteer hours. The City should leverage bulk discounts by combining goods and services purchases by smaller parks. In a method similar to the one currently used by the Non-Profit Coordinating Committee of New York and the Green Thumb Community Gardens Program, 24 small parks could use centralized purchasing to save money on materials and services, such as horticulturists, programs, and insurance. The City and/or those waterfront parks with adequate resources should also assist smaller waterfront organizations by providing roving horticulturists and training for local staff. Such a program could be modeled after the Neighborhood Parks Initiative of New Yorkers for Parks, Parks & Recreation, Central Park Conservancy and City Parks Foundation. 25 Another model is the Green Teams that New York State Department of Transportation once operated out of Hudson River Park, sending groups of maintenance workers to different State Park properties throughout the city. Finally, the City should help private/public partnerships by providing funding that is tied to or matched by volunteer hours. Leveraging volunteer hours earns twice the value out of that same dollar of funding and it encourages the local community to get involved in the Park and also brings additional security to the Park. 26 This work could be coordinated by new Park Administrator positions. Building on the success of the Prospect Park and Bronx River Alliances, as well as the Partnerships for Parks Catalyst Program, additional park administrators should be established in other waterfront areas. These positions are jointly responsible to a local non-prot and Parks & Recreation. This model allows for greater attention to the management needs in a particular geographic area. Representing the interests of both Parks & Recreation and the community, such an administrator can ensure that the park is responsive to both local and city-wide concerns. Further, this position could help to facilitate the numerous agencies involved with parks and in particular greenways. A new collaboration being developed between Parks & Recreation and the Open Space Alliance for North Brooklyn will serve as an important case study for this model. Achieving the maximum benefit of this structure will require that procurement and labor rules are adjusted to encourage local work force, the participation of local schools, and use of locally produced products. A strong non profit partnership can also ensure that funds generated at parks are returned to the site itself, rather than going to the general fund. Where such partnerships exist, it is important that the selection of

non profit partners and agreements between them and Parks & Recreation be fair, explicit and transparent for the public.

Promote common waterfront park Design and Performance standards

Recommendation 6

Taking full advantage of the expertise and cost savings offered by citywide agencies will require that major park elements meet city standards and employ common waterfront fixtures. The use of uniform fixtures and standards enables substantial costs savings through common purchases of the initial fixture, and more importantly, any replacement items. But citywide standards must be updated to account for 21st century concerns and waterfront needs and effectively balance efficiency and creative design. Incorporating unique design elements is often preferred by those designing public access areas. Such latitude can enhance the uniqueness of each location and singular vision of each design. It can fuel innovative thinking and materials. This flexibility comes at a cost. City agencies such as Parks & Recreation and NYC DOT are limited in their capacity to maintain elements that do not conform to agency standards. For Parks & Recreation to even consider taking over the maintenance of a private or public waterfront sites, reconstruction must meet departmental construction standards. However, current standard elements do not always take into account the rigor of the waterfront and may not necessarily offer the best fit for waterfront public spaces. A specic set of new design and performance standards for waterfront public spaces would help ensure that materials and designs are well-suited for waterfront locations and that organizations responsible for construction can accommodate Parks & Recreation requirements before time and design monies are invested in non-conforming elements. The process of developing standards should differentiate between when specific materials should be used and when performance guidelines are more appropriate. Particular focus should be placed on developing design guidelines that incorporate waterfront appropriate building materials (e.g. corrosion resistant metal) and differentiates between what is appropriate for designing for waterfront environments versus upland parks (e.g. plant species, barriers that allow access to water). To accommodate the desire for flexibility on the part of the many agencies engaged in waterfront spaces, Parks & Recreation should specify life expectancy, replacement costs and replacement time standards as well as specific fixtures. Parks & Recreation in collaboration with a design consultant should determine which elements are best suited to have strict standards and those better suited to have more exibility (e.g. strict standards for lighting and pavement materials, more flexibility for items like benches and railings). The design manual could

also articulate elements such as signage that could be consistent across the waterfront and address in-water treatments in a variety of edge conditions. The new dedicated initiative should build on the on-going efforts at Parks & Recreation and City Planning to develop such standards in places like the Bronx and Greenpoint Williamsburg. The design manual should be an important vehicle for helping Parks & Recreation to use its purchasing power to drive the market for sustainable products. Parks & Recreation has already taken steps towards sustainability through its recent use of non-wood options, green comfort stations and a better approach to water management, but expanding these actions to facilities at all parks citywide can have an even greater impact.

