All signs point to Paseo Park’s placidity
Dozens of residents, officials and activists gathered in Jackson Heights Sunday to celebrate the official co-naming of 26 blocks of 34th Avenue as Paseo Park, marking another milestone in the transformation of the formerly typical roadway into an elongated open plaza with highly limited motor vehicle access.
Attendees enjoyed speeches, music, dance and food, along with the always-exciting removal of the cover revealing the new sign.
That happened at the corner of 34th Avenue and 77th Street. But the Paseo Park sign sitting above the street there will be only one of several. More will be going up at 70th and 93rd streets. And 77th also will get a larger mast arm sign, the kind that hangs over a street.
In addition to those, 26 square signs bearing the Parks Department’s leaf symbol — even though they were made, like the street signs, by the Department of Transportation — will be posted, one on each block of Paseo Park. The city’s crown jewel of open streets, as it is known, runs from 69th Street to Junction Boulevard.
Since the Covid pandemic prompted the partial closure of 34th Avenue to most traffic starting in 2020, in order to create more open space for pedestrians and cyclists, Paseo Park has continued to evolve. The city DOT is slated to spend $90 million more in capital upgrades to further its evolution.
Celebrants welcomed Monday’s event as a big step.
“The co-naming recognizes years of community advocacy that created this historic space, celebrates its unique role in the community, and begins a new chapter for Jackson Heights,” the office of City Councilman Shekar Krishnan (D-Jackson Heights) said in a press release.
The office said Paseo Park gives safe passage to 7,000 schoolchildren traveling to seven public schools, one private school and at least four prekindergarten locations. It is credited with a 42 percent reduction in traffic crashes.
The announcement contained a number of statements lauding what Paseo Park has done for the area, with seniors playing bingo, teens skateboarding and more, safely.
Dawn Siff, executive director of the Alliance for Paseo Park, said, “34th Avenue’s new official name, Paseo Park, signifies the desires of our park starved community for the public space Jackson Heights deserves — a safe, beautiful space where neighbors can walk, play, rest, and connect. A place to be, not to pass through.
“We are grateful to Councilman Shekar Krishnan and his predecessor Danny Dromm for fighting for the establishment, creation and permanence of this open street, which we believe could be a model for creating new public space across New York City.”
The co-naming included performances by the Neela Dance Academy and a poem recited and written by Jackson Heights resident Meera Nair. Epicenter NYC co-founder and artist Nitin Mukul, who was key in leading the effort for the Paseo Park public art installation, supplied sound and music.
Girl Scouts who earned their Bronze Award by conducting a children’s survey of Paseo Park spoke, along with a number of elected officials, and food was distributed by chef Mario Farrar and area restaurant Merit Kebab, while desserts were done by baker, artist and Alliance for Paseo Park board member Ondine Crispin.
While the DOT remains the lead agency on Paseo Park, the Parks Department has jurisdiction over several malls along its length, as well as adjacent Travers Park.
“Dedicated outdoor spaces like Paseo Park are essential to the health and vitality of our neighborhoods, providing accessible areas where families can gather, children can play safely, and communities can build meaningful connections,” city Parks Commissioner Iris Rodriguez-Rosa said in a statement sent to the Chronicle, adding that the department is grateful to Krishnan and the community for their vision for the space, a model for the city.
“Our green and open spaces improve both mental and physical wellbeing while creating opportunities for cultural expression and social interaction.”