Is McCarren Park getting an expansion? An advocacy group is currently attempting to convince the city that it should, by way of closing part of Union Avenue (between Driggs and Bayard). According to the Brooklyn Paper the group would ideally like to see that stretch of street closed off to cars permanently.
Should this all go down, the plan is for traffic to be rerouted to North 12th Street or Lorimer Street. The Open Space Alliance's executive director, Stephanie Thayer, explained the importance of the move, saying, "we have a scarcity of parkland in the neighborhood and this helps increase our open space, expanding our larger regional park." The OSA would donate $50,000 towards determining how to use the new space, and whether to keep it paved or turn it green. The city hasn't spoken yet, and while a transfer of the land from the Department of Transportation to the Parks Department would be pricey, many involved feel it will happen.
Meanwhile, some of the greenmarket folk seem concerned. They were recently relocated to that area, in part to get them off the grass; director Michael Hurwitz told the paper, "All I care about is that we have a home. My understanding is moving to Union Avenue was an appropriate location for use because we are not interfering with grass [on the McCarren ball fields]."
