“At nearly three times the size of New York City’s Central

Park and only a stone’s throw away, Freshkills Park

comprises over 1,000 acres of closed landfill and 450 acres

FreshKills Park
of important wetland framed by spectacular views of
downtown Manhattan. This award-winning Master Plan
vision, for this 2,200 acre park designed by Field Operations,
will guide the transformation from landfill to parklands over
the next 30 years.”
Staten Island, NY
Field Operations
Timeline
1948: Fresh Kills Landfill established by Robert
Moses and City of New York

1973: Image of Garbage scows bring solid

wastes to Plant #2

May 1999: International Design Competition

Organizing Committee formed to sponsor
development of master plan for park
2001: March 22. Fresh Kills Landfill received its
last barge of municipal solid waste. September
5, City of New York announced start of Design
Competition. December: 3 finalists (Field
Operations, JMP Landscape and John McAslan
+ Partners, RIOS Associates, Inc.)

2001: the City Of New York, led by the

Department of City Planning and supported by
the New York Department of State’s Division of
Coastal Resources conducted a master
planning process that resulted in an illustrative
park plan known as the Draft Master Plan

2006 : NYC parks assumed responsibility for

implementing the project using the Draft Master
Plan as a conceptual guide.
Fresh Kills Landfill
- Covered 2,200 acres in Staten Island borough
- Name comes from location along banks of Fresh Kills estuary
- 1948: opened as a temporary landfill, but became NYC’s principal landfill in
second half of 20th century
- Was once the largest landfill, and human-made structure

“I am firmly convinced that a limited landfill project can be undertaken at Fresh Kill,
a project that would prove of great value to the island through the reclamation of
valuable land from now worthless marshland.”

Cornelius Hall, former Borough President of Staten Island

Park to be Completed in 2025
The basic framework of the plan integrates three separate systems: programming,
wildlife, and circulation.

This three systems form into one cohesive and dynamic unit. The park will be
constructed in six phases.

1. Schmul Park (Completed 2012)

2. Owl Hollow Fields (Completed 2013)
3. New Springville Greenway (Completed 2015)
4. North Park
5. East Park
6. South Park
Five Parks in One
North Park : 233 Acres
East Park : 462 Acres
South Park : 425 Acres
West Park : 545 Acres
Confluence: 100 Acres

1- Schmul Park
2- Owl Hollow Soccer Fields
3- New Springville Greenway
4- North Park
5- East Park
6- South Park
The Confluence: divided into Creek
Landing (20 acres) and the Point (50
acres)

Creek Landing: designed for waterfront

activities, including an esplanade, canoe
and boat launch, restaurants, a visitor
center and a large event lawn for
gatherings, picnics and sunbathing

The Point: designed to accommodate

sports fields, event spaces, lawns,
artwork and educational programming;
area could also house a center for track
and field and/or swimming
North Park (233 acres, max. elev. 150 ft):

Characterized by simple, vast natural

settings -- meadows, wetlands and
creeks

Will feature paths and trails for walking,

running, bicycling and skating encircling
the northern mound

Scenic overlooks and spaces for

picnicking, catch-and-release fishing and
birdwatching will be provided
South Park (425 acres, max. elev. 140 ft):

Will provide large natural settings and

active recreational spaces including
soccer fields and an equestrian facility

Will host picnic areas, fields and trails

Hilltops lend spectacular views across

site into the distance
East Park (482 acres, max. elev. 135 ft):

Will be defined by a road park that

extends into the heart of the site and
connects to the West Shore Expressway

Will be designed as a scenic route

integrated into the landscape

Park of the park has been conceptualized

as a nature education area with specially
designed wetlands, boardwalks and
exhibits and public art installations

Large mound in the area lends itself to a

variety of recreational uses, from golf and
field sports
West Park (545 acres, max. elev. 200 ft):

Hosts the site’s largest mound

A monument is envisioned atop the

mound in remembrance of the
September 11 recovery effort that
occurred in this location

Set on a vast hilltop wildflower meadow,

the earthwork would be open to the sky
and offer spectacular view of the region,
including a direct line of sight to lower
Manhattan
Park Infrastructure
Although the park has many natural
features, it is highly engineered. Multiple
layers of soil and geocomposite lie above
and below an impermeable plastic liner. This
liner prevents waste, landfill gas, and
leachate from migrating into the surrounding
environments. Throughout the landfill
mounds, systems collect and purify the
byproducts (landfill gas and leachate).
Site Systems
Schmul Park
Owl Hollow Fields
Springville Greenway