More greenery will grace Downtown thanks to LMDC

The vacant triangular lot bounded by Canal, Varick, and Laight Streets will be revived with canopy trees, flower beds, and benches thanks to funding authorized by the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation (LMDC)'s board of directors at its Feb. 9 meeting.

Board members approved the allocation of $19.5 million to enhance six parks and public spaces in Lower Manhattan. In total, the LMDC has designated more than $120 million toward creating or revitalizing 135-plus acres in the area, with another $150 million earmarked for improvements along the East River waterfront.  

"The announcement of these six new projects . . . will go a long way toward the continued transformation of Lower Manhattan into a true mixed-use community," Governor George Pataki said in a statement.      

The five other parks that will benefit from the funds are James Madison Plaza, bordered by St. James Place, Madison, and Pearl Streets; Sara D. Roosevelt Park at Hester Street between Chrystie and Forsyth Streets; the Allen and Pike Street malls; Collect Pond Park, at Leonard Street between Centre and Lafayette Streets; and Washington Market Park, bordered by Chambers, Greenwich, and West Streets.

The renovations will be managed and monitored by the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation. Some of the improvements are new initiatives, such as revitalizing the center plots along Allen and Pike Streets with plantings and paths, while others, such as reconstructing the playground at Sara D. Roosevelt, represent the second phase of renovation projects whose first phases, also funded by the LMDC, have already been completed.

So far, the LMDC has spent $30 million on improvements at 14 parks and open spaces in Lower Manhattan, with an additional $70 million designated for Hudson River Park.

"The renewal and development of park space is a vital part of the revitalization of Lower Manhattan," Mayor Michael Bloomberg said in a statement.

During the Thursday meeting, the LMDC Board also authorized $38 million in funding to revitalize the Fulton Street corridor, which includes additional plans for renovating and enhancing existing open spaces. The project will redevelop the area into a mixed-use retail corridor serving the surrounding commercial and residential sectors as well as the growing visitor market.