NYC Gazette

Brooklyn, NY – Congressman Dan Goldman (NY-10) requested $2,000,000 in the Fiscal Year 2024 Budget to restore the Prospect Park lakeshore, the only lake in Brooklyn. Prospect Park welcomes more than 10 million visits each year, and 370,000 Brooklynites live in the immediate vicinity of Prospect Park. This will be the first significant restoration of the lakeshore since its creation. The project will redesign and reconstruct the lake’s shoreline to increase habitat, ensure ADA accessibility, and address stormwater management issues that have negatively impacted surrounding communities who have dealt with flooding of their residences due to runoff from the lake.

“Prospect Park is one of New York’s most iconic greenspaces, serving as a refuge for Brooklynites and tourists, and a haven for the city’s wildlife,” Congressman Dan Goldman said. “Since its creation over 150 years ago, the Prospect Park lakeshore has welcomed millions of visitors each year. I am proud to join in the efforts towards ensuring that this New York City landmark remains accessible for generations to come.”

Morgan Monaco, Prospect Park Alliance President said, “Prospect Park Alliance is grateful to Congressman Dan Goldman for selecting the Prospect Park Lakeshore Restoration for Community Project Funding. This restoration will greatly benefit the communities we serve: increasing environmental resilience and stormwater management that leads to flooding in surrounding neighborhoods, and improving accessibility to Brooklyn's only Lake and essential natural resource for people of all abilities. We appreciate Congressman Goldman's generous support of this important project.”

The Prospect Park Lakeshore Restoration will replace the existing retaining walls along the shoreline with a soft edge featuring native aquatic plants that will mitigate shoreline erosion and provide habitat and feeding areas for wildlife. Additionally, the project will capture surface runoff from the paved roadway surrounding the lakeshore into underground storage facilities and rain gardens. The project will also remove extensive areas of asphalt roadway, converting them into rain gardens that replicate the park's original horticultural design. The existing mulched beach areas will be upgraded with ADA-accessible pathways for visitors, bordered by newly planted areas that will serve as a buffer from the roadway, as well as provide additional habitats.

Original source can be found here.