Green Space Connections broke ground on a new open space for the Castle Hill Houses.
Four New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) public housing developments – Marlboro Houses and Roosevelt Houses in Brooklyn and Castle Hill Houses and Patterson Houses — were chosen to develop green spaces due to their documented high need in health indicators as well as climate vulnerability that would benefit from increased access to green space. The organization officially broke ground on the new green space at the Castle Hill Houses this past weekend.
Over 800 residents at Castle Hill were asked to vote on what they wanted to see in their green spaces and they overwhelmingly chose a new dog park, an updated barbecue area, increased access to green space and maintenance updates to community public spaces. Green Space Connections, led by the Public Housing Community Fund, NYCHA’s Asset & Capital Management Division, Design Trust for Public Space, and the Neighborhood Safety Initiatives, a department of the Center for Justice Innovation, will use a $3.2 million grant from The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust toward the project, and is working with Grain Collective, a landscape architecture and design firm, on the design.
“Residents can come out, enjoy the day with their pets, meet each other, congregate, improve their mental and physical health, improve community safety,” Public Housing Community Fund Executive Director Alex Zablocki said. “And as part of this project we’re not only building a dog run for small and large dogs, but we’re making connections with the playground area … and we’re building a new barbecue area for residents to enjoy here at Castle Hill.”
“Castle Hill is one of my many NYCHA campuses that have so many pet owners with their beloved pets, that this dog park will be an immense, amazing resource,” said Council Member Amanda Farías. “I could not agree more that this dog park is the thing that we need here in the community.”
The green space project at Castle Hills is expected to be completed by the spring of 2025.
“This is my favorite part, making all of this stuff happen and showing our community that they are important and that the things that are important to them are also important to us. Anything that we can empower and just provide to our residents is the goal,” Castle Hill Resident Association President Jeannette Salcedo said.
“What really draws me to this project is the resident engagement that brought it, the fact that we are really listening to our residents and producing something that you chose for yourself and that’s something we’re really trying to change about NYCHA,” said Eva Trimble, NYCHA COO. “This is really a flagship example of that change that we’re trying to bring.”
This effort, as well as the other green space projects to come, are a part of NYCHA’s Connected Communities program, which focuses on modernizing and transforming open spaces by implementing public-private partnerships, through which they can enliven and enhance open spaces in NYCHA communities.
