Weigh-in on $11 million Revamp of Queensbridge Baby Park At Virtual Meeting Next Week

A section of the Queensbridge Baby Park (Google Maps)

Jan 21, 2021 By Michael Dorgan

The Parks Dept. is holding a virtual outreach meeting next week for residents to discuss the revitalization of the Queensbridge Baby Park in Long Island City.

The meeting will take place online on Jan. 28 at 6:30 p.m. It is expected to last about an hour.

The Parks Dept. is looking for the public to weigh in on the redevelopment of the entire park, which stretches from Vernon Boulevard eastward toward 21st Street. The city has already allocated $11 million to the project, according to the Parks Dept.

Residents of the nearby Queensbridge Houses NYCHA complex currently use a portion of the park, located at 41st Road and 12th Street, for recreation as it is made up of handball courts and benches.

The Parks Dept. is already redeveloping that area separately which will see the handball courts revamped and a new basketball court added.

However, as part of a larger revitalization project, the city is looking to redevelop the rest of the park and put in new amenities for residents. The city wants to create an attractive linear park to enhance public space and better connect residents to the waterfront.

The space is currently used by the Parks Dept. for operations and storage. The agency is expected to move to a composting facility under the Queensboro Bridge at the corner of Vernon Boulevard and Queens Plaza South to make way for the new project.

Next Thursday’s virtual meeting will mark the first step in the design phase of the larger project, the Parks Dept. said.

The agency said that the goal of the meeting is to gather feedback to shape the future of the site.

“We intend to incorporate the community’s vision into Queensbridge Baby Park’s design to create quality recreational space that better serves the surrounding communities,” said Parks Dept. Press Officer Charisse Hill.

The Parks Dept. aims to complete the design by the end of year. The procurement process will then begin, with construction not expected to begin until 2023.

Interested participants are required to register for free beforehand by clicking on this link.