BY BARBARE AKHALKATSI
Bay Ridge residents called for major changes in the design of Dan Ross Playground reconstruction, as NYC Parks introduced a $4 million renovation plan.
At Brooklyn Community Board 10’s Nov. 4 Parks Committee meeting, NYC Parks presented the new renovation proposal for the playground. The renovation is planned to begin in summer of 2028, following the completion of design documents, contractor selection and procurement.
The quarter-acre playground is located on Seventh Avenue between 81st and 82nd streets, beside the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway. Designers acknowledged equipment, pavement lifted by tree roots and limited shade in the playground as a subject to change. The proposal also includes separate play areas for children aged 2 – 5 and 5 – 12, as well as swings with accessible seating and security lighting. The park will include a forest theme that connects spaces through climbing equipment, and a small bridge and blue-and-green concrete resembling lily pads.
Residents’ questions mostly focused on fencing. The plan includes replacing the existing seven-foot chain-link fence with a four-and-a-half-foot steel picket fence along three sides, which raised concerns among the participants. Committee members questioned if the lower fence would make the playground unsafe and more exposed to vandalism.
“We can certainly go higher with the steel fence here,” said Denise Mattes, design director of the Brooklyn Team Capital. She assured committee members that the agency will accommodate a taller fence.
Mattes also addressed residents’ concerns regarding the poor lighting in the area. “The Department of Transportation reviews our lighting to make sure everything’s well lit,” she said, “You’ll have lighting here more than you do now.”
Additionally, sunlight over the proposed swings also drew questions among the committee members. One participant mentioned that the area along 82nd Street would likely receive direct sunlight for most of the day.
The board agreed to consider planting larger trees as a shading solution. “We could put two street trees along the side there and then that would suffice to get shade over the swings,” Mattes said.