New Plan for North End of Union Square Park

The NYC Department of Parks & Recreation will be presenting a new and revised plan for the north end of Union Square Park at Community Board 5's Parks Committee meeting on Monday, January 30, at 6 p.m. at the Fashion Institute of Technology, "A" Building, 8th floor, 227 W. 27th St. near Eighth Avenue.
Please see below the information provided by the Parks Department that describes the Project, which includes the playground, plaza area, and pavilion restoration, and provides a rendering of the playground.

CITY OF NEW YORK - PARKS & RECREATION
Fact Sheet from City of New York, Department of Parks & Recreation

CITY OF NEW YORK - PARKS & RECREATION
A NEW PLAN FOR UNION SQUARE PARK
January 2006
With your help, the final phase in the 20-year effort to revitalize Union Square Park will soon begin. In response to community suggestions, Parks & Recreation has designed a new plan for the north end of the park with a dramatically expanded playground, improved space for the Greenmarket and a restored pavilion. The main features of the plan include:
- Children's Play Area. Community feedback indicated that the most vital need is for an expanded and challenging play area. The new plan calls for a playground unlike any other in the city, a treasure for neighborhood children. The two existing small playgrounds will become one large and accessible play environment with a wide array of equipment a nd its own restroom. The total area for children's play in the north end will nearly triple, increasing from 5,100 sq. ft. to 14,687 sq. ft. A rendering of this innovative play space is enclosed.
- Public Restrooms. The lack of restrooms has been a problem for this very busy park. The renovation includes three new restrooms - one accessible from the plaza for Greenmarket patrons and the general public; one accessible only from the playground for children and their caregivers, with a babies' changing station, and another one in the pavilion for café patrons that will be open for the general public during the off-season.
- Greenmarket. The plan has been designed in collaboration with the Greenmarket, ensuring that this neighborhood institution will continue to flourish in the park. The plaza will be repaved, and new electrical and water hookups for the f arm vendors installed, enabling them to provide the freshest possible produce.
- Pavilion Restoration. The 80-year-old pavilion, which is seriously deteriorated, will be completely refurbished to include space for on-site Parks staff and for an unenclosed, seasonal café. The café will offer a reasonably priced takeout service to make it easier to have a quick lunch while sitting on the lawn or on a bench.
The plaza's traditional role as a site for public events and rallies will not change.
Parks & Recreation will present the new plan to Community Board 5's parks committee at a public meeting on Monday, January 30, at 6 p.m. at the Fashion Institute of Technology, "A" Building, 8th floor, 227 W. 27th St. near Eighth Avenue. If you would like to see the renovation of Union Square Park finally completed - and this park truly be the crowning jewel of the community - we encourage you to support this well-conceived plan by attending the Community Board 5 parks committee meeting or by writing to the board at 450 Seventh Ave., Room 2109, New York, NY 10123.