ALTERNATIVE BR-2 ALTERNATIVE BR-3

Final Environmental Impact Statement Section IV.B

Kosciuszko Bridge Project IV-134 September 2008

Matching the new span’s materials and coloration as closely as possible to the existing span’s elements so that the two structures appear as one on the horizon and not attract unnecessary visual attention or disjointed

Utilizing an open bridge railing system so that any opportunities for intermittent views are still possible.

ALTERNATIVE BR-2

Under this alternative, the Brooklyn Connector would be sited closer to commercial structures on eastbound Meeker Avenue between Morgan Avenue and Vandervoort Avenue; these impacts would remain unmitigated under this alternative.

ALTERNATIVE BR-3

This alternative includes building a new Queens Approach roadway in a location substantially closer to Old Calvary Cemetery. The structure of the approach roadway, built above Laurel Hill Boulevard, would create an uncomfortable spatial environment for pedestrians and motorists by obscuring their view of the sky above.

To mitigate this impact, a bridge system-type that is both lighter and thinner in profile, while at the same time having fewer pier columns or points where the bridge system touches the ground, could be utilized. Examples of such bridge system-types include long span tie back/bowstring arches or cable stayed/suspension-type spans. Such a system would open up the space under the connector roadway thus reducing the closed-in appearance.

In Brooklyn, the Brooklyn Connector would be sited closer to commercial structures on eastbound Meeker Avenue between Morgan Avenue and Vandervoort Avenue; these impacts would remain unmitigated under this alternative.

ALTERNATIVE BR-5

Under this alternative, the Brooklyn Connector would be sited closer to commercial structures on eastbound Meeker Avenue between Morgan Avenue and Vandervoort Avenue; these impacts would remain unmitigated under this alternative.

B.3.f. Parks and Recreational Facilities

This section describes the parks, open space areas, recreational facilities, and publicly owned land within the project area.

METHODOLOGY

Publicly or privately owned parks and recreation lands that are located within the immediate area of the project are analyzed and discussed in this section. Parklands and recreation areas in the study were identified in coordination with NYCDPR and Greenpoint/Williamsburg community gardens groups and through field surveys. Parkland boundaries were confirmed with reviews of park master plans, aerial photography, and New York City Community District maps.



EXISTING PARK, RECREATION, AND OPEN SPACE FACILITIES

There are 19 publicly accessible (public or private ownership) parks and recreational facilities identified in the project area. Facility types identified are categorized in one of the following groups:

Cemetery – A cemetery is a tract of land designated or intended for the interment of human remains; a cemetery also includes the facilities involved with the burial and memorialization of the dead and the care of the living.

Community Garden – A community garden consists of a fenced parcel of land, owned by NYCDPR and is primarily used to plant vegetables, trees and other plants by the residents of the surrounding community. Many community gardens are projects of Operation GreenThumb, a special project started by the NYCDPR which supplies gardening tools and expertise to these community garden outposts.

Greenstreets – A Greenstreet is an area located most commonly in road medians, triangles, malls or other previously paved areas that are turned into green spaces by the planting of trees, shrubbery, flowers and the addition of flag poles, benches, or memorials.

Park – Parks are public parks, beaches, waters and land under water, pools, boardwalks, playgrounds, recreation centers and other property operated by NYCDPR.

Playground – A playground is a publicly owned space typically filled with play equipment for children such as swing sets, jungle gyms, merry-go-rounds, monkey bars, chin-up bars, sandboxes, slides and other recreational activities. Playgrounds are usually smaller in acreage than parks.

Private Park – A private park is maintained by a private enterprise other than NYCDPR or other agencies. Private parks typically have an entrance fee associated and are only open during specific hours of the day.

Triangle – A triangle is a concrete triangle or traffic island that has been converted or enhanced into open space. The triangle enhancements usually consist of shade trees, shrubs, flowers hardscape improvements, benches, flagpoles and memorials.

Table IV-22 lists the park, recreation, and open space facilities in the project area. These facilities are also shown in Figure IV-68, “Parks, Open Space, and Recreational Facilities."

There are two narrow strips of mapped parkland owned by NYCDPR within the project area. An unnamed park strip, Q-360B, is located parallel to the BQE between 54th Road and 54th Avenue at 43rd Street. Cairo Strip, Q-360A, is located within the block surrounded by 43rd Street, 53rd Avenue, 44th Street and 54th Avenue. Since both of these parcels are only 0.3 m (1 ft) wide and provide no recreational or open space functions, they are not considered parkland in this analysis.



