NYC Parks

Official Website of the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation

At 2,200 acres, Freshkills Park will be almost three times the size of Central Park and the largest park developed in New
York City in over 100 years. The transformation of what was formerly the worlds largest landfill into a productive and
beautiful cultural destination will make the park a symbol of renewal and an expression of how our society can restore
balance to its landscape. In addition to providing a wide range of recreational opportunities, including many uncommon in
the city, the parks design, ecological restoration and cultural and educational programming will emphasize environmental
sustainability and a renewed public concern for our human impact on the earth.
While the full buildout will continue in phases for the next 30 years, development over the next several years will focus on
providing public access to the interior of the site and showcasing its unusual combination of natural and engineered beauty,
including creeks, wetlands, expansive meadows and spectacular vistas of the New York City region.
Sign up for a Freshkills Park Tour (/sub_your_park/fresh_kills_park/html/tours_and_events.html#public_tours)
Get Involved with the Freshkills Park Alliance (http://www.nycgovparks.org/exit?url=http%3A//freshkillspark.org/)
There are no scheduled events at this time. Please visit this page frequently for updates.

(/sub_your_park/fresh_kills_park/html/freshkills_msnbc_video.html)

Vision (/sub_your_park/fresh_kills_park/html/fresh_kills_park.html#tabTop)
Design & Construction (/sub_your_park/fresh_kills_park/html/design_and_construction.html#tabTop)
Tours & Events (/sub_your_park/fresh_kills_park/html/tours_and_events.html#tabTop)
About the Site (/sub_your_park/fresh_kills_park/html/about_the_site.html#tabTop)
Public Review (/sub_your_park/fresh_kills_park/html/public_review.html#tabTop)
More Information (/sub_your_park/fresh_kills_park/html/more_information.html#tabTop)

The Park Plan

Sustainable Energy

Environmental Research

In 2001, the City of New York, led by the Department of City Planning and supported by the New York Department of States
Division of Coastal Resources, conducted a master planning process for Freshkills Park that resulted in an illustrative park
plan, also known as the Draft Master Plan (http://www.nyc.gov/html/dcp/html/fkl/fkl4.shtml) . In 2006, the Department of
Parks & Recreation assumed responsibility for implementing the project using the Draft Master Plan as a conceptual guide.
The basic framework of the plan integrates three separate systems programming, wildlife, and circulation into one
cohesive and dynamic unit.

Programming
Wildlife
Circulation
Freshkills Park will host an incredible
Freshkills Park will also support
An expansive network of paths,
variety of public spaces and facilities
richly diverse habitats for wildlife,
recreational waterways, and
for social, cultural and physical
birds and plant communities, as well
enhanced access to and from the
activity, for learning and play. The
as provide extraordinary natural
West Shore Expressway through a
site is large enough to support many
settings for recreation. Through
system of park drives will help to
sports and programs that are
ecological innovation and creative
create an animated, interconnected
unusual in the city, possibilities of
design, new native plant
park. People will be able to
which include horseback riding,
communities will inhabit the site and
experience the site by canoe, on
mountain
biking,
nature
trails,
connect
the
park
to
adjacent
park
horseback, on mountain bike, on
Five Parks in One
kayaking, and largescale public art.
sites on Staten Island.
foot, or by car.
Freshkills Park will have five main areas: the Confluence (made up of Creek Landing and The Point), North Park, South
Park, East Park and West Park. Each area will have a distinct character and programming approach.
Click on any photo below to view a larger version.
The Confluence is

