What are the signature elements of the North End Project? Who is constructing the project? What is the project’s timeline? How will construction affect the Greenmarket? Who maintains Union Square Park? Does the project include adding two new lanes of traffic along 17th Street? Can you describe the trees that were just planted at the site? Will work at the site slow down during the winter months? Why are sprinklers operating on the site when it is under construction? What happened to the newsstand at the northwest corner of the park? Why are different soil types necessary to sustain project landscaping? Will new trees be planted as part of the North End Project? How long will the West Plaza be under construction? ________________________________________________________ What are the signature elements of the North End Project? The improvements include building a new playground to replace two smaller ones, tripling their total size from 5,135 square feet to 15,307 square feet; planting trees along the northern and western perimeters of the park; repaving the public plaza in a decorative hex-block pattern; rehabilitating the historic Pavilion; electrical and water connections for the Greenmarket farmers, avoiding the need for noisy, fume-emitting generators, and new public restrooms for park users. Who designed the project? The design team is led by two firms, Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates (Landscape Architect) and Architecture Research Office (Architect). The landscape architect is primarily responsible for the plaza and playground design, while the architect is primarily responsible for the pavilion renovation and restroom facility. Who is constructing the project? The Department of Parks and Recreation is managing project construction through their consultant, Hill International. Padilla Construction Services is the General Contractor. As a major stakeholder and project funder, the Union Square Partnership works in cooperation with the Parks Department and with the community to resolve issues that arise during construction. What is the project’s timeline? The project is expected to be substantially complete after approximately eighteen months. Construction has been phased in a manner that will allow portions of the development area, once complete, to be reopened to the public. How will construction affect the Greenmarket? The Greenmarket is fully operational and accommodated on site during the construction period as the work is phased between the north and west sides of the park. The market operates year-round every Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday from 8:00 AM to 6:00 PM. The market itself will first relocate to the western and southern plazas for a number of months, then, as work is completed on the north plaza, switch back to the north side of the park for the remainder of the construction period. Who maintains Union Square Park? Through a successful public/private partnership with the Parks Department, the Union Square Partnership coordinates closely with the agency to set goals and meet the growing demands of this vibrant public space. While the Parks Department bears primary responsibility for the park, the Partnership has collaborated with the agency on a number of annual projects to maintain, upgrade and beautify the park. In recent years, the Partnership planted new bulbs, cleaned flower beds, pruned shrubs, aerated the soil, treated the lawn and provided general maintenance, transforming the park into one of the City’s most exciting public spaces. Does the project include adding two new lanes of traffic along 17th Street?
No. In fact, prior to the finalization of the North End construction plans, the Parks Department and the Union Square Partnership asked the Department of Transportation (DOT) to conduct a study to determine if we could eliminate roadway to give back to the park. The DOT study found that we could transfer 5 feet from the roadway to the plaza along the entire stretch of 17th Street, which will increase plaza space. Additionally, plans include the removal of all Muni-meter parking along the west side of the park, which will create even more park land space for pedestrian and Greenmarket use. When work on the north plaza is complete, there will be no reduction of plaza space for the Greenmarket and they will return to the north end. Can you describe the trees that were just planted at the site? Nine Japanese Pagoda trees (Sophora Japonica) now line the northern edge of the plaza, and more will be planted along the western edge during Phase Two of construction. The species was chosen for its broad, upright crown of branches and its robust tolerance of urban soil conditions. Japanese Pagoda trees will grow to a mature height of approximately 60 feet, with a comparable crown spread that will amply shade the plaza below. Tree flowers bloom creamy white from July through mid-August and have a mild fragrance. Will work at the site slow down during the winter months? Although certain types of construction work, such as concrete pours, cease or slow down substantially over the winter months, work on the North End has been phased to continue apace throughout the winter. Most of the work during that time will be focused on the Pavilion and restroom structures, with substantial attention to the playground and west plaza site work as well. Why are sprinklers operating on the site when it is under construction? The mobile sprinkler system is part of the contractor's obligation to minimize dust that is generated