Help greenways and Roadways Connect us to the waterfront

Recommendation 7

The value of waterfront parks is enhanced by physically connecting these public spaces to each other and to the neighborhoods that surround them. Existing roadways and the citys growing numbers of waterfront greenways offer an especially vital way of making sure that people can get from their homes to the waterfront and workplaces, and between waterfront parks, in a safe, pleasant, and healthy manner. As a particular land use, greenways pose distinct management issues. Greenways typically cross multiple public and sometimes private jurisdictions. All of these landowners have distinct standards and capabilities. Greenways within an existing park have a certain level of default maintenance from Parks & Recreation. Greenways located on the public right of way are under the jurisdiction of NYC DOT. As in all city streets, NYC DOT performs routine
22

 e Council of the City of New York, Joint Report of the Th Infrastructure and Land Use Divisions, Waterfront Access as an adjunct to Real Estate Development: An Assessment of Developer-Managed Waterfront Public Access Spaces, November 29, 2005.  e Greenpoint-Williamsburg WAP created a $10 million Th dollar fund from the sale of the air rights of city-owned property to be used to encourage developers to participate in transfer of ownership of their esplanade to Parks & Recreation upon its completion. w ww.npccny.org and www.greenthumbnyc.org  is program, started in 2005, combines dedicated Th maintenance with capital improvements and aims to improve 100 of the Citys neediest parks over five years as part of a $100 million public/private partnership. Th is model is used successfully at Stuyvesant Cove Park.

23

24 25

26

Recommendations 19

maintenance, lighting and pavement repairs; DSNY is responsible for sweeping, plowing and trash pick-up (from standard receptacles); and Parks & Recreation handles street tree pruning, planting and removal. Other greenways are on waterfront property owned by EDC and other city and state agencies. The Brooklyn Greenway Initiative and Sustainable South Bronx are working to create nongovernmental greenway stewardship entities to coordinate stewardship of all city agencies along their respective routes. Such an entity could enable funding and manage partnerships with private developers, leaseholders, community/social service organizations and/or other city agencies adjoining a greenway route. This approach could deliver additional resources and capacity to responsible city agencies, and help agencies address coordination issues while enabling the greenway to have a more positive impact on the community. Where warranted, these stewardship entities could be under the leadership of a Parks Administrator. This is the case of the Bronx River Greenway. Transportation Alternatives has suggested building on the successful role played by the Mayors Office in establishing the Manhattan Waterfront Greenway by creating an overall greenway director. Such a coordinator, housed within the Mayors ofce, could help clarify and coordinate agency responsibilities for management across all greenways, including the creation and adoption of city-wide standards for greenway management and for waterfront street ends. Involved agencies would include NYC DOT, Parks & Recreation, City Planning, Design and Construction, Environmental Protection, DSNY, NYPD, NYC EDC and Office of Emergency Management. Many waterfront parks were historically built with roadways running through them (parkways). Many new ones are being built in narrow corridors between highways or railroads and the water. In both cases, these waterfront parks must often contend with a lack of connectivity to upland neighborhoods/sections of the park, as well as other maintenance and management issues. Riverside and Hudson River Park are successful due in part, to specic considerations for adjacent roadways including park-appropriate design standards and maintenance. These and other considerations including the integration of greenways and the safety of intersections - should be incorporated into the design of roadways adjacent to new

waterfront parks. Roadways alongside parks should be held to the same maintenance standard of the adjoining park to ensure a continued park-like experience at park edges. Where appropriate, Corridor Management Plans - part of the Scenic Byways program - should be used to help determine funding and management of these roadways. 27
27

 ost states, and the National Scenic Byways Program, M require corridor management plans (CMP) for scenic byway designation. CMPs are community-based and flexible living documents that outline the goals, strategies, and responsibilities for preserving and promoting the byway. CMPs typically address issues such as: tourism development, historic and natural preservation, roadway safety, and economic development.

20

On the Verge: Caring for NYCs Emerging Waterfront Parks & Public Spaces

Section Seven

Appendix
BRONX
Acres
17.00

MANHATTAN
Area Lower East Side Downtown Project
East River Waterfront Redevelopment Battery Park City Park Teardrop Park South Marginal Park along 9A

Waterbody
East River

Waterfront (miles)
2

Area S. Bronx/ Hunts Point Crotona Park East Throgs Neck

Project
South Bronx Greenway (Including parks & other open spaces) Concrete Plant Park Ferry Point Park Regatta Park/Harlem River Greenway Yankee Stadium Park Bronx River Greenway

Waterbody
Bronx River, L.I. Sound & East River Bronx River East River/L.I. Sound Harlem River

