Here’s the Current Progress at Essex Crossing’s First Park

With Site 5 of Essex Crossing almost fully operational – residents now live at The Rollins and Target is open for business – the park at its backside is finally coming into view. Progress here has been a slog for the last year (our last follow-up) but it’s starting to look legit.

Behind the chain-link fence lining Broome Street is a 15,000 square-foot plaza of pavers, topped with tables, seating, trees, and light poles. Park debut shouldn’t be too far off, as updates from the developer indicate the last punch list item being completion of pavers (85% done).

Design for this community amenity is four years in the making, first approved way back in November 2014. West 8 is the landscape architect of record for the park, which sits at the north end of the parcel, and measures approximately one-third of an acre. It abuts a potential future school and the 15-story mixed-use residential Rollins tower.

Technically, though, this new green space is what the city calls a privately owned public space (POPS). So it’s at the mercy of ownership and not governed by the city’s Parks Department.