by work at the site. Other dust control measures include manual wetting down of surfaces and rinsing of equipment and tires during the work day and before leaving the site premises. These dust control measures are an important part of reducing airborne dust in order to provide a more pleasant climate for visiting the park or shopping at the Greenmarket. What happened to the newsstand at the northwest corner of the park? The newsstand is now closed for the duration of the construction project and a new one will open in the same location once the project is complete. Why are different soil types necessary to sustain project landscaping? Soil content and layering for the North End Project has been engineered to maximize the lifespan of trees and shrubs given the site's dense urban context. The deepest soil layer consists of six inches of porous sand spread over the landscape underdrain structure. The middle planting layer, where the bulk of root systems will be located, will consist of a mix of soil and sand that will prevent soil from compacting and thereby facilitate healthy root growth. The top layer will consist of approximately six to twelve inches of organically rich soil that will percolate down through the tree root systems and provide them with valuable nutrients. Each autumn, when leaves fall to the tree pits and playground, organic matter will again replenish the topsoil on an annual basis. Will new trees be planted as part of the North End Project? Yes, more than 50 new trees will thrive in the north end of Union Square Park once construction is complete. New Japanese Pagoda trees along the north and west edges of the plaza will extend the lush greenery of Union Square Park to its outermost edges. Planted at 20 feet (the lowest branching at 12 feet) and reaching a maximum height of 40 feet, the trees will enhance the plaza experience along 17th Street and Union Square West without competing with the scale of the buildings that surround the square. New trees in the playground area will also provide a variety of color, texture and shade to the park. Large evergreen trees such as Hinoki False Cypress trees, as well as deciduous trees such as Northern Catalpa, Golden Raintree and Dawn Redwood will surround the playground at taller heights, complemented by smaller flowering trees such as Smoketrees and Saucer Magnolias. Why does Union Square Park need a public restroom facility in addition to the existing men’s and women’s restrooms inside the Pavilion? With each passing year, the number of people coming to Union Square Park continues to grow as the district becomes more popular. One statistic shows that nearly 34 million people passed through the Union Square-14th Street subway station in 2007*. As part of the North End Project, the existing men’s and women’s restrooms inside the Pavilion will be renovated for public use but they are small and can only accommodate one stall each once they are brought up to code to make them ADA-accessible. During the community outreach meetings held by the Parks Department and the Union Square Partnership, attendees expressed numerous times that the area was in great need of additional restroom options. Furthermore, during those same community meetings, parents expressed a desire for a unisex family restroom that would be accessible from the playground for children and their guardians only. For these reasons, the North End Project includes a restroom facility that will house men's and women's restrooms with three stalls each, and a unisex family restroom with an additional stall and dedicated access from inside the playground. All three restrooms will have sinks and baby changing stations. The new structure was designed by Architecture Research Office, the project architect, who is also responsible for the design for the Pavilion’s rehabilitation, and it was designed to fit into the context of the existing environment, incorporating the park's existing ashlar wall into its north and east façades. How long will the West Plaza be under construction? Beginning in January, the West Plaza asphalt will be removed, followed by several weeks of utility work to provide site drainage and power to the new light poles. After the utility work is complete, new granite curbs, concrete foundations and asphalt pavers will be installed similar to the North Plaza. The Greenmarket will relocate to the South Plaza while Phase Two construction work is underway. All work on the West Plaza should be complete by April 2009. When will the busy northwest corner of the site (Broadway at 17th Street) be available again for pedestrian use? The contractor is working as quickly as possible to return the northwest corner of the site to public use. The granite curb foundations have been formed and await the next dry period above freezing temperatures in order to pour concrete. As soon as the concrete cures, the area can be reopened to pedestrians crossing Broadway, 17th Street and Union Square West. What is going to happen to the 16th Street subway station entrances during construction on the west plaza? In order for the contractor to renovate and install new paving stones along the full width of the west plaza, there will be limited pedestrian access to the subway entrance at 16th Street for approximately one month beginning the second week of March. During this short period of time, one of the two stairwells will remain open at all times so that access to the subway will always be possible at 16th Street. |
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