Brooklyn, New York – January 23, 2025 – The New York City Department of Parks and Recreation has completed demolition of the standing building on the CitiStorage section of 27-acre park in development, Bushwick Inlet Park.
Check out the time-lapsed video of the demo.
Park users now have an unbroken view of the 27-acre park in progress from the North 9th Street soccer field all the way across the Bushwick Inlet 6 blocks north.
The long-awaited demolition of the huge Citistorage building signifies the end of a park preservation phase that shifted into full throttle at the start of 2015, almost 10 years to the day, from when a fire destroyed the other CitiStorage structure and the owner tried to sell the 7.5 acres property – earmarked for the promised park but not yet owned by the City – for private development. 18 months later, the community-driven Where’s Our Park? campaign led by the Friends Group successfully pressured the City to purchase the land, completing the acquisition of the final property necessary to build the 27 acre park promised in the 2005 Greenpoint/Williamsburg Waterfront Rezoning Agreement.
Now, 8 years after the City acquired the CitiStorage property, and with this last structure removed, the remediation and park development phase can begin. As tens of thousands of new residents have migrated to the neighborhood as a result of the rezoning, creating this full park has never been more crucial. The neighborhood still has one of the lowest park space per capita ratios in New York City.
Friends of Bushwick Inlet Park expresses thanks to the NYC Department of Parks and Recreation and the Economic Development Corporation for seeing through the demolition process.
“For the first time folks can see the entire scope of the 27 acre Bushwick Inlet Park- from Williamsburg all the way to Greenpoint- The sudden view is astonishing and the possibilities for the future park truly exciting! As we celebrate this milestone, it’s important to remember how we got to this moment and recognize the historic all-hands-on-deck grassroots fight for the acquisition of the CitiStorage building led by the Friends of Bushwick Inlet Park that resulted in the victorious outcome for the community. Over 150 years ago, the birth of the fossil fuel industry began here and now as we face the challenges of climate change and sea level rise the Bushwick Inlet Park presents new opportunities for innovative resilient design strategies for neighborhood protection as well as restoration of natural habitats for native creatures and plant species. And so as we begin to remediate this land, restore the riparian shoreline, plant native species to create precious public open space for all people to share, we can acknowledge that this is not only an investment in the future of our beloved Brooklyn but a symbol of the victory of the people coming together to demand environmental justice and the city to fulfill its rezoning promises.” -Katherine Conkling Thompson, President, FBIP
