City To Extend Lease Of Queensboro Oval Tennis Club

UPPER EAST SIDE, NY — Upper East Siders pushing for the reclamation of public park space underneath the Queensboro Bridge will have to wait another year. The city Parks Department is negotiating a one-year extension to its lease with the Sutton East Tennis Club, which operates a tennis bubble in the city-owned Queensboro Oval, a department spokeswoman confirmed with Patch.

"NYC Parks is pursuing a one-year extension to their license, with potential one-year renewals at Parks’ discretion, while we fully consider the site’s long-term best use," spokeswoman Crystal Howard told Patch.

The tennis club's lease was set to expire at the end of August, Howard confirmed with Patch.

The future plans for the Queensboro Oval space has been a common item of discussion at Community Board 8 parks committee and full board meetings. The board and many neighborhood residents have advocated returning the space to public as soon as possible, but the parks department's decision to extend the tennis club's lease shows the city wants to have a replacement plan in place.

This story will be updated.

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