New York's Newest Trend: Parks on Landfills and Cleanup Sites

The New York Times digs a little deeper today into recently announced plans for a big waterfront park in Sunset Park, so we thought it as good as an excuse as any to unearth this photo of a tagged-up and abandoned caboose near 39th Street and the water.

The new park site is currently a contaminated landfill with rotting piers and excellent harbor views. Landfill activity was halted in 1978 when it turned out the contractor was using "questionable material." (We don't want to know what that means.) The $36 million plan would clean up the site (arsenic, lead, industrial waste) and remove the piers to create open space, ball fields, fishing areas and--you have to love the irony--an environmental education center.

It's been quite the few days for waterfronts and parks, what with the announcement of a plan to create a beach on the Hudson after the Sanitation Department vacates its waterfront land in Chelsea and the nifty write up on the future plan for Fresh Kills in Staten Island in New York.

GL doesn't want to poop any parties, but are there any sites being considered for big parks in the city that aren't former landfills or Superfund sites? Just wondering, is all.

We knew all along that waterfront development in New York City in the 2000s means, in many cases, dealing with environmentally-challenged sites, but for whatever reason, the full picture didn't form until now nor did the fact that it's a trend. (And, yes, we know the waste dump history of Flushing Meadow Park and some other spots.)