TABLE IV-22: PARK, RECREATION, AND OPEN SPACE FACILITIES WITHIN THE PROJECT AREA

Map ID Name Location Borough Facility Type

1 Old Calvary Cemetery Greenpoint Avenue, LIE, Laurel Hill Boulevard, Review Avenue Queens Cemetery

2 New Calvary Cemetery 55th Avenue, 58th Street, Queens Boulevard, 49th Street Queens Cemetery

3 Orient Gore Metropolitan Avenue & Orient Avenue Brooklyn Park

4 Frost Playground Frost Street, Kingsland Avenue & Morgan Avenue Brooklyn Park

5 Cooper Park & Carnegie Playground

Sharon Street & Olive Street, Maspeth Avenue & Morgan Avenue Brooklyn Park /

Playground

6 Fidelity Memorial Park Meeker Avenue, Engert Avenue, Monitor Street Brooklyn Park /

Triangle

7 Lentol Garden Bayard Street, McGuiness Boulevard, Meeker Avenue Brooklyn Community

Garden / Park

8 Calvary Cemetery Veterans Park Greenpoint Avenue, Review Avenue Queens Park

9 Greenstreet Hunters Point Avenue, LIE Service Road, 37th Street Queens Greenstreet

10 Triangle Fifty-Four / Greenstreet 54th Avenue, 54th Road, 48th Street Queens Greenstreet

11 Greenstreet Metropolitan Bridge (Over English Kills) West Brooklyn Greenstreet

12 Greenstreet Metropolitan Bridge (Over English Kills) East Queens Greenstreet

13 Keyspan/Greenpoint Little League Park

Vandervoort Avenue, Division Place, Richardson Street Brooklyn Private Park

14 Memorial Gore Bushwick, Maspeth, Metropolitan Aves. Brooklyn Park

15 Monsignor McGolrick Park Driggs Avenue to Nassau Avenue, Russell Street to Monitor Street Brooklyn Park /

Playground

16 Sergeant William Dougherty Playground

Anthony Street, Vandervoort Avenue, Cherry Street Brooklyn Park /

Playground

17 Powers Street Community Garden Powers Street and Judge Street Brooklyn Community

Garden

18 Olive Garden Powers Street and Olive Street Brooklyn Community Garden

19 Red Shed Community Garden

Kingsland Avenue between Skillman Avenue & Maspeth Avenue Brooklyn Community

Garden

Due to their proximity to the Kosciuszko Bridge, five of the facilities listed above are particularly susceptible to direct or indirect impacts due to the project and are described in greater detail below.



FIDELITY MEMORIAL PARK

This triangle is a tribute to soldiers who fought and died in World War I. Fidelity Triangle, bounded by Engert and Meeker Avenues and Monitor Street, is a small traffic triangle with three London planetrees (Platanus x acerifolia) and seven benches from the 1964 World’s Fair. The middle is planted with shrubs. The most notable feature of the triangle, a memorial stone, is dedicated by the Knights of Columbus: “In memoriam William Gall P.C.K. for devoted service to Fidelity Council 495 K of C 1870-1950.”

MONSIGNOR MCGOLRICK PARK

In 1889 the City of Brooklyn acquired the land for a park on a site bounded by Monitor and Russell Streets, and Nassau and Driggs Avenues. Winthrop Park was named for Assemblyman Winthrop Jones, who was instrumental in obtaining the $132,825 for the purchase. In 1941, the park was renamed for Monsignor Edward J. McGolrick (1857-1938), who hailed from Donnoughmore, County Donegal, Ireland. In 1888 Father McGolrick joined the parish of St. Cecilia’s where, until his death 50 years later, he served as pastor. He was instrumental in the creation of a new church, convent, rectory, hospital, lyceum, school and playing field.

In 1910, the architectural firm of Helmle and Huberty erected a pavilion at Monsignor McGorlick Park. Each building served as a comfort station, one for men, and the other for women. The pavilion was designed to invoke the feeling of 17th and 18th century French garden structures. The structure is currently listed on the NRHP and is protected as a New York City Landmark. Rehabilitation in 1985 included a new roof for the pavilion, repaired and replaced the brick and stone walkway, removed graffiti, reconstructed the masonry, replaced windows and doors, and enhanced the comfort rooms to include a community room and kitchenette. Monsignor McGolrick Park was the site of a massive clean-up effort in 1987. NYCDPR employees removed graffiti, weeds, and debris; repaired and painted benches, play equipment, and fences; repaved asphalt walkways; cleaned catch basins; and pruned trees and shrubs. Today the 9.13 acre park contains new pavements, fencing, benches, game and picnic tables, play equipment, safety surfacing, landscaping, a water supply system, large trees, and a dog run.

KEYSPAN / GREENPOINT LITTLE LEAGUE PARK

The KeySpan Corporation, an energy provider, owns a small park consisting of two baseball fields, several sets of bleachers, and a concession stand east of Vandervoort Avenue between Division Place and Richardson Street in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. These baseball fields are used by the Greenpoint Little League during their season of early spring to late summer on the weekends only. There are five to ten teams in the league from season to season. KeySpan has owned the park for over 30 years and it is maintained by KeySpan employees.

