From the Times Ledger:Lost Battalion Park in Rego Park will be expanding its boundaries, thanks to a land swap between the city and a developer.
An oddly shaped parking lot and one end of the park currently fit together like puzzle pieces, but according to state Sen. Toby Stavisky (D-Whitestone), the swap deal will make both the parking and park easier to use.
“Everybody benefits,” she said. “The developer benefits, the city benefits and the developer is going to do the improvements.”
The park is at 93-29 Queens Blvd., and with the new deal would stretch all the way from Queens Boulevard to Junction Boulevard.
A vast parking lot now sits beside the park and near the back it snakes around and encompasses the entire greenspace.
The developer, Vornado Realty Trust, owns part of the huge parking lot, while the city owns another.
In the swap, the city will give Vornado a piece of the lot that is near the park and Vornado will trade the portion of the asphalt that wraps around the back of the park. That way, both the greenspace and the parking lot will become more normally shaped.
6 comments:
I wonder how many people in the neighborhood are even familiar with the "Lost Battalion"?
There's a plaque in the entrance hall of the building to remind of the Lost Battalion namesake.
I made a photo essay on Rego Park's parks last year. Click link on my name.
Which New York professional sports team used to train here for a while?
Thanks Sergey, but the plaque does not do justice to the men that served there.
"The Lost Battalion is the name given to nine units of the United States 77th Division, roughly 554 men, isolated by German forces during World War I after an American attack in the Argonne Forest in October 1918. Roughly 197 were killed in action and approximately 150 missing or taken prisoner before 194 remaining men were rescued."
It was a very brave action on the part of a battalion made of of ethnic NY City folks. A combination of Italians, Greeks, Jews, Germans, Irish etc from NYC who overcame their ethnic differences to survive this action.
Several Medal of Honors were awarded.
The unit accomplished it's mission.
It was NYC folks at their finest. That is what should be on that plaque.
Anon No. 4:
Very true.
Is the just-completed (as of January 2012) paved path with a row of evergreen trees the only extension of Battalion Hall Park that is going to be built? It's across Junction Blvd from the new Rego Mall and has no greenery except for the trees, which are decorative and offer no shade. Please tell me some more of the huge parking lot is slated for green space and not more mall development! See the story from the Times Newsweekly:
http://www.timesnewsweekly.com/news/2010-12-16/Front_Page/A_Third_Mall_In_Rego_Park.html
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