Changes afoot at Prospect Park

Where were PLG residents during Monday's public hearing about Prospect Park's forthcoming Lakeside Center development? Good question. Few bothered to show up for what is bound to be one of the largest development projects to affect our neighborhood for years to come. Those who did make it, however, were witness to a well-run, savvy presentation of this squarely bitchin' project.

Plans for the Center are currently in the "schematic" stage—architects have outlined the general design of the project, including changes in traffic flow—which makes this an ideal time for public comment.

Here's a rundown of said schema, as presented by Tupper Thomas (Prospect Park Alliance chief) and Christian Zimmerman (one of the architects leading the project):

STREET / TRAFFIC CHANGES

• The Ocean/Parkside entrance to the park is currently open 24 hours a day to cars, as the access point to the (free) Wollman Rink parking lot. Under the proposed changes, the entrance will only be open to cars during the morning rush hour commute, a total of two hours. Drivers wishing to avail themselves of the parking lot will instead enter at Lincoln Road.

• The parking lot will be moved from its current location to nearby Breeze Hill. The new lot has 150 parking spaces. The old lot has about 300 spaces in theory, but, according to Thomas, so many of those spaces are unusable (due in part to park containers and trucks taking up space there) that there will be little-to-no net loss of parking spaces.

• Large containers and trucks currently around Wollman rink will be moved to the maintenance area on the other side of the park. This will help free up green space.

• The DOT, working with Sam Schwartz, is currently conducting a traffic study to  reconfigure the Lincoln Road entrance. The plan is to add two bike lanes—one for entering and one for exiting—alongside pedestrian paths and the new car entrance. The bike paths will connect to bike paths on Lincoln Road, which (listen up, DOT!) need to be more clearly marked. The Park plans to install a traffic light, and is working with the traffic engineers to come up with traffic calming methods to reduce the likelihood of collisions with pedestrians and cyclists.

THE LAKESIDE CENTER

• The new facility will include two adjoining rinks dedicated to ice skating for 5 months a year; for the other 7 months, the space will double as a playground (with water fountains), outdoor cafe, and, possibly, a site for public movies and performances. The model here is Millennium Park in Chicago.
  

• Unlike Wollman rink, the new center will include a cafe + plaza and plenty of space for the public to watch the skaters without having to pay. Users will only pay for skating.

• One of the rinks will be covered and, essentially, below ground. Its roof top will be designed as parkland, with small trees and native flora for park users to enjoy.

• A new dock for peddle and electric boats will be built.

• The net effect of these changes will reduce the density of people around Ocean/Parkside in the summer, as more green space will be opened up.

TIME FRAME

• Landscaping should begin in Fall 2009. The rest of the project is slated to start Spring 2010. Construction should take approximately 18 months. Skating is expected to be closed for one season.

POTENTIAL CONFLICTS (ACCORDING TO ME)

• The Lincoln Road entrance is right next to a playground. What steps will the Park take to insure that increased car traffic there doesn't jeopardize the safety, health, and pleasure of kids using the playground?

• Will the DOT execute a comprehensive plan that not only provides safe pathways for cyclists and pedestrians inside the park, but makes it easier to cross Ocean and Parkside to enter the park as well?

• Will parking spaces be metered to discourage park-and-ride commuters and others exploiting the park as their own private parking space? (Hope so.) Will the Lincoln Road entrance be open to cars 24 hours?

Comments

[Art Tatum]

Great... more Lincoln Road traffic? It's bad enough the apartment buildings there are flanked on one side by a noisy subway, but now to increase automobile traffic too?

[Charles Star]

That entrance already exists, Art. I think if there is any increase in traffic it won't be on Lincoln Road, but along Ocean Avenue, which is already pretty heavily trafficked.

I can't imagine that there will ever be an improvement that has no external effects elsewhere and I think the trade-off here is worthwhile.