Brooklyn’s oldest park is getting a makeover.
Commodore Barry Park in Fort Greene, which was acquired by the Village of Brooklyn in 1836, currently boasts large play fields, a basketball court, tennis backboards, a playground and public swimming pool.
And then there's the park’s northern section, dominated by a vast swath of cracked, flooding-prone asphalt. This will soon change, after Brooklyn Community Board 2’s Parks Committee unanimously approved a proposed $20.5 million renovation by the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation at their January 8 meeting.
The redesign, which is based on community input at sessions held by NYC Parks and the design firm Stantec, should be completed by 2026, said officials from the Parks Department. This will be the third phase of renovation, followed by a revamp of the park’s east side in 2012 and recent upgrades to its public restrooms and pool.
The project will replace the park’s outdated play equipment, damaged asphalt surfaces and poor drainage infrastructure and will respond to a community need for increased recreation opportunities, said Michael Leigh, associate project manager for the city Parks and Recreation department.
The new park will boast basketball, pickleball, and multipurpose courts. In addition, it will have an updated playground, adult exercise equipment, spray showers, a rolling synthetic turf field, dog park, and winding, tree-lined paths dotted with benches and game table, he said during a community board meeting.
“We're trying to bring a little bit of both passive spaces and active spaces,” said Leigh.
The park designers also wanted to increase the park’s tree and foliage cover, utilizing primarily native species, which will also help improve the park’s drainage. Surface permeability in the park would increase from 7.4% to 49.9%, Leigh said.
“That is how our design basically was determined – saving trees,” he said.
Other goals of the redesign include improving park lighting, making all surfaces and play areas that will be compliant to the Americans with Disabilities Act and utilizing recycled materials as much as possible.
Parks Committee Chair Barbara Zahler-Gringer amended the motion for support for the proposal to recommend the designers consider adding a smaller basketball court and a fourth wall to the multi-use court after hearing from several community members that were concerned that not enough space was allotted for basketball and the desire to safely play lacrosse and bike polo on the multi-use court.
Zahler-Gringer believes the renovated park will attract more community members to a park she believes is “a bit underutilized.”
“It’s much more than I ever expected it to be,” she said of the proposed design. “It’s got so much going on. It’s just an incredible improvement from what’s there.”
Sam Kamenetz, a resident of Fort Greene, brought his partner's dog Maple to the nearly-empty park on a recent morning. Unleashed dogs are technically not permitted on the field, he noted, pointing to a nearby sign. He said he is excited to see an area built to safely accommodate such play.
“People aren’t shy about bringing their dogs on this field, but it would be good to know that there will be a sanctioned spot for it,” he said.
