athletic fields at flushing meadowS corona park

Location: Queens, New York
Client: New York City Parks
Completed: August 2024

Synthetic Turf Fields 8 and 9 are located in the neighborhood of Flushing, Queens between the Van Wyck Expressway and College Point Boulevard. A part of Flushing Meadows-Corona Park, the site was constructed, along with the Al Oerter Recreation Center, as the Flushing Bay Combined Sewer Overflow Retention Facility. A major portion of the CSO facility lays beneath the synthetic turf fields.

NYC Parks required an update of the 8.5 acre site. In addition to the worn-out synthetic turf carpet, a reconstruction of the underdrainage system was needed. Areas of the turf field have subsided, causing drainage issues most notably on the southeastern portion of Field 9. Inadequate entrances from the adjacent parking lot underneath the Expressway have forced the public to create their own desire paths. These are addressed with ADA-compliant features to not only establish full accessibility to the soccer fields, but also to Lawrence Playground to the immediate south of the Fields. Although design interventions are minimal, they still provide large impacts to the overall design. A spray mister and water bottle filler are included to provide more options for users to cool down as they walk off the wide-open turf fields during warmer seasons. These are located in a new sitting area on the southwest corner of the fields, attractive to other park users as well.