$17.8M Maspeth Park Turns into Ghost Town; Locals Say Space is Nearly Inaccessible

By: Meir Wolfsheim

Millions of taxpayer dollars have been spent on a new park and dog run in Queens, but locals say the spaces are nearly inaccessible, leading to widespread frustration. The $17.8 million state-funded Maspeth Park, situated under the Kosciuszko Bridge, has turned into a ghost town since its opening last year, according to an exclusive report by the New York Post.

The park, located in a secluded industrial zone at 54th Road and 43rd Street, is over a mile from the nearest subway station. The lack of proper signage and lighting makes it nearly impossible for residents to find, locals told The Post.

“Nobody even knows about this place. I’m the only one here — always,” said Elvis Mazzotta, one of just three people spotted at the park on a sunny Tuesday afternoon last month. Mazzotta, who visits the park weekly, described it as “one of the best workout parks in the city,” but lamented its difficult accessibility. He often has to drive to the site and park on the sidewalk due to the lack of public parking.

Karen Narvaez, a Sunnyside resident, lives less than half a mile from the park with her family but says her kids can’t walk there safely because of a highway cutting through the area. “It’s not safe for kids to walk the path to get to the skatepark,” Narvaez, 38, told The Post.

Criticism of the park isn’t new. The local Juniper Park Civic Association expressed concerns when the site first opened. Although Governor Kathy Hochul claimed the park is “located within walking distance from surrounding neighborhoods,” the civic group argued that navigating through an industrial zone is “quite an adventure from any direction.”

Thomas Mituzas, secretary of the Blissville Civic Association in Long Island City, admitted, “More can be done…We need to improve the 43rd Street underpass and make it more inviting to people with better lighting and better access.”

Despite its lack of green space, the park offers amenities like basketball courts, exercise equipment, game tables, and professional sports lighting for nighttime use. While some locals were disappointed that the long-awaited park is mostly concrete, Mituzas praised it as a valuable addition to the neighborhood. “We’ll take a park, whatever you want to call it,” he said.

Blissville is “one of the safest neighborhoods” for children, according to Mituzas, and the park can attract up to 30 people on a good weekend. Its skateboarding park draws about six skaters on weeknights, according to a 27-year-old skateboarder. He noted that, despite the lack of public transportation, the park’s quality makes it worth the extra effort to visit.

Meanwhile, just over a mile away, the L/CPL Thomas P. Noonan Jr. Playground in Sunnyside recently unveiled a $2.5 million dog run. However, this park has been plagued by its own set of problems for years, according to local families. The biggest issue is a group of homeless men who have taken up residence in the park, using the kids’ splash pad as a shower and trashing the bathrooms. Residents report that these men often pass out naked and high in the toddler playground.

On weekends, illicit gatherings swell to as many as 25 people, with men fighting, doing drugs, and littering the park with crack pipes and needles, residents said. “It’s bad,” said 39-year-old Sunnyside resident Cristian Humala.