The Barnett Avenue side of Sunnyside Gardens Park has long been an unsafe, and unwelcoming, but necessary path for drivers and pedestrians in the neighborhood. Many people of all ages, including a sizeable senior population walk, in the road, to shops and work despite the blind curve and constant two-way traffic on the street.
As the first step of this ongoing project, I worked with the Sunnyside Gardens Park group and Barnett Avenue Alliance prepared a schematic plan and rendered views of how a sidewalk will fit into the space that is currently a ramshackle slope, covered with weeds and garbage. In addition to a sidewalk, we are expanding the neighborhood garden plots, and providing a welcoming seating area where people can stop and rest during their trips between home and the neighborhood shops.
By addressing this long-overdue sidewalk installation together, the City and the Sunnyside Community will be accomplishing the following goals that enhance everyone’s experience of the neighborhood:
- Better accessibility for pedestrians
- A Clean and cared-for image that will discourage dumping
- Enhanced habitat value with new plantings
- Safe and well-lit at night
- Extension of community garden space