Dundee island park PHASE 1

Location: Passaic, New Jersey
Client: Passaic County & The Trust for Public Land
Award: NJASLA Honor Award, New Jersey Future Smart Growth Award

Dundee Island Park redesigns a neglected 6.73 acre park located in Passaic, New Jersey. Situated on a narrow strip of land partially within the active floodway of the Passaic River and adjacent to an abandoned railroad right-of-way, the park presents a unique set of regulatory, access, and flooding constraints. The project is jointly funded by the County of Passaic and the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection’s Passaic River Restoration Grant Program and is envisioned as one of the first phases of a multiphase movement to restore contiguous access to the river. A new park design will be created that will not only restore over a quarter mile of waterfront, but will also serve as an essential community resource for active and passive recreation, nature education, and event space.

Our team met regularly with principal stakeholders in the City and County of Passaic, and also with park users and other members of the community at several well-attended scoping meetings. Based on community input, MKW developed a schematic design that directly reflected the strong desires heard at each meeting for safety and accessibility, river access and resiliency, and multi-aged family focus.