Award of Merit - Site Landscaping

Bloomingdale Park

The $11.2 million overhaul of 38 acres of Bloomingdale Park in Staten Island brought the first major recreation area to the South Shore of Staten Island.

The project, which broke ground in February 2003, created baseball, softball, and soccer fields, as well as basketball courts, a playground, nature walks, a bike trail, and improved vehicular access.

"The challenge for this project was to add the playing fields and other recreational facilities without detracting from the natural beauty," a judge said.

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That natural beauty almost stopped the job. Environmental activists, the city's Parks Department, and the New York City Audubon Society initially opposed the addition of recreational facilities for fear that it would destroy too much forest, wetlands, and plant life. The Protectors of Pine Oak Forest, a local conservation group, even sued to stop the redevelopment.

Ultimately, however, an environmentally sensitive design eased the concerns, thanks to efforts from Arquitectonica International Corp., a design firm in New York, and New York-based MKW and Associates Landscape Architects. The plan preserved many of the native species of trees and vegetation while incorporating the new recreational facilities.

The city's Department of Design and Construction, which ran the redevelopment, and New York-based Bovis Lend Lease LMB Inc., the construction manager, also worked with the city's Department of Transportation and Department of Environmental Protection, which contributed $9 million in related roadway, sewer, and water system improvements.

The project ensures that the new infrastructure and topographical features of the park maximize the natural drainage characteristics, contributing to the hydrology of the wetlands. The construction team built three stormwater management basins offsite that bring water runoff back into the natural system. It also routes the water via natural streams rather than underground piping, a method that impressed members of the awards jury.