Turf Wars Part II: Will Pushy Parents get their Park?
Activist parents often make a lot of noise, but they don’t always achieve their goal. That’s not the case with Jackson Heights Green, a group of young, well-connected parents who have organized to expand the neighborhood’s only public park. They first created a “play street,” the closure of an adjacent road on every Sunday. Now, they are lobbying politicians to turn that street into a park and to take an adjacent parcel with eminent domain.
In their first victory, parents of Jackson Heights Green organized the 78th Street Play Street
The owners of the parcel, which is occupied by a Toyota dealership, are unwilling to sell to make way for a larger park. JH Green estimates that the land is worth about $4 million, said Ed Westley, a member who met with local politicians. State Senator Hiram Monserrate has pledged $2 million, Westley said, and Councilwoman Helen Sears may commit funds if the group is successful.
Barbed wire separates Travers Park from a Toyota dealership. Parents have targeted the dealership for eminent domain.
In the meantime, the city is planning to convert a nearby schoolyard into a playground, part of May Bloomberg’s planNYC. This should also relieve some of the tension in this park-deprived community.
Jackson Heights, Queens, ranks second to last among New York City neighborhoods for the number of parks per resident. It has recently seen an influx of young families, creating tension on the neighborhood’s one public park.