By Gus Saltonstall
A plan to redesign a portion of Verdi Square on the Upper West Side will go before the Landmarks Preservation Commission on Tuesday.
The plan, which is funded by the New York City Mayor’s Office, aims to improve the accessibility and infrastructure in a section of the 0.1-acre park, located on a traffic island from West 72nd to 73rd streets, between Amsterdam Avenue and Broadway.
Chief among the proposed changes would be the addition of an asphalt path on the northern end of the park, specifically, within the garden area where the monument to Giuseppe Verdi, the Italian opera composer, is located, along with tables and chairs.
Here is how the area currently looks.
And here is what the proposed asphalt path would look like.
The proposed asphalt walkway would be constructed with steel edging along its border, and the existing granite curb would be cut and sunk to clearly differentiate the path from the rest of the area.
A ramp would be installed at the entry point to the space, as opposed to the makeshift wooden ramp that currently exists.
The proposed project also has additional goals related to water flow within the Upper West Side park, including:
- Install a water meter
- Install an RPZ back flow device within a “vandal proof enclosure” (a device that protects water from contamination)
- Install two quick-couplers (devices that allow the connection and disconnection of tools such as hoses or fluid lines)
The proposed project would also repair stone benches and iron fencing throughout the park.
You can check out the full proposal for yourself, including diagrams of where these changes will be made, on the city’s website — HERE.
The Verdi Square Landmarks Preservation Commission presentation is expected to take place around 2:45 p.m. on Tuesday. You can watch it in real time — HERE.
Verdi Square was designated a New York City landmark in 1974, and thus any changes made within the park must go before the Commission. The proposed project has a budget of $873,000.
West Side Rag will update this article following the Tuesday presentation.
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I hope it’s nice. I’m kind of creeped out by that little area even though it’s an amazing neighborhood.
It’s a great place to sit and people watch, have a cup of Joe, or just admire the park, on a nice day.
Great idea and which will most definitely increase the usage of the park, as the current layout most definitely doesn’t encourage walking into it -and I know this is a common complaint about public infrastructure projects- $873K for a path across flat terrain and some benches is truly crazy. The complete reconstruction of the stair of the Franz Sigel monument was “mid-six figures” last year, and one would assume that the private donor who paid for the whole thing has a lot less resources on the ground than the parks department.
The funding actually covers two projects – water service for Verdi Square and water service for Riverside Oval – you can find info about it on the Parks Capital Project Tracker (https://www.nycgovparks.org/planning-and-building/capital-project-tracker/project/10366)
The article was pretty clear that they’re doing much more than “a path..and some benches.”
The other 3 things mentioned are very minor and will take significantly less time to do than the path and benches. To be fair the fact that they had to itemize that they are installing two quick-couplers is hilarious.
They should make a bike lane along where Broadway used to be. We need protected bike lanes on every street in this city.
Where Broadway USED to be???
Oh yes, won’t SOMEONE think of the poor neglected bike lanes?!?!?!
Since the city is significantly out of compliance with the number of bike lanes it promised to install, prioritizing bike lane development should be a top concern. https://nyc.streetsblog.org/2024/02/26/dot-spins-streets-plan-bus-and-bike-lane-failure-as-success
They should really make a bike lane in the middle of all bike lanes. We need extra-double-trouble protection bike lines in every bike lane on every street in this city. Cars can fly, for all I care.
Absolutely not. There are unused 99% of the time. All they do is clutter up the street and slow down traffic.
If they’re that unused, then why do so many people have problems with cyclists’ errant behavior? Is it just a few cyclists causing all the supposed havoc throughout the City?
You obviously haven’t a clue how much cycling is done throughout the entire network of integrated bicycle lanes. No one would support your 1% utilization rate.
Because they’re not using the bike lanes?
UWS urbanist,
Pedestrian, bus rider, subway rider here…..
There should be no bike lanes on Broadway.
Bicyclists can use CPW, Columbus and Amsterdam.
Actually best thing would be for bicyclists to walk and use the bus and subway
If you are actually mostly pedestrian you’d be better off advocating for bike lanes and removing parking and driving lanes. Cars kill, bikes don’t.