SERGEANT WILLIAM DOUGHERTY PLAYGROUND

This 3,040 m2 (32,687 ft2/0.75 acres) playground located at the intersection of Vandervoort Avenue, and Cherry and Anthony Streets, as shown in Figure IV-69, “Sergeant William Dougherty Playground,” was assigned to NYCDPR in 1924 with additions added in 1935 and 1939. In 1948, Local Law 48 named the playground after William Dougherty, a U.S. Marine who fought and died in the World War II Battle of Saipan, who used the playground as a child.

The playground, an asphalt area surrounded on three sides by a chain link fence, is surrounded by and filled with approximately 40 large, mature trees with broad canopies, primarily London



planetrees (Platanus x acerifolia). The eastern boundary of the playground is the wall of an adjacent commercial building. The playground includes one basketball court, two handball courts, six game tables, four picnic tables, approximately 30 benches, and a drinking fountain. The playground also has a flagpole with a yardarm.

CALVARY CEMETERY

In 1817, the Trustees of St. Patrick's Cathedral (now called Old St. Patrick's Cathedral) on Mott Street realized that their original cemetery on Mulberry Street was almost full. They drew up a charter for a burial ground in Queens, and on October 29, 1845, the Trustees bought 71 acres of land from John McMenoy and John McNolte. The first burial in Calvary Cemetery took place on July 31, 1848. Since then, the Roman Catholic cemetery, which now comprises Old Calvary Cemetery and New Calvary Cemetery, has expanded to 365 acres, and is the largest cemetery in the United States. Additional information on Old Calvary Cemetery can be found in Section IV.B.3.d.

IMPACTS TO AND PROPOSED MITIGATION FOR PARK, RECREATION AND OPEN SPACE FACILITIES

Each of the Build Alternatives would result in temporary and permanent impacts to Sergeant William Dougherty Playground. Each alternative also includes a substantial mitigation package, both enhancing existing park areas and creating new ones, increasing both size and function of available park space in Brooklyn and Queens. These impacts and mitigation efforts are quantified in Tables IV-23 and IV-24, respectively. Chapter VII, which discusses the Section 4(f) process, describes these impacts and mitigation measures in detail.

As shown in Section III.C.2.l, the unnamed park strip (Block 2515, Lot 35) would be impacted either permanently or temporarily by each of the Build Alternatives. The Cairo Strip would not be impacted by the project.



TABLE IV-23: SUMMARY OF IMPACTS TO PARK PROPERTIES

Alternative RA-5

Alternative RA-6

Alternative BR-2

Alternative BR-3

Alternative BR-5

Sergeant William Dougherty Playground

Temporary Use (m2) 223 m2

(2,400 ft2)

258 m2

(2,777 ft2)

237 m2

(2,551 ft2)

237 m2

(2,551 ft2)

153 m2

(1,647 ft2)

Permanent Use (m2) 601 m2

(6,469 ft2)

297 m2

(3,197 ft2)

445 m2

(4,790 ft2)

445 m2

(4,790 ft2)

1,299 m2

(13,982 ft2)

TABLE IV-24: SUMMARY OF PROPOSED PARK MITIGATION AND IMPROVEMENTS

Existing/No Build RA-5 RA-6 BR-2 BR-3 BR-5

Parkland

Brooklyn (m2) 3,037 7,547 7,687 7,565 7,568 6,948

Queens (m2) 0 8,841 6,390 8,855 8,716 9,804

Total (m2) 3,037 16,388 14,077 16,420 16,284 16,752

Streetscaping No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes

Bikeway/Walkway No Yes No Yes Yes Yes

Boat Launches 0 2 2 2 2 2

B.3.g. Farmland Assessment

The Farmland Protection Policy Act of 1981 (7 USC 4201-4209) and §305 of the New York State Agriculture and Markets Law protect active farmland from conversion to non-farm uses without public review and consideration. As there is no active (or dormant) farmland within the project area, such an evaluation is not necessary.

B.3.h. Air, Noise and Energy

This section describes the air quality, noise, and energy studies conducted for this project. Further detail on the air quality and noise studies can be found in Appendices N and O, respectively.

AIR QUALITY

OVERVIEW

Air pollutants are emitted by a wide variety of sources, including stationary (direct) sources, and mobile, or vehicular (indirect), sources. The project would affect vehicular emissions by changing traffic volumes and operations. These changes, as well as modifications to roadway alignments, could also affect localized pollutant concentrations. The project’s potential effects on both emissions and local pollutant concentrations are considered in this section.

ALTERNATIVE BR-2 ALTERNATIVE BR-3

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