City Breaks Ground on 28-Acre Park

NEW YORK CITY-A groundbreaking ceremony Monday marked the start of work on the first phase of Bushwick Inlet Park, a 28-acre project on the Brooklyn waterfront. It’s being carved out of a former industrial area along North 9th and North 10th streets between Kent Avenue and the East River in Brooklyn’s Greenpoint and Williamsburg neighborhoods, and is a product of the 2005 rezoning of these areas.

What formerly housed a rental car storage lot will become the southern end of the new park. It will entail the construction of a synthetic turf multipurpose field for soccer, football, lacrosse, field hockey and other sports, and will be funded by the city at a cost of $7.1 million. The projected completion date is winter 2010.

Construction on the park’s second phase will begin early next year and is expected to open in summer 2011 at a cost of $22.6 million. This will create public waterfront access, a playground and a new sustainable building that will include both public space and Parks Department offices, according to a release.