DeSalvio Playground Rehab Delayed Another 6 Months (at Least)
Once a scene of tumult, DeSalvio Playground in Little Italy is currently in ruins as its rehabilitation coincides with the construction of a luxury condo building next door. Construction started in July 2017, yet interim progress has been slow, if at all.
Take a look.
While the onsite signage promises a fall 2018 delivery – that date is taped over the print on the board – this is not to be. Parks Department recently conferred that the neighborhood play space will be delayed another six months. At least.
“We are pushing back the anticipated completion date for the DeSalvio Playground project from July 2018 to January 2019,” Parks’ Chief of Staff Steve Simon told us in an email.
This delay is largely owed to construction of 75 Kenmare at the corner. As such, that development apparently monopolized much of the playground space for a staging area.
“We were unable to access the site from October 2017 to May 2018 as the developer completed the installation of a foundation wall, restored a sinkhole, removed the damaged climbing wall footing, and backfilled and compacted the area,” Simon also noted.
“Our contractor is now working at the site, and we are confident that he will complete the project under the revised schedule.”
With this park out of commission for the for the foreseeable future, the endangered Elizabeth Street Garden has been substitute for parents in need of outdoor recreation for their kids. And while proponents of the Haven Green project point to DeSalvio as a suitable replacement for this potential loss, absent from the argument is shadows from the wall of luxury going up around the park.
August 2008
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