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Eastchester Playground construction continues; parks and Botanical Garden coordinate signage for Eastgate closure
Summary
Construction at Eastchester Playground began in March 2025 with an expected March 2026 completion; signage directing visitors to alternate Botanical Garden entrances is being posted after parks and the botanical garden coordinated approvals and parks said it will share signage screenshots and contacts with the board.
Construction at Eastchester Playground began in March 2025, and NYC Parks officials told Community Board 11 the contractor is working on a roughly one‑year schedule with expected completion by March 2026. "Construction just started March 2025, and we expect construction to be completed by March 2026," Matt Doran, regional manager for NYC Parks, said at the May 8 meeting.
The committee also discussed the closure of the Eastgate entrance that leads into the New York Botanical Garden and how visitors are being routed to alternate entrances. Parks said the Botanical Garden produced laminated, black‑and‑white 8.5-by-11 signs (English and Spanish) to be posted around the construction zone to inform visitors and direct them to other entry points. Parks staff said the signs "were produced by the botanical garden" and that parks would review posting locations through its sign committee. Doran said the signs "were given to the district today to post, so it should probably be posted by tomorrow."
Board members pressed for more advance signage farther from the entrance so that visitors do not have to walk to the fence before learning the entrance is closed. Parks staff said the parks sign committee must review proposed sign locations and that the agency will not place an excessive number of low‑level signs across a continuous greenway. "We have a sign committee that would review the signs, that would review the location of signage, and then we go from there," a parks official said.
Parks agreed to provide Community Board 11 a screenshot of the approved signage for the board to share on neighborhood channels and to supply a contact at the Botanical Garden who handles signage; committee members were given a contact name, Angel Hernandez, for coordination. Parks also said the Botanical Garden had posted closure information on its website.
The board emphasized the need for coordinated outreach — including website notices and social posts — to reduce confusion for visitors arriving by bus or on foot. Parks staff said they would share the signage and Botanical Garden contacts with the board to help neighborhood outreach efforts.
