According to Governor Cuomo’s office, the “Vital Brooklyn” initiative will dedicate $140 million to the improvements of open space and recreation programs in Brooklyn over the next years.
In September of 2018 it was announced by Cuomo that the largest state park in NYC would be opening in Brooklyn the summer of 2019—Shirley Chisholm State Park.
The 407-acre park is to be located just south of the Belt Parkway and will offer New Yorkers 10 miles of trails for hiking and biking, including bike connector paths that will ultimately join the Pennsylvania and Fountain Avenue properties. The park will also feature waterfront access for kayaking, pop-up environmental education, a pier with a shade structure, picnic areas, concessions, comfort facilities, and potentially an amphitheater and an environmental education center for children and families.
Of the $140 million budget, phase one of building of the park is estimated to cost nearly $20 million. The design and planning of phase two will begin sometime in the fall.
Part of the Governor’s Vital Brooklyn initiative will also include upgrading existing facilities throughout the borough to “ensure residents have access to recreational amenities, nature and open space.” This includes; enhancing amenities at more than a dozen community gardens and schoolyards, and creating more than five acres of recreation space at state-funded housing developments.
You can take a look at the Governor’s original announcement about the park in this video:
Featured image: The Office of Governor Cuomo