Why get rid of bike lanes (which move people) instead of parking lanes (which do not)?
Only $873,000!
I don’t think the layout of the park is really the main problem there.
Why is this a problem we are tackling. This is beyond dumb and a waste of money!
Here’s a suggestion. There are still many migrants (or whatever one wants to call them – please don’t get into a battle over semantics here) living in our neighborhood and around the city. I am OK with this within reason. But they are living here for free and I’ve have heard that many of them are eager to work. In exchange for their free homes and other resources they are getting, have them work on this project, and other projects.
They get “paid” an hourly wage, with a portion of that going to pay “rent.” This way they are contributing members of society. And a portion of the cost of this project comes back to the city.
The only downside of this is it puts a target on their back when Trump’s ICE gestapo shows up.
The issue might be that the jobs performed by the immigrants would otherwise go to the union awarded the work. Isn’t this how these city projects typically work? It’s not about efficiency or containing tax payer costs but spreading the money around. Lots of money is going to the hotels to house them. Money going towards services since they can’t work. There are people and agencies who will be less busy of these migrants become self sufficient.
Ditto.
How about more trees and greenery and benches. For almost 900K this is insane.
The first thing they should do is take care of the rat problem. It’s a rodent jamboree in that garden as soon as the sun goes down every night.
I have seen rats there over and over again . I won’t even enter that “park” but there is NO escape, since the rats show up on the pathway on the east side of the park as well.
I am horrified and freaked out and disgusted, and nothing is being done to address the scourge. Can’t SOMETHING be done???Please!!!
There is always a ripple of rat-amation when walking alongside the green space in Verdi Square at dusk. I once counted 8 rats in the time it took to walk from Broadway to Amsterdam. One tripped me, and it’s accomplice tried to steal my bag (NYC rats are a different breed). Good luck to whomever wants to sit in that green space, won’t be me.
During the day you hardly ever see any.
And that is supposed to be a comfort???
It is CRAZY.
Feh.
Will they eliminate the carpet of rats that lives there/
Only if the city engages the Pied Piper. I won’t go near that so-called park, or the pathways that border it.
Excuse me, how does that cost almost $900k
Sounds like this proposal to spend almost a million dollars on putting in a straight, flat paved path (between Point A and Point A-and-a-half) is causing quite a Panic in Needle Park!
It is going for a bit more than that. Reading comprehension is essential.
Why not do something with the area south of 72nd street which is just a concrete triangle? A little greenery would be nice there too.
Get rid of the bike lanes in this city
At least enforce the TRAFFIC LAWS. Bike riders never stop for red lights, and even ride in the wrong direction. This puts the lives of pedestrians at risk of injury and even death. Why is this dangerous lawlessness permitted in a so called civilized city???
There has been a giant sinkhole in one of the Riverside Park playgrounds that has gone unrepaired for years and we are spending a million dollars for a path in a tiny park? How do the people who make these decisions handle their own finances?
(And yes, it is $873k, not $1M, but do we really expect it will come on on budget?)
If you’re referring to the Dinosaur Playground, that’s in the early stages of a huge reconstruction project, including fixing the sinkhole. The cost has ballooned to at least $10 million. (Sadly, it doesn’t include the restroom structure.) If you’re interested in learning more about it, here’s the Parks page with info:
https://www.nycgovparks.org/planning-and-building/capital-project-tracker/project/10160
Please include the little triangle to the south of this park as well. Add some greenery.
This is as dumb as “participatory budgeting .”
A million here, a million there… what difference does it make?
“We choose to waste money because we can waste money.”
This comment thread should be titled Panic In Needle Park
Kudos for the West Side Rag. Always a valuable source of UWS news & events.
The little gardening group that does such a good job with this park has made such a difference. I’m all for improving it as much as we can and it seems some water for the plants and trees there is a good idea. Glad it’s getting some more attention.
Who is this “Emma”??? I don’t mind the comment but I didn’t write it and did not realize I was sharing a “name” with someone else in the comment section. Shouldn’t each of our email addresses have a specific and non-duplicative name?
This sounds positive. Ideally, the new layout would include features to discourage noise pollution by buskars.
Sounds like a high cost for something less vital than other things.
“where Broadway used to be” ?