Jacob Javits Playground Redesign Plans Revealed During Public Meeting

WASHINGTON HEIGHTS-INWOOD, NY — Parks department officials unveiled design plans for a renovated Jacob Javits Playground at a public forum Tuesday night.

The playground — located above West 190th Street between Fort Washington Avenue and Cabrini Boulevard — was identified in the department's Northern Manhattan master plan as lacking funding, parks officials said Tuesday. But even before the master plan was created in 2010, the community had been calling for an upgrade.

Parks department landscape architect Katherine Bridges revealed an ambitious redesign that would completely change the layout of the playground.

The biggest change in the design is the decision to swap the location of existing play structures and basketball courts. The decision was made in order to maximize the space of the park and will allow the park to support a larger play area and adult calisthenics workout area.

The new playground will feature:

• A "cozy play" area for smaller children;
• A play area for children ages 2-5;
• A play area for children ages 5-12;
• A section of the park for swings;
• A pre-teen exercise area;
• An improved natural area with boulder slope stabilization;
• An improved adult exercise area;
• A flagpole and overlook section;
• A placeholder for a currently unfunded restroom.

In addition to the layout changes, the parks department will also be adding benches throughout the park, planting new trees and changing the location of entrance gates.

As with any public project, a few people who attended Tuesday night's unveiling were not happy with the redesign. The main point of contention was the decision to swap the location of the playground and the basketball courts.

Area residents felt that by moving the basketball courts closer to Fort Washington Avenue, the noise level would become unbearable. Another complaint was that by moving play structures closer to Cabrini Avenue, the park would become less safe, as that side of the park has less fencing and where there is fencing it is only four feet tall.

Many also had concerns about the ability for people to be inside the park at night after the gates are closed because of the short fences.

Yes — even multimillion dollar investments in underserved city parks can't escape the wrath of discontent New Yorkers.

The renovation is being funded by allocations from City Councilman Ydanis Rodriguez ($1.5 million), Borough President Gale Brewer ($600,000) and the Fort Tryon Park Trust ($350,000). Funds for the installation of a restroom are still being raised. Project liaison Steve Simon said the restroom could cost $1.5 million to $2 million.

The Javits Playground design will come before the parks & cultural affairs committee of Community Board 12 on Sept. 6. The meeting will be held in the Community Board's offices and will include time for public comment.

All photos by Patch