On Oct. 1, Mayor Mamdani, Parks commissioner Tricia Shimamura and NYC Economic Development Corporation commissioner Athony Shorris announced the start of construction on Box Street Park in Greenpoint.
The $40 million capital project will bring 2.5 acres of public green space to the neighborhood, including an esplanade, terraced seating, dog runs, ADA-accessible pathways and a public restroom, according to a press release from the Office of the Mayor.
“Today, we are finally making good on a promise that Greenpoint families have been waiting decades to see fulfilled: turning a parking lot into a park,” Mamdani said.
The park was originally promised more than 20 years ago, in 2005.
As reported by Greenpointers, Mamdani joked about how long Greenpoint residents have awaited the space. "When that promise was made, movies came out on VHS. Tobey Maguire was Peter Parker. And I'm pretty sure I wasn't even born," the mayor joked.
Assemblymember Emily Gallagher, echoed that the park is “long overdue” and is especially important given Greenpoint’s current landscape.
“Greenpoint has some of the lowest park space per person in the city,” Gallagher said. “As our district has seen an explosion in development and population over the past two decades, the need for greenspace has only become more urgent.”
Native plants will also be a defining feature of the new park, including blackgum and Eastern redbud trees, helping to clean the air while strengthening the site’s resilience to climate extremities.
“Our waterfront is one of our city’s great natural resources, and this new park will give New Yorkers an accessible and welcoming place to connect with their natural environment and with their neighbors,” Shimamura said. “This community never gave up on this park — and neither did we.”
Construction of Box Street Park is expected to be completed by the end of summer 2028.
According to Katie Denny Horowitz, executive director of the North Brooklyn Parks Alliance, Box Street Park marks the beginning of more development, as major investments along Commercial Street are expected in the near future.
