Major renovation underway at Chelsea Waterside Park
BY HAEVEN GIBBONS
The Chelsea Waterside Park is undergoing
a major renovation.
Chelsea Waterside Park is a part
of Hudson River Park, but the two are separated
by the West Side Highway. A path
leading from Chelsea Waterside Park to
Hudson River Park has long made Chelsea
Waterside feel more like a pass through
than a park where people can hangout
and relax, said Zazel Loven, chair of the
Chelsea Waterside Park Association.
Meandering pathways with trees and
native plant gardens will be added to the
park, the dog run will be renovated, there
will be a new, designated picnic area, the
soccer fi eld will be resurfaced and a new
public restroom will be added to the main
park area.
“I hope that the renovations will make
everyone in the neighborhood feel comfortable
to use the park in ways that are
best for them whether it’s having a picnic,
playing sports or bringing their children
to the playground,” Loven said. Adding,
“It’s a park for all people. It’s my belief that
everyone should feel welcome in the park.”
Landscape architects and designers have
worked closely with the Chelsea Waterside
Park Association and the Chelsea community
to be sure to make renovations that
will benefi t the park goers.
The Chelsea Waterside Park playground.
“The Chelsea Waterside Park Association,
Community Board 4, Hudson River
Park Friends, City Council Speaker Corey
Johnson and the elected offi cials who serve
this area have been strong and consistent
advocates for high-quality open space that
both welcomes and serves the community,”
said Noreen Doyle, president and CEO of
the Hudson River Park Trust, in a statement.
“Nothing brings us greater joy than making
people’s visions for open space come to life.”
The dog run will be enlarged and modernized
to accommodate more dogs and
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have areas separating large and small dogs.
The designated picnic area will be a place
for people to come together, to eat lunch or
celebrate birthday parties, Loven said.
“We want everyone in the neighborhood
to feel that they have a place in the park,
so we have a beautiful, designated picnic
area with tables and lighting,” Loven said.
A new playground was recently installed,
so that will remain the same, but a place for
people to put their strollers will be added.
But the biggest renovation is the addition
of the comfort station, or public bathroom,
that will be located in the main area of the
park.
“And that will add a whole element of
people staying to use the park,” Loven said.
For nearly 20 years the comfort station
has been on the agenda of the Chelsea
Waterside Park Association, Loven said.
She said she hopes the renovations make
the park a place to stop instead of being used
as a pass through to Hudson River Park.
“We want it to be a place where people
can relax and enjoy nature,” Loven said.
On Oct. 8 a perimeter fence went up
around The Chelsea Waterside Park, and
construction began last week.
The renovations will happen in three
overlapping phases. The central area and
overlook will undergo renovation fi rst
to include the comfort station. The area
will be under renovation from October
2021 through winter 2022. The area will
be closed for the duration of the project.
Renovations will begin on the dog run
early 2022 and the area is expected to be
closed until summer 2022. The athletic
fi eld will be temporarily closed from summer
2022 until fall 2022.
The playground will remain open
throughout the renovation period. A new
temporary entrance to the playground has
been created on 11th Ave.
The renovations are expected to be
complete by fall 2022.
Adams picks up Streets PAC endorsement in Chelsea
BY MORGAN C. MULLINGS
Mayoral candidate Eric Adams
rode into Chelsea on Oct. 19
on a Citi Bike to meet with his
friends at Streets PAC and announce a key
endorsement just days before early voting
begins.
The alternative transportation organization
has endorsed the likes of NYC Councilmembers
Antonio Reynoso, Carlina
Rivera and Ydanis Rodriguez, who were all
present to promote the candidate’s Moving
Forward Together Transportation Plan.
“Don’t be distracted by all the noise. Just
stay focused on the pathway to City Hall.
And that pathway is going to be lined with
safe protected bike lanes,” Adams said in
his remarks.
His plan includes safe and secure
bike parking, faster implementation of
the electric bus fl eet, and expansion of
fair fares. He also supports congestion
pricing on public transit and wants to
add 152 miles of bus lanes and 300 miles
of protected bike lanes. His plan is focused
on increasing access to alternative
transportation for communities that are
transit starved, and reducing the amount
of traffi c violence.
“Since 2014, 1,800 people have lost
their lives on New York City streets, due
to traffi c blindness and crashes. That’s
unbelievable,” Adams said.
The real tragedy, he added, is that a
disproportionate number of these deaths
come from Black and brown communities.
In New York City and across the
country, Black people and residents in
low-income areas are more likely to die in
traffi c accidents.
“I have close friends that won’t even
ride their bikes because they’re so afraid.
They’re so intimidated,” Adams said.
Streets PAC has a history of endorsing
winning candidates and is dedicated to
electing offi cials who support safe, liveable,
and complete streets— “Complete”
meaning that they provide accommodations
for multiple types of transit, not just
cars. Streets PAC Executive Director Eric
McClure told PoliticsNY that candidates
go through an extensive process including
a questionnaire and interview.
“Sometimes they have to consider who
can win and who can’t win, but it’s really a
matter of somebody being really dedicated
to safe space and better transit,” McClure
said.
The other elected offi cials there, who
were previously endorsed by Streets PAC,
committed to working together to achieve
these goals if Adams is elected as mayor.
Reynoso, the Democratic candidate
to take Adam’s current seat as Brooklyn
borough president, said, “Eric Adams
is going to be able to rely on me to be at
the forefront of installing and working on
infrastructure that’s going to make this city
safe for everyone.”
PHOTO BY MORGAN C. MULLINGS
StreetsPac endorsed mayoral candidate Eric Adams on Oct. 19, 2021.
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