In 2005, Mayor Bloomberg promised to turn a CitiStorage warehouse site into a park as part of a rezoning initiative in Williamsburg. Located between North 10th and 11th street by the waterfront, the proposed park would have stretched 28-acres, crossing over the border into Greenpoint.
At the time, Bloomberg estimated that the site would cost anywhere between $60 and $90 million to purchase. However, by 2011, the city had already spent $225 million for just nine acres. Developers soon began to take interest in the property, especially after the warehouse burned down in 2015. This ultimately created a renewed sense of urgency for the construction of the park, as civilians gathered in front of City Hall to urge the city to finally take action.
Today, nearly a year after the protests, only a few acres of Bushwick Inlet Park have actually been constructed. If you pass by the area now, colorful ribbons are still interwoven between the holes of the surrounding fence, serving as an everlasting reminder of Bloomberg’s decade-old promise.
