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Williamsburg's State Park Has Arrived
By
Jen Carlson
Published May 29, 2007
Modified Mar 7, 2008
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By
Jen Carlson
Published May 29, 2007
Modified Mar 7, 2008
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Rejoice, Williamsburg-ites, you now have a waterfront park (and you don't even need to buy a luxury condo to have access to it). The East River State Park opened this weekend, to what looks like little fanfare (The NY Times reported "a dozen hearty and alert souls by the East River to check out a park on its first day.").
Gowanus Lounge checked the park out, saying:
East River State Park finally opened this weekend and we like it. It is wonderful to finally have open space on the water that can be accessed without climbing through or over fences. While the site has an interesting environmental legacy--as does neighboring land to the south where those luxury condo towers are going up and land to the north where a Manufactured Gas Plant was once located, plus the Astral Oil Works--it creates 7.5 acres of new parkland in Williamsburg.
You can check out their photos here, and a lot more here. It does seem a bit...lacking, as one person noted to the Times, “It’s nice. But it looks a little parched, like an afterthought, or that they didn’t put much love into it.”
What does the park have?: "grass, some bushes, little yellow flowers, four portable toilets, five metal barrels serving as garbage cans, three wooden picnic tables and one white sign the size of a dictionary that reads, 'DANGER Keep out of the Water.' There are no trees or anything else to give shade." With a $7.3 million price tag, you can bet more recreational facilities and design plans are in the works (and there may be some more green in store for the Greenpoint-Williamsburg waterfront).
Photo via TrespassersWill's Flickr.
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Jen Carlson
Jen Carlson is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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