The Confluence is
the cultural and
waterfront recreation
core of the park, sited
at the confluence of
Richmond Creek and (/sub_your_park/fresh_kills_park/images/fiveparks_confluence_lg.jpg)
Aerial View of Creek Landing
Main Creek and
encircled by the park
road. Two developed
areas along this loop are
the main activity sites in
the park:
(/sub_your_park/fresh_kills_park/images/fiveparks_thepoint_lg.jpg)
Creek Landing (20
Aerial View of The Point
acres) will be designed
for waterfront activities, including an esplanade, canoe and boat launch, restaurants, a visitor center and a large event lawn
for gatherings, picnics and sunbathing. The area will also allow for ample car parking and will be a central point of arrival and
departure of park users.
The Point (50 acres) is designed to accommodate sports fields, event spaces, lawns, artwork and educational
programming. A long promenade along the waters edge will support restaurants, a banquet facility and an openair market
roof. Old machinery and artifacts from Fresh Kills Landfill operations will act as outdoor sculptural pieces, and the old barges
will be reimagined as floating gardens. The promenade will be a vibrant social place with seating, fishing piers, a boat
launch and great views across the water toward the natural beauty of the nearby Isle of Meadows.
North Park (233 acres,
max. elev. 150 ft.) will be
characterized by simple,
vast natural settings
meadows, wetlands and
(/sub_your_park/fresh_kills_park/images/fiveparks_north_lg.jpg)
creeks. Adjacent to the
Aerial view of North Park
Travis neighborhood and
overlooking the William T.
Davis Wildlife Refuge, the area will feature paths and trails for walking, running, bicycling and skating encircling the northern
mound. Scenic overlooks and spaces for picnicking, catchandrelease fishing and birdwatching will be provided.
South Park (425 acres,
max. elev. 140 ft.) will
provide large natural
settings and active
recreational spaces,
including soccer fields, an (/sub_your_park/fresh_kills_park/images/fiveparks_south_lg.jpg)
Aerial view of South Park
equestrian facility and
mountain biking pathways.
Adjacent to the Arden Heights neighborhood, South Park will also host picnic areas, fields and trails. The area is also large
enough to house a major sports and recreation center for track and field and/or swimming. The hilltops lend spectacular
views across the site and into the distance.
East Park (482 acres, max.
elev. 135 ft.) will be defined
by the park road that
extends from Richmond
Avenue into the heart of the
site and connects to the
(/sub_your_park/fresh_kills_park/images/fiveparks_east_lg.jpg)
West Shore Expressway.
Aerial view of East Park
The park drive will be
sensitively designed as a
scenic route integrated into the landscape. The Richmond Avenue side of East Park has been conceptualized as a nature
education area with specially designed wetlands, boardwalks and exhibits and public art installations. The large mound in
this area lends itself to a variety of recreational uses, from golf and field sports to archery, informal pickup games, frisbee
and picnicking.
West Park (545 acres, max.
elev. 200 ft.) hosts the sites
largest mound, with the
West Shore Expressway to
the east and the Arthur Kill
to the west. An enormous
(/sub_your_park/fresh_kills_park/images/fiveparks_west_lg.jpg)
earthwork monument is
envisioned atop the mound Aerial view of West Park

in remembrance of the September 11 recovery effort that occurred in this location. Set on a vast hilltop wildflower meadow,
the earthwork would be open to the sky and offer spectacular 360degree views of the region, including a direct line of sight
to lower Manhattan.
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Sustainable Energy
With the help of advanced landfill gas collection infrastructure throughout the landfill, the Department of Sanitation is already
actively harvesting methane from the decomposing waste buried at Fresh Kills. This methane, enough to heat approximately
22,000 homes, is sold to National Grid and the city generates approximately $12 million in annual revenue from the sale of
that gas. Gas recovery and sale will continue until the amount of gas produced by the landfill is small enough as to no longer
be economically viable, at which point it will be burned off at flare stations onsite.
While maintaining the objective of minimizing energy consumption within new buildings and infrastructure systems onsite,
DPR is also committed to building upon Sanitation's precedent in using emerging energy technologies to supply as much of
the park's energy as possible. This commitment could include photovoltaic cells and wind turbines, using solar thermal cells
in water heating systems, geothermal heating and cooling, and abiding green building principles. The City is also exploring
opportunities to complement park development with demonstration space for newer renewable energy technologies.
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Environmental Research
The City is interested in using Freshkills Park as a platform for generating knowledge applicable to a broad range of urban
environmental issues, at this site and others: reforestation, habitat restoration, soil production, water quality, alternative
energy generation, even attitudes toward park usage. The physical size and 30-year timescale of the park project ensure
that much of its acreage will be undeveloped for the next ten to fifteen years. The City hopes to capitalize on this available
land by collaborating on research plots and permitting access that is restricted to scientists, technicians and students. Initial
projects are already underway with the United States Forest Service and CUNY Hunter. The Department of Parks &
Recreation continues to seek partners in academia, museums, government and the private sector in the interest of refining
and targeting research questions toward the advancement of study and the pursuit of funding opportunities.
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