A new waterfront park is slated to open on the East River next spring! 50 Kent Park, a portion of Bushwick Inlet Park between N. 11th and N. 12th St. in Williamsburg, has finally started construction, with a completion date slated for April 2022.
The $7,748,000 city project will offer lush greenery, gathering space, cafe tables and more, all within one city block West of Kent St. The project is separate from the adjacent Marsha P. Johnson State Park, which is state funded and run.
Though plans for 50 Kent Park were initially approved in 2018, budget cuts and then the COVID-19 Pandemic delayed construction on the 1.89-acre lot. Last summer, the gates were open temporarily, to allow North Brooklynites to enjoy the open space given all the gathering restrictions. Now, the area won’t be accessible as construction moves forward.
50 Kent is just one minor piece of the city’s expansive Greenpoint Williamsburg Waterfront Open Space Master Plan, as initially designed by then-mayor Michael Bloomberg in 2005. The plan aims to optimize recreational and public use for the two miles of contiguous waterfronts between Greenpoint and Williamsburg.
As development continues on the waterways, especially with Two Trees Development’s newest project near Domino Park, River Ring, North Brooklyn’s East River areas may be unrecognizable by the time a new mayor is in office.