Action Alert: Urge the City Council to Protect 268 Small Parks

September 14, 2018

On Monday, September 17, a broad coalition of advocacy organizations including New Yorkers for Parks (NY4P), the Municipal Art Society of New York (MAS), and the Trust for Public Land (TPL) will testify at a City Council Parks Committee hearing on the urgent need to enforce protections for a little-known network of public parks known as “Jointly Operated Playgrounds” (JOPs). There are 268 JOPs in the city, spread across all five boroughs and 49 of 51 City Council districts.

The hearing comes in the midst of a legal battle over the future of one JOP in particular, Marx Brothers Playground in East Harlem. Presented as a simple park relocation project by the City, the proposal seeks to transform Marx Brothers Playground into a development site in order to build a 760-foot residential tower. The case sets a dangerous precedent for all of New York City’s precious parkland, JOPs in particular.

The public hearing of the City Council Committee on Parks and Recreation will be held on Monday, September 17th, at 1:00 PM at 250 Broadway, 14th Floor Committee Room. Members of the media and concerned New Yorkers are encouraged to attend.

For those who cannot attend in person, MAS has created the following public action tool that allows you to voice your support for safeguarding our neighborhood parkland. Use our OneClickPolitics module below to automatically contact your local Council Member by email, social media, and phone.

a map of jointly-owned playgrounds in New York City
There are more than 260 parks classified as jointly operated playgrounds around the five boroughs.