Tavern on the Green Parking Lot to Get ‘Greened’, As Other Park Projects Move Ahead

By Alex Israel

A parking lot next to Tavern on the Green inside Central Park at 67th Street will be transformed into a more public-friendly space, with some sort of greenery. The project, which had originally been slated to start several years from now, has been expedited.

The Central Park Conservancy attended a recent Community Board 7 Parks & Environment Committee meeting to share information about that project, and two others

Following up from a committee appearance in October 2017, Lane Addonizio, Associate VP for Planning at the CPC, laid out some updates to the initial plans for the paved lot next to Tavern on the Green. The lot is part of CPC’s $300 million program of work, which includes a number of other projects to be completed over the next 10 years.

Upon reviewing CB7’s November 2017 resolution, which “strongly urged [CPC] to move permanent ‘greening’ of the former parking lot and conversion of it to park-appropriate uses to the top of its queue,” Addonizio reported that CPC has indeed moved the project up in their list. Initially slated for 2021, it has now been shifted to begin as soon as 2019.

Addonizio said that for the sake of efficiency, CPC is planning to “continue moving on the trajectory” toward a long-term proposal, “rather than get more elaborate with interim solutions.” They will still consider low-cost options that “don’t divert too much energy” from focusing on something permanent, but the plan is to return to the Committee within six months with a real design proposal for the long-term solution.

Terry Andreas, president of the board at 75 Central Park West, which is located directly across the street from the lot, had a simple suggestion. “The neighborhood would like it to be something nice… something green.”

While specifics are still up in the air, options are slightly constrained. Despite protests from local residents, the lot will continue to serve as home to the New York City Marathon Pavilion, which requires a flat surface. According to Addonizio, CPC will be exploring synthetic turf, all-weather play surfaces, additional seating, and horticultural improvements, amongst other options, as part of their proposal.

Klari Neuwelt, Co-Chair of the Parks & Environment Committee, expressed her excitement in the impact CB7 was able to make in pushing the project along. “We seem to have accomplished something here,” she said with a grin. “We’ll be delighted to have you back as soon as you guys are ready.”

Addonizio also introduced two new projects to the committee. One is a $1.6 million refresh of the Safari Playground at West 90th Street. CPC is hoping to receive approval from the Public Design Commission by May 2018, and would ideally kick off the 8-9 month construction project at the end of the summer.

Aiming to maintain the safari theme, major updates include:

–Adding a new ADA compliant route

–Reconstructing and re-grading the steps

–Upgrading the hippo and canoe structures

–Improving the water feature, implementing user-operated ground jets that conserve water

–Lowering the fencing

The other new project is a $3 million restoration of the Merchant’s Gate Comfort Station at West 61st Street. CPC is hoping to receive approval from the Landmarks Preservation Commission by May 2018, and is looking to kick off the 6-month project in early summer.

Major updates include:

–Reconfiguring the interior to be ADA compliant

–Converting the station from seasonal to year-round

–Implementing an upgraded irrigation system

The Parks & Environment Committee unanimously passed resolutions approving both of the new projects. These resolutions will be reviewed at the next full Community Board 7 meeting on March 6, 2018.