A long\u2011underused corner of McCarren Park is finally getting the overhaul neighbors have been asking for \u2014 and the community will help decide what the redesigned space becomes.<\/p>\n
The athletic field next to the tennis courts is currently a cracked expanse of asphalt, scattered with decommissioned basketball hoops and the remnants of an old baseball diamond. Residents say the space has been deteriorating for years, and many use it informally as a dog run, despite the uneven ground and safety hazards.<\/p>\n
City officials say the upcoming $15 million renovation will be one of the largest green\u2011infrastructure projects in New York City\u2019s history. According to Councilmember Lincoln Restler, the field currently has no drainage system, causing rainwater to pool and worsen the cracking. The redesign includes installing underground water\u2011retention tanks to reduce flooding in the surrounding neighborhood.<\/p>\n
Above ground, the community will help shape what the new space looks like. Some residents hope the redesign will include a safer, dedicated dog run. Others want to see new recreation options.<\/p>\n
Nick Martinez\u2011Conde, who visits the field daily with his dog, said the space is already a favorite for local pet owners. \u201cHe loves it here \u2014 he wants to live here,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
A resident named Andrew said he\u2019d like to see pickleball added.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe already set it up ourselves, so it would be great to have it here,\u201d he said. “Right now, we put down chalk, but it doesn’t really work with the grass breaking through the ground.” <\/p>\n
Restler days the dog run is a confirmed part of the design, but the rest will be up for the Williamsburg community to decide. <\/p>\n
A public meeting on May 7 will give neighbors a chance to weigh in before final plans are approved. Some residents say they\u2019re frustrated by the slow pace of progress since the funding was announced last year and hope construction won\u2019t be delayed much longer.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A long\u2011underused corner of McCarren Park is finally getting the overhaul neighbors have been asking for \u2014 and…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":204035,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[36],"tags":[98,100,99,9,24,63],"class_list":["post-204034","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-brooklyn","tag-brooklyn","tag-brooklyn-headlines","tag-brooklyn-news","tag-new-york","tag-new-york-city","tag-nyc"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/204034","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=204034"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/204034\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/204035"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=204034"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=204034"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=204034"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}