New Park Space Underway in Chelsea

Nov. 16, 2015 — Go gang green! Except we're not talking about the New York Jets, but rather the New York City Parks Department and a very determined group of Chelsea residents.

Chelsea Now reports that a group of determined residents have finally succeeded in gaining funding to construct a new park at 140 W. 20th St., between Sixth and Seventh Aves. "Since 2010, a group of local residents has been advocating for a green space on what was once a parking lot and building used by the Department of Sanitation. They lobbied the city to designate the .23-acre space as parkland, raised $500,000 in private funding, and received $1 million through last year’s Participatory Budgeting process," writes Scott Stiffler. "The area roughly between Fifth and Seventh Aves. has the lowest proportion of green space relative to developed land in Manhattan, according to the Parks Department. A new park would help ameliorate that situation locally, while also furthering a city initiative to have 85 percent of city residents live within walking distance of a park by 2030." The next step is "a three-year process of environmental review, design, procurement and construction," with meetings for design scheduled for the spring.