Acres
12

Waterfront (mi.)
1.5

Hudson River/ NY Harbor

0.70

7 26.5 3.6 5.4

0.3 1 1 0.3 8 12.1

0.2 East River Hudson River 5.5 150.00 27.50 20.00 1.5 5 0.75 1.3

East Side West Side

UN Esplanade Hudson River Park Riverside Park South

S. Bronx/ High Bridge S. Bronx/ Downtown Various Total

Bronx River

N/A 54.5

Upper Manhattan

Harlem River Park (including Salt Yard & DOT Staging) & Esplanade Harlem Piers Sherman Creek Harlem River Harbor East River

QUEENS
Area Project
Fort Totten Queens West Development Arverne East (Urban Renewal Area) River East Silvercup West Alma Realty Esplanade

Waterbody
Little Neck Bay East River Atlantic Ocean

Acres
50 17 27

2.00 1.2 90.00 14.00 2.00 329.90

0.5 0.25 2 0.32 0.2 14.02

Waterfront (miles)
1 1 0.6

Bayside Long Island City Rockaways Hunters Point

Governors Island Roosevelt Island Total

Summer Park & additional space Southpoint Park Octagon Park

East River

0.5 1 0.5

0.1 0.2 0.1 0.5 3.5

BROOKLYN
Area Greenpoint/ Williamsburg Project
Manhattan Ave. Park Box Street Soccer Park Newtown Barge Park WNYC Transmitter Park Bushwick Inlet Park East River State Park Waterfront Esplanade

Waterbody
East River

Acres
0.1 2.6 1.5 1.6 24 7 6 74

Waterfront (miles)
0.01 0.05 0.06 0.05 0.66 0.09 1.60 1.30

Flushing Total

Downtown Flushing Waterfront

Flushing River

2.4 98.4

STATEN ISLAND
Area Stapleton Project
Stapleton Watefront Esplanade Stapleton Rezoning North Shore Bikeway/Esplanade North Shore Waterfront Park Kill Van Kull Arthur Kill

Waterbody
NY Harbor

Acreage

Waterfront (miles)
1.25

12 4 9.5 2200 2225.5 9 11.25 1

North Shore

Brooklyn Bridge Park Red Hook

Brooklyn Bridge Park Atlantic Basin Open Space & Esplanade IKEA Park/esplanade Bush Terminal Piers & Park NY Harbor

Fresh Kills Total

TOTALS Manhattan Brooklyn Bronx Queens Staten Island Total (w/o Fresh Kills)

Fresh Kills Park

4.1

1.10

Projects 20 13 9 7 5 54 (54)

Acres 330 166 55 98 2226 2875 (675)

Miles 14 17 12 3.5 11.25 57.75

6.5 23.7 15 166.1

1.00 0.40 10.30 16.63

Sunset Park Total

Brooklyn Waterfront Greenway

Appendix 21

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BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Chairman Peter W. Herman Vice Chairman and Co-Chairman, New Jersey Christopher J. Daggett Vice Chairman and Co-Chairman, New Jersey Hon. James J. Florio Vice Chairman and Co-Chairman, Connecticut John S. Griswold, Jr. Vice Chairman and Co-Chairman, Connecticut Michael P. Meotti Vice Chairman and Chairman, Long Island Robert A. Scott President Robert D. Yaro Treasurer Brendan J. Dugan

Hilary M. Ballon Laurie Beckelman Stephen R. Beckwith J. Max Bond, Jr. George Campbell Frank S. Cicero Jill M. Considine Kevin S. Corbett Alfred A. DelliBovi Brendan P. Dougher Nancy R. Douzinas Douglas Durst Barbara Joelson Fife Michael C. Finnegan Timur F. Galen Michael Golden Mark B. Goldfus Maxine Griffith Kenneth T. Jackson Ira H. Jolles Richard A. Kahan Richard D. Kaplan Shirley Strum Kenny Matthew S. Kissner Robert Knapp John Z. Kukral Susan S. Lederman Richard C. Leone Charles J. Maikish Joseph J. Maraziti, Jr. Nicholas Marshall John L. McGoldrick The Very Reverend James Parks Morton Peter H. Nachtwey Jan Nicholson

Bruce P. Nolop Kevin J. Pearson James S. Polshek Richard Ravitch Gregg Rechler Thomas L. Rich Rebecca R. Riley Claire M. Robinson Elizabeth Barlow Rogers Stevan A. Sandberg H. Claude Shostal Susan L. Solomon Luther Tai Marilyn J. Taylor Sharon C. Taylor Karen E. Wagner William M. Yaro Directors Emeriti Roscoe C. Brown Robert N. Rich Mary Ann Werner