A city plan to build a new skate park in Brooklyn’s Mount Prospect Park is drawing sharp reactions from neighbors, reviving a debate CBS News New York first reported on two years ago.
The proposed site is a greenspace on a hill between the Brooklyn Central Library and the Brooklyn Botanic Garden.
Battle lines drawn over proposed Brooklyn skatepark
A local group, Friends of Mount Prospect Park, is campaigning to stop the plan, arguing the project would alter a beloved public space.
“People sit here, have picnics, birthday parties, celebrations. It’s not meant to be a huge park taken over by skateboarders,” said Helen Koh, the group’s secretary treasurer.
Renderings of the planned Brooklyn Skate Garden show a mix of paved and green elements. Developers describe it as a shared community space designed to bring world-class facilities to local skaters. Opponents say they formed in response to safety and environmental concerns.
“There was never consultation with the community. No one ever really had a discussion with us,” said George Sands of Friends of Mount Prospect Park.
Supporters counter that the park would serve all New Yorkers, not just nearby residents.
“This is a New York City park. This is not a group of people’s park that happen to live across the street or nearby,” said Loren Michelle, executive director of the Pablo Ramirez Foundation, which is helping lead the project in honor of her late son, an avid skater.
Michelle said many skaters don’t get the same resources as kids who participate in other sports.
“A lot of skaters in New York City have to skate in places that are on the edges of our city, under bridges, next to highways, next to tunnels in urban areas that are just not healthy, dirty and are extremely dangerous,” she said.
Opponents argue the project’s design conflicts with the NYC Parks Department’s goal of preserving green space.
“They say they want skateboarders to be able to have green space. Fantastic. But unfortunately, when you make a skateboard park, mostly it’s concrete. You can’t skateboard on dirt and grass,” Koh said.
All eyes turn to the Mamdani administration
The project was announced by former Mayor Eric Adams in early 2024. Community members are now watching to see how the new Mamdani administration views the plan.
Alec Beck, associate director of advocacy for The Skatepark Project, founded by Tony Hawk to expand access to skate facilities in underserved communities, said demand remains high.
“Sixty million Americans lack access to a legal place to skate,” he explains. “There’s a lot of need still in Brooklyn in terms of providing safe, accessible places for people to participate in action sports recreation.”
This spring, community board meetings on the plan are expected to draw strong opinions. Opponents have sent a letter to Comptroller Mark Levine requesting an investigation into potential safety risks and legal liability.
“Who’s going to indemnify if a skateboarder goes down the stairs that you walked up and gets impaled on one of the fences?” Sands said. “There’s a ramp on the other end. You know, some skateboarders are going to go down that ramp.”
Developers counter that the stairs and ramp already exist, but are not viewed by skaters as desirable places to shred.
The comptroller’s office did not respond to requests for comment.
A spokesperson for Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s office said in a statement: “We look forward to sharing a world class design for the skate park with the community this spring.”
Developers anticipate construction could begin next year, with completion projected for 2028.
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