a very reasonable campaign
We just want
some grass.
McCarren Park has everything except the most basic park feature of all: an open, flexible patch of green space for all.
okay so here's the thing
McCarren Park has blocks of green space and real electric energy on a Saturday morning: baseball, soccer, track runners, all of it. But it's missing the simplest park feature of all: an open, flexible green space.
Central Park, Prospect Park, Tempelhof in Berlin: the great ones all share the same secret, flexible green space. Room to just exist. Throw a frisbee, read a book, have a picnic, do absolutely nothing on a blanket.
We don't quite have room for a full Sheep's Meadow on the asphalt lot. But let's aim for a Lamb's Meadow of sorts. 🐑
the problem
Right now, the vast majority of park space in our neighborhood is programmed to a specific purpose: tennis courts on one end, baseball fields in the main section, a track with turf soccer field and handball courts on the other side, and a public pool.
All great things! But every square foot is spoken for. If you don't want to play an organized sport, the park kind of doesn't have room for you.
The renovation is a real chance to fix that. But more programmed amenities, however nice, keep serving specific sub-groups, and we're about to skip the one thing that would serve everyone.
the ask
Dedicate a meaningful portion of the asphalt lot renovation to open, unprogrammed green space: well-designed, beautifully landscaped, and intentionally left flexible for the whole community to use however they want.
We're not anti-pickleball. We're not anti-dog-run. We're pro-grass. Specifically, pro “a nice patch of grass where you can sit and be a person in a park.”
The renovation is projected for completion in 2029. There's time to get this right.
want to help?
Contact the parks department, come to a cleanup, or just tell your friends about us.