$24.8M Brooklyn Skate Garden sparks environmental concerns from critics
News 12 covered the ongoing project efforts back during its inception in March, May and December of 2024, as safety concerns have continued to grow for some in the community.
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Mount Prospect Park may be scenic, but it's now the center of a controversy over plans to build a 40,000-square-foot skate park on top of it.
The $24.8 million Brooklyn Skate Garden project in Mount Prospect Park was founded in joint effort by Mayor Eric Adams, NYC Parks and the Skate Park Project. Announced in January of 2024, the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Operations told News 12 that the project will "create more outdoor recreation space and help turn New York City into the skate capital of the East Coast."
News 12 covered the ongoing project efforts back during its inception in March, May and December of 2024, as safety concerns have continued to grow for some in the community. New additions include a multiuse area with additional seating, space for public programming and a community garden. However, the construction plans for the project come at too high a cost to critics such as Hayley Gorenberg, president of Friends of Mount Prospect Park.
"The idea that we would pave over green space and endanger or damage or kill these trees - it's a relic of the past," said Gorenberg.
After spotting a construction vehicle planted on the Mount Prospect Park just last month, Gorenberg said the aftermath of the project could be "detrimental."
Citing that the tree canopy is limited in Brooklyn, Gorenberg said the projected renovation plans can potentially harm the surrounding environment. "If there's going to be this construction, move it to an already paved space for our health, for science, for our climate, for our well-being," said Gorenberg.
The Brooklyn Skate Garden's timeline has not yet been released, but the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Operations said the project will "plant more trees and native plants" while "leaving the majority of the park's open space intact."
