You are reading

Revamps Planned For Van Alst And Astoria Heights Playgrounds

Screen Shot 2016-02-18 at 4.57.10 PM

Feb. 18, 2016 By Michael Florio

Two Astoria playgrounds will soon undergo renovations.

Astoria Heights Playground, located on 30th Road between 45th and 46th Streets, and Van Alst Playground, located off of 21st Street between 29th and 30th Avenues, will both be renovated as part of the Community Parks Initiative, a city plan that aims to upgrade small, neighborhood parks.

The Mayor’s office has allocated $3,050,000 for the renovation of Van Alst Playground.

Meanwhile, they Mayor’s office has allocated $500,000 toward the $2 million upgrade of the Astoria Heights Playground. The City Council allocated $1,100,000 toward that playground and $500,000 came from the Borough President’s office.

Both renovations will include the installation of picnic tables and open lawn space, at the request of the community, a Parks Department spokeswoman said.

Van Alst Playground will also receive new spray showers, a new adult fitness station and a reconstructed handball court, as well as larger play equipment and swings. An asphalt field will be converted into a colorful multi-purpose sports area.

This renovation will also provide pedestrian light poles to improve nighttime surveillance.

Astoria Heights Playground will see added play equipment and an expanded track, according to the Parks Department.

Both of these projects have completed their design phases and will now enter procurement, where contractors bid on the project. This process is expected to take six to ten months.

Construction is expected to begin on both these projects “later this year,” the Parks spokeswoman said.

Both playgrounds will have to close during construction. The Parks Department did not provide a timetable for the construction process.

Playground Thirty-Five, located at 35th Avenue and Steinway Street, and Astoria Health Playground, located off of 14th Street, near 31st Road, are also being reconstructed through CPI.

The Parks Department will host public scoping sessions for these projects in the next few weeks, although exact dates and locations have yet to be announced.

Astoria Heights- Community 9-18-15-1 by Queens Post

.

Q321_Van Alst_PowerPoint Presentation_2015-05-12.pdf by Queens Post

email the author: news@queenspost.com

One Comment

Click for Comments 
L Jenn

The playground at 21st Street and Hoyt is in serious need of renovation – it has to be one of the most depressing playgrounds in the city. Far more important than a million dollar dog run, especially since the existing run is hardly used.

Reply

Leave a Comment
Reply to this Comment

All comments are subject to moderation before being posted.

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Recent News

Fall fun in western Queens: Your guide to the best seasonal events

Aug. 29, 2025 By Jessica Militello

With beach days and summer BBQs behind us, the start of September rings in the start of magnificent Fall foliage, Halloween and more fun activities that come with the start of Autumn, including a list of Fall events in the area. From apple picking to seasonal ciders and more, there is tons to explore in the community. From Mystic Markets to scary movie meet-ups and more, here is a list of Fall events you do not want to miss.

Astoria doctor sentenced to more than two decades in prison for rape and sexual abuse: DA

An Astoria doctor was sentenced to 24 years in prison on Thursday in Queens Supreme Court for raping unconscious acquaintances and sexually abusing hospital patients.

Dr. Zhi Alan Cheng, 35, of Broadway, pleaded guilty on June 30 to four counts of rape in the first degree and three counts of sexual abuse in the first degree in satisfaction of the consolidated indictments against him. He additionally entered an Alford plea to one count of sexual abuse. The defendant — a former gastroenterologist at New York-Presbyterian Queens Hospital — recorded the abuse of his unconscious victims with his cell phone in both his Astoria apartment and at the hospital.