Landfill to Park Timeline

1948

Fresh Kills Landfill established by Robert Moses and the City of New York.

1990

April 24: The consent order was issued between New  York  State Department of Environmental Conservation and the City of New York, which governs landfill closure at the site.

1996

State Law was passed requiring the landfill to cease accepting solid waste by December 31, 2001.
South mound was capped.

1997

North mound was capped.
East mound capping commenced.

1999

May: In anticipation of the closing of Fresh Kills Landfill, the Department of City Planning, in association with the Municipal Art Society, New York State Department of State, New York City Department of Sanitation, New York City Department of Parks & Recreation, and New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, formed an International Design Competition Organizing Committee to sponsor the development of a master plan for Freshkills Park.

2001

March 22: Fresh Kills Landfill received its last barge of municipal solid waste.
September 5: The City of New York announced the start of the International Design Competition for Freshkills Park. Read the project history.
December: Three finalist teams were chosen by a jury of professionals to compete for selection as planning consultant:
First Place: Field Operations – Philadelphia, PA and New York, NY
Second Place: JMP Landscape and John McAslan + Partners – London, England, UK
Third Place: RIOS Associates, Inc. – Los Angeles, CA

2003

June: Landscape architecture firm Field Operations was selected as the planning and design consultant.
September: Mayor Bloomberg announced the kickoff of the master planning process. Read the Mayor’s announcement.

2005

June 23: The 6th public meeting was held at PS 58 in Staten Island to view the Preliminary Draft Master Plan for the future of Freshkills Park.
August 22: Mayor Bloomberg announced the creation of Owl Hollow Fields.

2006

April 6: Mayor Bloomberg and City Planning Director Amanda M. Burden announced the release of the Draft Master Plan for Freshkills Park.
May 24: The Department of Parks & Recreation held a public scoping meeting on the Scope of Work for a Generic Environmental Impact Statement (GEIS) to be prepared for the proposed Freshkills Park. Read the scoping document: Final Scope of Work to Prepare a Generic Environmental Impact Statement
September: The Freshkills Park Administrator, Eloise Hirsh, was chosen by the Department of Parks & Recreation and began work overseeing park development. Read the Daily Plant article.

2007

August, October: The Department of Parks & Recreation held two public presentations on the schematic redesign of Schmul Playground, an existing DPR playground.

2008

February 7: The Department of Parks & Recreation held a public presentation  about the progress of the circulation plans for Freshkills Park.
April 9, 15: The Department of Parks & Recreation held a public presentation and a presentation to Community Board 2 on the design of the first portion of North Park to be constructed.
May 16: The Draft Generic Environmental Impact Statement was released. Download it from the Public Review page.
September 4: A public hearing on the Draft Generic Environmental Impact Statement was held at PS 58 in Staten Island.
October: Site clearance began to prepare for construction of the Owl Hollow Fields.

2009

March 13: The Final Generic Environmental Impact Statement was released. Download it from the Public Review page.
March 25: A public hearing on the Draft Scope of the Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement was held at PS 58 in Staten Island.
June 22: A public hearing on the Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement was held at Wagner College in Staten Island.

2010

January 29: The New York State Department of State awarded Freshkills Park with a grant of $1.25 MM for the design and construction of North Park signature features and educational outreach.
March 30: The New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation awarded Freshkills Park with a grant of $400,000 for the design and construction of a comfort station and bike maintenance post.
April 7: The Department of Parks & Recreation held a public presentation on the design of the first portion of South Park to be constructed.
April 21: The Department of Parks & Recreation presented to Community Board 2 the design of South Park Phase 1.
October 3: The first large-scale, public event was held at the Freshkills Park site. ‘Sneak Peak at Freshkills Park’ drew approximately 1,800 visitors.
October 27: Mayor Bloomberg broke ground on the renovation of Schmul Park and Playground. Read the article in the Staten Island Advance

2011

East mound capping completed.
January 19: The Department of Parks & Recreation presented the design of the New Springville Greenway to Community Board 2.
March 22: The New York City Departments of Sanitation and Parks & Recreation celebrated the 10th Anniversary of the last barge of waste to Fresh Kills Landfill by welcoming a barge loaded with young trees to the site.
May 14: The Department of Parks & Recreation hosted an open house about the plans for the New Springville Greenway.
May 22: Freshkills Park teamed with Kayak Staten Island to hold the first public kayak event on site.
July 27: The New York City Department of Design and Construction released a Request for Proposals for the first phase of the Freshkills Park roads system.
November 14: The New York State Department of State awarded Freshkills Park with a grant of $850,000 for East Park development and educational outreach.

2012

February: Freshkills Park visitor center opened in a refurbished trailer on site. The visitor center, which is now a popular stop on tours, features a green roof, creative displays, and the story of the past, present, and future of Freshkills Park.
June-July: Goats helped out in Main Creek Wetland Restoration by eating phragmites, an invasive reed.
September 13: The Museum of the City of New York opened an exhibit called “From Farm to City: Staten Island 1661-2012” in which the development of Fresh Kills landfill into Freshkills Park is prominently featured.
September 23: Third annual Sneak Peak drew over 2,500 visitors.
October 4:  Schmul Park, the first complete park project, opened in the Travis Neighborhood. The project included renovating the playground with colorful shaped surfaces to echo the topography of the park, new handball and basketball courts, creating what will become a tree-lined entrance to North Park, and building a comfort station with water and energy saving measures.
October 25: The 2012 Land Art Generator Initiative produced innovative artistic concepts for incorporating renewable energy on site.
October 29: Super storm Sandy hit Staten Island. The wetlands and landfill mounds of Freshkills acted as a buffer for the neighboring communities and Freshkills was used as a temporary debris transfer station.

2013

April: Owl Hollow Fields opened, with four soccer fields (two of which are lighted), and a landscaped path. The LEED certified comfort station remains to be built.
May 18: With the first hiking program at Freshkills Park, hiking becomes a regular part of the programs on site.
June 6: Main Creek Wetland Restoration pilot project completed, which stabilized the shoreline, created new salt marsh habitat, and removed invasive species.
November 10: First race at Freshkills Park, sponsored by the Staten Island Athletic Club. Over 100 runners competed in the 5.8 mile course over and around the mounds of Freshkills Park.
November 25: Announcement made that Freshkills Park will host New York City’s largest solar array, large enough to power more than 2,000 homes.

2014

January: Construction on the New Springville Greenway begins.
January: Freshkills Park entered into a sister park partnership with Ariel Sharon Park in Tel Aviv, a similar landfill to park conversion in a large city.